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
Spoon into these lovely lemon pudding cakes and discover a layer of luscious lemon pudding beneath the cake!
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 and set a rack in the middle position. Spray six (6-oz) 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-by-13-inch 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.
- Make Ahead: The cakes can be made a day ahead of time. Once completely cool, cover the cakes with plastic wrap and store at room temperature. Before serving, preheat the oven to 350°F and set a rack in the middle position. Remove the plastic wrap and place the ramekins on a baking sheet; heat for 10-15 minutes, until warmed through.
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (1 cake servings)
- Calories: 248
- Fat: 7 g
- Saturated fat: 3 g
- Carbohydrates: 43 g
- Sugar: 36 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 6 g
- Sodium: 152 g
- Cholesterol: 105 g
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, just wondering whether brown sugar can be used in this recipe? Or does the sugar in the recipe refer to white sugar? Thanks heaps for your help, I made your brownies recently and they were gorgeous =)
Hi Mel, The sugar in this recipe refers to white granulated sugar and I’d definitely stick with that. Glad you enjoyed the brownies!
I am addicted to these cakes. I’ve made them four times and now include fresh lemons on my shopping list in case I get a craving for them. Following the recipe exactly, they turn out perfect every time, light fluffy cake over a creamy lemony pudding. I always get 7 ramekins out of this recipe. For reheating, I find that 15 seconds in the microwave works well.
I didn’t have ramekins so I used a small oven proof dish inside a larger dish. Getting it out of the oven without dropping boiling hot water on myself was challenging. I’m also not entirely sure my first attempt at folding egg whites into the batter was particularly successful. Given the success I’ve had with the lemon bars and pound cake, this one I might not repeat again.
These are so easy and they look so pretty at the table. I like to have sorbet with them. Like almost all lemon things you can make an orange version pretty easily too.
I baked them with aluminum cups, they were yummy! But for some reasons mine didn’t rise up much when they were being baked. I’m wondering if it’s the egg White’s problem? I think i might over beat a little bit. Will that affect whether it rises or not? And also, if I like to have a bit more cake on top, what should I do?
Hi Serena, I’m guessing you may have under beat the egg whites (as opposed to over beating them like you mentioned). And in terms of making the cake layer a little thicker, you can try baking them a little longer but I don’t think it will make a huge difference.
I made these exactly by the recipe. Although they were very good, I found them too sweet for my taste. Can I cut the sugar by half?
Hi Polly, I think you can cut back on the sugar, but I’d suggest cutting it by 25% rather than half so as not to change the texture.
Love this dessert! Wondering if you think I could substitute the milk with almond milk…thank you.
Hi Mary, although I haven’t tried them with almond milk, I think it should work. Lmk how they turn out!
I thought the pudding was thinner using the almond milk, but my husband didn’t. Guests thought the dessert was delicious! Thanks, Jenn
Glad it worked out– thanks so much for reporting back!
FABULOUS. Followed directions and came out looking just like the photos. Just as good the next day. Was hesitant to store the remaining covered at room temperature but they were fine. Perfect after a rich meal. Already requests for a repeat performance.
Perfection! This dessert makes me think of spring! I plan to make it often during graduation season.
Another perfect recipe! Made these over the weekend and were a wonderful hit. I chilled the last two in the refrigerator and had them the next morning with a hot tea and was a perfect start for the day!