Lemon Spongettes

These lemon spongettes are like a cross between custard and sponge cakes. They are cooked in ramekins set in a water bath, and are really easy to make. I squeezed everything in 7 ramekins, but this could make 8 servings if you have space for them in your pan. I served them plain, but they would be great too with fruit, chocolate syrup, white chocolate shavings or a lactose-free whipped cream equivalent.

4 eggs, separated
1 ½ cups lactose-free whole milk
3 Tbsp unsalted margarine (or softened butter)
1 cup sugar
¼ cup flour
juice of one large lemon (about 2 ½ Tbsp)
zest of one large lemon (about 2 ½ tsp)
pinch salt

Preheat the oven to 350 °F. Lightly grease eight oven-proof ramekins.

Beat the eggs whites with an electric mixer until stiff, about 5 minutes. Set aside. In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and milk.

Cream together the butter and sugar with an electric mixer. The mixture will be a bit pebbly, not silky, as there is such a small amount of margarine. Add the flour, lemon juice, zest, and salt. Add the combined milk and egg yolks. You may need to manually whisk the mixture to get it smooth. Fold in the egg whites.



Pour the mixture evenly into 8 ramekins. Set the ramekins in a large baking dish (use two if they don't fit) and carefully pour in enough hot water to rise about one-third to one-half of the way up the sides of the ramekins. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes. The tops should be light, golden brown.



Remove from water bath, and allow the spongettes to cool slightly, in the ramekins, then transfer them to the refrigerator for an hour or two. Chilling them will help the custard to set. To serve, run a knife around the edge of the ramekin to loosen the spongette, and invert it onto a plate.