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Dessert

Lemon Sponge

A dessert made by dissolving a lemon sponge in boiling water, whipping into a stiff white mixture, and setting in lumps.

From an old cookbook · modernised transcription
From a historical cookbook (Internet Archive) · 2 ingredients
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Lemon Sponge

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare the sponge

  1. Place the tin of lemon sponge in a saucepan of boiling water until it comes out easily.

  2. Pour ½ pint of boiling water over the sponge in a basin and ensure it is fully dissolved.

Whip and serve

  1. Let the mixture stand until it is almost set.

  2. Whip the mixture with an egg whisk until very stiff and white.

  3. Use a silver fork to transfer the mixture to a glass dish in rocky lumps.

Recipe from a historical cookbook (Internet Archive).

Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures.

Explore the science

What each ingredient does

Lemon sponge
Forms the dessert base, which sets to a light, airy texture once whipped.
Boiling water
Melts the sponge mix so it can be poured, then set and whipped.

The step that matters

Whipping at the almost-set stage. If the mixture is too runny it will not hold air, and if it has set firmly it will not whip. Whipping it while it is just thickened traps air and gives the mousse its light, stiff texture.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

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