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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I love these! Can this recipe be doubled? I want to make them for a luncheon I am planning.
Glad you like them and, yes, I think the recipe could be doubled. 🙂
Wonderful! I liked it without the berries. It is so good!
Thank you for this delicious recipe. I just made it for my family and it was a hit. I will definitely make it again! The only change I made was using GF baking flour instead of regular flour due to food allergies.
Tried this today and it was really good. The texture was perfect : moist and pudding-y at the bottom and cake-y on the top. Just lovely when warm. The only thing I would change is maybe increase the amount of lemon juice (I like it more lemony) or choose lemons that are more acidic. I had Meyer lemons on hand and they tend to be more mellow. But in any case, this recipe is a keeper.
Hi Jenn,
Could I get away with making a half recipe in a loaf pan and if so, how would I adjust the cooking time? Can’t wait to try it! Thanks!
I’ve never made this in a loaf pan but a few readers have commented that they have successfully. Honestly, I don’t know what the bake time would be so I’d keep a really close eye on it. Please LMK how it turns out if you try it!
I’m going to make these tomorrow but want to check that it’s all purpose flour and no baking powder
Hi Glynis, that’s correct. Hope you enjoy!
Mine didn’t cook all the way? It was still watery.
Hi Dalila, Sorry you had a problem with these! If they were still liquidy, it sounds like they needed a few more minutes in the oven.
Hi please can you give me metric measures for milk and sugar as I don’t work in cups here in the UK
Many Thanks
Hi Lucy, The great majority of my recipes (including this one) include conversions to metric/weight measurements. To view them, scroll down to the recipe, and immediately under the recipe title on the right side, you’ll see a little toggle. If you move it from “cup measures” to metric, you’ll see measurements that will work for you. Hope that helps!
Hi,
I was wondering if they can be frozen and if so, should I thaw them out and reheat or bake again from frozen. What temperature and for how long??
Thanks in advance
Hi MaryAnn, Unfortunately, these don’t freeze well, however, you can make these a day ahead and refrigerate. If you’d like to make them ahead, scroll down to the bottom of the recipe to see detailed instructions.
Hi, do you think that I can divide thé recipe by 2 to have 3 ramekins ?
Tanks!
Sure!
Absolutely delicious!!! And so easy to make. Will definitely be added to my favourite dessert list.
Made this over the weekend and it was absolutely amazing! I only had 4 ramekins so I used an 8 in round baking dish & baked for 45 min; it was outstanding! My husband is already asking me to make it again & well, I will, believe me, I will!
AWESOME! I baked this in an oval 1.8 litre dish for approx 43 minutes. It was perfect, and delicious. I served it with raspberries and sweetened whipped cream. Definitely a keeper.