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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Hands down our new favourite lemon dessert. Easy enough to make and the results are outstanding! Love ❤️ your website
This is one of our favorite desserts because we love lemon…..anything! This is a simple but delicious “comfort” dessert with the combination of cake and lemon sauce.
I love to serve them in individual glass ramekins with blueberries for the color contrast. Thank you, Jen for another great recipe!
I have no words to describe how scrumptious this dessert is. One of the BEST lemon desserts!
After making this recipe for friends, they are all convinced that I am a master baker. Ah! If they ask for this recipe, they get a copy of the page from this website with Jenn getting all the credit. These are relatively easy to make, but there are one or two steps that might present problems. Getting the final batter free from the lumps from the beaten egg whites can be a challenge, but just be patient, and it will happen. The cakes can be served more than a day later. We have stored in fridge, and then brought to room temperature before putting in cold oven, then turning it to 250 for 15 minutes.
They are the perfect size for a dessert, and can be made the day before for a dinner party. Because there are only 2 of us, we give the other 4 away with people going nuts over it. Enjoy.
this recipe is simple, straightforward and absolutely delicious! 10 stars! I really appreciate that it makes six servings and that leftovers (if you have any) refrigerate well. I recently made it for a family dinner and everyone loved it! Highly recommend!
Our family loves this cake! Excellent recipe! I have yet to be disappointed in any of your recipes!
I have made this several times. So easy & elegant! It’s the perfect light dessert after a robust dinner. I could make this every night if my diet allowed–it’s that good!
This is just the best little pudding cake and lemon is not a favorite flavor of mine! I’ve shared with neighbors and friends– the cake and also where to find the recipe. I’m not lazy with forwarding the recipe, but when it’s something this good I think the cook should take time to look at the author’s site.
The only problem—if you give these out, remember who has your ramekins!
These are like heaven in a cup! Just the perfect amount to satisfy anyone’s dessert craving! So darn good!
These pudding cakes are very light, with a fluffy cake on top and a delightful lemon pudding on the bottom. This recipe is “lemonicious” and I have made them multiple times. All of my family loved them. I will definitely be making these cakes again. I made them the day before and reheated them in the microwave when ready to serve. I placed the custard cups in the pan after I poured the boiling water into the pan. This prevented the boiling water from splashing into the pudding cakes.