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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Hi Jenn,
Can I replace almond milk vanilla flavour instead of low-fat or whole milk? Does it change the flavour of the recipe?because that’s what I have on stock .
Thanks
Rose 🌹
That should be fine. Hope you enjoy!
How much longer at the same temp would 8oz ramekins need to bake
Hi Marilyn, the baking time should be about the same if not a minute or two longer. Hope you enjoy! 🙂
Love it!
Turned out perfectly wouldn’t change a thing except maybe doubling the recipe so there would be left overs!
I actually bought two sets of 6 oz. ramekins that had handles for easy lifting out of the hot water bath (they sell them in fours so to make six I needed both sets). I served them as suggested with powdered sugar and raspberries and blueberries, all of which complimented the lemony pudding and cake. The 6 oz ramekins were the perfect size since the dessert is rich (and therefore having two of them didn’t seem as bad and also gave me one ramekin leftover after my guests left). Another one of your recipes that are easy and elegant and oh so tasty and impressive to serve. Thanks for sharing it. Do you have a recipe for warm chocolate pudding cake you could share?
Glad you enjoyed them! While not quite the same as these pudding cake, you may want to check out my Molten Chocolate Cakes. Also, I will have a brownie pudding in my upcoming cookbook. 🙂
Definitely not suitable for 6oz ramekins as it mentions… use the small ones. I’m trying to salvage these now. So far, disappointed.
this is crazy!!!….you say how many eggs and how many lemons….but the amt needed for the milk …flour …suger is not there….at least not on my computer.
I will NOT be making this dessert…even tho’ is sounds yummy
A.R.
Hi Anne, It sounds like you are just looking at the portion of the page that has the pictures with some instructions underneath. If you scroll down a bit to under the pictures, you’ll find the full recipe. Alternatively, at the very top of the page, under the recipe name, you’ll see an orange/red button that says Jump to Recipe – if you click on that, it will take you directly to the recipe. Hope that clarifies!
This recipe was a big hit for a dinner with friends. Cooked one day ahead and heated up for 10-15 minutes prior to serving as suggested. Absolutely delicious and the 6 oz ramekins are perfect portions for this recipe. Adding this one to my list of keepers.
This is a go-to dessert for me, and everybody loves it! After dusting it with powdered sugar, I put the ramekin on a small plate surrounded by raspberries, and it is so good. If I am having another couple over outside, and have to order part of the meal, I am always sure to have something I make, and the three times I have served this, its gotten rave reviews. Even my family of chocolate lovers approves.
I love this recipe! Easy to make and tastes and looks like its from a high-end restaurant. Though the original recipe is excellent, I also have substituted one cup of Monkfruit for the sugar to reduce the calories and makes it a healthier dessert and it still tasted great.
Can I make this recipe using 8-oz ramekins instead of 6-oz? Thanks for the amazing recipes!
Sure — it will make fewer, but yes, that’s fine. Hope you enjoy!
Hi! Can I replace all purpose flour with cake flour?
I wouldn’t recommend it here — sorry!
I made these and they were absolutely scrumptious! I followed the recipe amd let me say i would not change a thing. They were perfect! Will make again, many times. Thank you for sharing!