Lemon Sponge Pie

(from my old blog...)

My mother got this recipe from a friend of hers, and for years it's been my "birthday cake" of choice. Served it chilled, with some fresh whipped cream (or not) it's perfect on a hot July day.

Here it is:

You'll need to have an unbaked 10" pie crust ready in a pie plate. Use your favorite pie crust recipe, or buy a pre-made one - they're in the freezer section, with the other dessert things. Keep it in the fridge until you're ready to pour the filling in.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

You'll need:

3 T unsalted butter

1 1/4 C sugar

4 eggs, separated

3 T flour a dash of salt

1 1/4 C milk

Grated rind of two lemons

1/3 C fresh lemon juice

Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg yolks, flour, salt, milk, lemon peel and juice. Set aside.

In separate, VERY CLEAN, dry bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff but not dried out. Fold those into the other mixture and pour into your pie shell.

Bake at 375 for 15 minutes. Lower the oven temperature to 300 degrees and bake until golden on top, and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. This will be about 45 minutes or so, depending on your oven.

Let cool on a rack, and then put it in the fridge for a few hours or overnight.

The pie can be eaten at room temperature, but I think it's best cold. (Just my humble little opinion.) And like I said earlier, it's nice with some fresh whipped cream, or you can sprinkle the top with confectioners' sugar. One year my mother made a lime sponge pie, and that was very good too. Enjoy!

Comments

[Haley]

I'm looking for a pie recipe and wondering if this is it. My friend told me about a pie his mom used to make for him and it was a lemon pie but the top was like a sponge cake and then the bottom was like a lemon custard because of how it was cooked...is this that same thing?

[Jayne]

Hi Haley,

It could be the same thing - that's pretty much how it turns out. I guess the only way to know for sure would be to bake one and have your friend try it. Good luck!