Lemon Mandarin Self-Saucing Pudding

A warm, spoonable citrus pudding that bakes into a light sponge on top with a bright, glossy lemon-mandarin sauce underneath.

Ingredients

• 3 medium mandarins (zest of 1, juice of all; about 1/2 cup / 125 ml juice)
• 1 large lemon (zest and juice; about 1/4 cup / 60 ml juice)
• 1 cup (200 g) white sugar, divided (see steps)
• 1 cup (125 g) all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp fine salt
• 1 cup (250 ml) milk
• 3 tbsp (45 g) unsalted butter, melted (plus extra to grease)
• 2 large eggs, separated
• 1 tsp vanilla extract (optional but lovely)
• 1 3/4 cups (420 ml) boiling water

Method

• 1

  Step 1: Heat oven & prep dish

  Preheat oven to **350°F / 180°C (160°C fan)**. Grease a **1.5–2 quart (1.5–2 L)** baking dish (or a deep 8-inch/20 cm square dish) with butter.

• 2

  Step 2: Make citrus base

  In a large bowl, whisk together:

• 3

  Step 3: Mix dry ingredients

  Add to the citrus mixture:

• 4

  Step 4: Add milk, butter, yolks

  Whisk in milk, melted butter, egg yolks, and vanilla (if using) until smooth and pale. The batter will be pourable, like a thick pancake batter.

• 5

  Step 5: Whip egg whites (the lift!)

  In a clean bowl, beat egg whites with a whisk or electric mixer until **soft peaks** (they should look creamy and hold a gentle peak that flops at the tip).

• 6

  Step 6: Fold for a light sponge

  Gently fold the egg whites into the batter in 3 additions. Use a spatula and a light hand—stop as soon as you don’t see big streaks of white. Pour into the prepared baking dish and smooth the top.

• 7

  Step 7: Create the “self-saucing” magic

  Evenly sprinkle the remaining **1/2 cup (100 g) sugar** over the batter. Then slowly pour the **boiling water** over the back of a spoon across the surface (this helps prevent craters). **Do not stir**—it will look wrong; it’s right.

• 8

  Step 8: Bake

  Bake for **32–38 minutes**, until the top is **golden**, set in the center with a slight wobble, and you can see sauce bubbling around the edges. (If the top is browning too fast, loosely tent with foil for the last 10 minutes.)

• 9

  Step 9: Rest & serve

  Rest **10 minutes** (the sauce thickens slightly). Serve warm, spooning down to get both sponge and the bright citrus sauce.

Tips

• **Sauce consistency:** If you want a slightly thicker sauce, bake 3–5 minutes longer; for a looser sauce, pull it a touch earlier while the center still has a gentle wobble.
• **More mandarin aroma:** Rub the mandarin zest into the sugar with your fingertips before mixing—this releases the citrus oils and makes the pudding smell incredible.
• **No mandarins?** Use oranges in the same quantities (it’ll be a Lemon Orange Self-Saucing Pudding).
• **Serving ideas (pantry-friendly):** Dust with a little extra sugar, or serve as-is—this dessert is designed to be complete without cream or ice cream.
• **Storage:** Refrigerate leftovers up to **3 days**. Rewarm in the microwave in short bursts (it won’t be quite as fluffy as day one, but still delicious).

Nutrition (per serving, estimate)