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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If I’m going to bake this in an 8 inch pan, do I still need to put the 8 inch pan in another pan of water while it’s baking?
Yes, Sarah, I’d still use the water bath. Hope you enjoy!
Wow! So delicious! I made this GF by simply subbing in Pamela’s baking and pancake mix for the flour. Be careful not to over-beat the egg whites…it goes fast once they start to form soft peaks.
Another great recipe!
Thanks, Jen!
Hi. If I make a day ahead, do I refrigerate or store at room temperature?
Thank you!
Room temperature. Enjoy! 🙂
This is my new “go to” dessert! I was looking for something that wouldn’t be too heavy to go with a steak dinner with all the trimmings. This dessert is perfect! It’s light and easy to make and my guests absolutely loved it.
My ramekins are 4-oz. I read in the reviews that baking will take “a little less time” than the 6 oz. ramekins 45-50 min. referenced in the recipe – and a reviewer that baked her 6-oz. ramekins for only 35 min. Also read, not to overbake or there won’t be pudding at the bottom. So, my question is, how long should I bake my 4-oz. size ramekins?
Hi Ruth, I haven’t made these in 4-oz. ramekins so I can’t say for sure, but I would guesstimate that 35 minutes would be appropriate. Feel free to check them at 30 minutes if you’re concerned about overbaking them. Please LMK how they turn out!
Another winner from Once Upon a Chef!
I used Swerve instead of sugar – delicious and diabetic friendly. Loved it with blueberries.
These are the best lemon pudding cakes i’ve ever made! Perfect balance of sweet and tart and pretty easy to make. We topped ours with whipped cream and just loved them. Every recipe i have tried on this blog always becomes my favorite, Jenn is such a great chef and her recipes are the best!
I love this! I was so easy to prepare. Plus, they were a nice light and refreshing way to end our meal.
My favorite kind of dessert. I’ve made them a couple of times with great success (and compliments!). I use 6oz ramekins and mine are done in 35 minutes or less. The water for my Bain-Marie was a bit hot this time so that may have sped things up. Glad to know I can adapt these for my sister by creating a sugar-free, dairy-free, gluten-free version so I will try that soon. A number of reviewers had success with substitutions so I’ll try monkfruit sugar, coconut milk drink, and gf flour.
For us, I don’t change one single thing in the recipe. Just perfect.
I was very glad that I could find my canning supplies so I could use the rubbery jar lifter to get the cakes out of the Bain Marie. I also put a small towel in the bottom of the pan so that they don’t slide around on my wobbly oven racks.
I serve with whipped cream and a berry sauce or compote made with frozen berries.
Thanks so much!
Question…first time I made this it came out perfect..I used a 1-1/2 quart dish. The second time I used 8 oz ramekins and followed instructions exactly and there was no lemon curd layer, just cake. I’m thinking maybe I baked it too long…??
Sorry you had a problem with these this time! Yes, it sounds like you baked them a bit too long.