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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Made this last night at the last minute for a dinner party and it was fantastic! Did everything as written and it is now my favorite! Love the lemon flavor with the blueberries together and I will definitely be making this again. Thanks for such easy directions and the pictures are always welcomed. By the way, I made them in the afternoon, and just before serving, put them in the oven for 10 minutes and they were heated completely through. I didn’t put the powdered sugar on them and I didn’t miss it at all. The bomb!
Made this for my lemon-loving son’s birthday and we all loved it! It was requested that this be made for his birthday in perpetuity.
Recipe was easy to follow, simple to put together. I used 1% milk and agree with another reviewer that I’d back off on cooking time 3-4 minutes especially if making ahead and reheating.
I love your recipes. I was hoping to make your warm lemon pudding cakes for dinner this evening. I am with a friend and she does not have ramekins. I noticed you recommended an 8-inch baking dish. Would a glass pie plate work? I do have an 8X8. thank you. Love your recipes and the friendly way you explain them.
Hi Joy, glad you like the recipes! A pie plate should work here. Please LMK how it turns out!
Hi Jenn,
I was hoping to make two of these and adding fresh thyme to one of them for a unique twist.
Would you recommend trying that?
Thanks,
Lori Anne
Hi Lori, It definitely sounds like an interesting twist. I’d just be conservative with how much you add. Please LMK what you think!
AMAZING !!! DELICIOUS !!!
WONDERFUL !!!
I baked them a bit shorter …37 minutes ! I loved it! Detailed instructions and a recipe that turns out perfect !
Made this tonight for a dinner party. It was a hit, so delicious! I’ll be saving this recipe for sure.
The tartness from the lemon was spot on.
i do not have ramekins what would be usable? i do have pyrex 176m cups and i have brulee dishes
Hi Sharon, can you clarify the size of your pyrex? What are the dimensions of it?
What a fantastic recipe. We had friends round to dinner at our house in Spain where we have been at home for 8 weeks without seeing anyone. We needed to do the ‘social-distancing’ and I wanted a three-course menu where the food needed no handling, apart from using oven-gloved hands to serve it. This was the perfect choice for pudding and everyone loved it! Thank you for sharing.
I made these for myself for Mother’s Day and they were SCRUMPTIOUS! The fluffy cake and warm lemony pudding are so perfect. Not as tart as a curd, just a nice lemon. I wrapped individually and placed in the fridge. My husband ate one today (didn’t warm it up) and said it was still absolutely perfect. So glad I found this! It’ll be my go-to lemon splurge.
Omg! Made for Mother’s Day (for me). Husband loved it, so did I! I was pretty easy and delicious!