Lemon Pudding Cakes
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A dessert that bakes into two dreamy layers—fluffy cake on top, silky lemon pudding underneath. One spoonful of these lemon pudding cakes, and you’ll be hooked!
As someone who cooks for a living, I’m always mindful of dessert portion sizes—but I make an exception for these irresistible lemon pudding cakes. They’re refreshingly light and practically guilt-free, with a built-in surprise: during baking, the batter magically separates into a fluffy cake layer on top and a luscious lemon pudding beneath.
If you don’t have ramekins on hand, no worries! An 8-inch square pan or a 2-quart baking dish works just as well, with about the same baking time.
Love citrusy desserts? You might also enjoy my lemon bars or lemon pound cake—both bright, tangy, and perfect for lemon lovers.
“Absolutely delicious and really easy! Makes such an elegant dessert…I get rave reviews when I serve this.”
What You’ll Need To Make Lemon Pudding Cakes
Step-by-Step Instructions
First, spray six (6-oz) ramekins with nonstick cooking spray then make the batter by whisking the egg yolks, milk, lemon zest, lemon juice, melted butter, salt, and flour in a large bowl.
In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites until soft peaks form. When you lift the beaters out, the peaks should curl.
Whisk a bit of the beaten eggs into the lemon mixture to lighten it. Then add the remaining beaten egg whites to the mixture. Gently fold with a rubber spatula until the mixture is smooth.
The batter will be light, foamy, and liquidy.
Place the prepared ramekins inside a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Ladle the batter evenly into the 6-ounce ramekins, filling them almost to the top. Then, using a teapot or pitcher, carefully pour room-temperature water into the baking dish until it reaches halfway up the sides of the ramekins. This water bath (or bain-marie) helps the cakes bake gently, ensuring the custard-like pudding layer forms perfectly.
Carefully place the baking pan in the oven and bake for about 45 minutes, or until the cakes are puffy and lightly golden on top.
Using tongs, carefully remove the lemon pudding cakes from the baking dish and let cool on a rack for about 20 minutes before serving. (They will sink a bit as they cool; that’s totally normal.) Dust the cakes with powdered sugar and serve with berries, if you like. Enjoy!
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Lemon Pudding Cakes
Ingredients
- 3 large eggs, separated
- 1 cup milk (low-fat or whole)
- 2 teaspoons lemon zest, from 2 lemons
- 6 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, from 2 lemons
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 cup sugar
- Fresh berries and confectioners' sugar, for serving (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and set a rack in the middle position. Spray six (6-oz/177-ml) ramekins with nonstick cooking spray.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, milk, lemon zest, lemon juice, butter, and salt. Add the flour and sugar and whisk until smooth.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the egg whites until soft peaks form. (The peaks should curl when you lift the beaters out of the bowl.) Spoon about ¼ of the egg whites into the lemon mixture and whisk until smooth. Add the remaining egg whites and, using a rubber spatula, gently fold into the lemon mixture until smooth. The batter will be light, foamy, and liquidy.
- Place the prepared ramekins into a 9 x 13-in (23 x 33-cm) baking dish. Ladle the batter evenly into the ramekins (it will come almost to the top). Using a teapot or pitcher, pour room temperature water into the pan to reach halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Carefully place the baking pan in the oven and bake for 45 to 50 minutes, or until the cakes are puffy and lightly golden on top. Using tongs, carefully remove the ramekins from the baking dish and let cool on a rack for about 20 minutes before serving. (They will sink a bit as they cool; that's okay.) Dust with confectioners' sugar and serve with berries, if desired.
Notes
Nutrition Information
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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Fantastic. Everyone wanted the recipe.
Hi Jenn, love your recipes and can’t wait to try these! Would a muffin pan work or would the cups be too small? I think mine would fit inside a 9×13 pan.
Hi Sandy, I don’t think the wells are too small, but they’d be really hard to remove from muffin tins. If you don’t have ramekins, you could prepare it in an 8-inch or 2-qt baking dish. Hope that helps!
These look perfect for a dessert for a dinner I am having for girlfriends. Question: Can I make them earlier in the afternoon and then warm & serve for dessert . . . or do they need to be served right after baking and resting (for 20 minutes)? Thank you in advance. 🙂 Mary.
Hi Mary, you can definitely make these earlier in the day! Scroll down to the bottom of the recipe for more guidance. Hope everyone enjoys! 🙂
Hi Jenn,
These Lemon Cakes with their lovely pudding-like centers are my favorite dessert! That’s actually quite a compliment, as like you, I’m Not a dessert or sweets eater! I’ve always made them exactly as written.
Recently, I changed my diet to cut some carbs, use almond or coconut flour, and stop using granulated sugar! I made the cakes using blanched almond flour; they were perfect! Can you recommend a healthier sugar ? I’m afraid to omit the sugar completely!
Thank you so much,
Cyndi
Hi Cyndi, glad to hear you like these and that they turned out nicely with almond flour! In terms of a sugar substitute, you could try maple syrup or honey. (I’d probably start with subbing half of the sugar with honey or maple syrup, then increase from there if it works out.) Hope that helps!
Hi Jenn, do we have to use ramekins? Can we use regular glass pan instead? I don’t have ramekins and I don’t bake with them.
If yes then what temperature and how long should be baked. This is a lovely recipe and would like to try.. my husband loves lemon desserts. Thank you
Hi Sam, no, ramekins are not a must. You can use a 2-quart or 8-inch baking dish. Baking time would be about the same. Hope you enjoy!
Hi Jenn! I have 10 oz ramikens and need 6 servings. Suggestions??
Hi Rebekah, I would double the recipe and increase the cooking time to 50 to 60 min. 🙂
Hi Jenn
I’m looking for a make ahead desert for Christmas. This sounds delicious can I make this ahead. Will the ingredients freeze like a chocolate fondant and cook from freezer?
Hi Vicki, you can make these a day ahead and refrigerate, but I don’t think they’d freeze well – sorry! If you’d like to make them ahead, scroll down to the bottom of the recipe to see detailed instructions. Happy holidays!
Can i use soymilk instead?
Yes, that should work, Diana. Enjoy!
Wonderful. I needed a dessert tonight and I had all these ingredients on hand. Easy and delicious.
Can they be frozen after they are cooked
Unfortunately, they don’t freeze well – sorry!
Tried these with plain flour, not sure if it works?
Also, I used caster sugar, is that right?
I want to perfect these
Yes, Chris, plain sure is correct for these and for best results, I’d use granulated sugar instead of caster sugar. Hope that helps!