Warm Lemon Pudding Cakes
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Spoon into these lovely lemon pudding cakes and discover a layer of luscious lemon pudding beneath the cake!
As someone who cooks for a living, I’m always mindful of dessert portion sizes, yet I make an exception for these irresistible lemon pudding cakes. They’re refreshingly light and practically guilt-free. Plus, they come with a delicious surprise: the batter separates during baking into a fluffy cake layer and a luscious lemon pudding beneath. If you don’t have ramekins, an 8-inch square or a 2-quart baking dish works just as well—the baking time will be about the same.
“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 begin making the batter by whisking the egg yolks, milk, lemon zest, lemon juice, melted butter, and salt in a large bowl.
Add the flour and sugar and whisk until smooth.
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 into a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Ladle the batter evenly into 6-oz (180-ml) 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. The water bath (also called a bain marie) regulates the temperature and keeps the cake baking at a gentle temperature so the custard, or pudding, can form.
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 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. Enjoy!
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Warm 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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Love this recipe! Made it one rainy day because I happened to have the ingredients on hand. Have made several times since. Delicious and perfect every time.
I made this twice with my daughter in a 9″ round ceramic dish and it came out beautifully (even when I almost forgot to put the sugar in.)
My youngest is requesting for her birthday dessert.
Hi, is it possible to cook these in one large dish? And if so, what is the best way to do this?
Thanks
Yes, Tiffany, I’d use an 8-inch or 2-qt baking dish. Hope you enjoy!
So fresh and delicious! Making them again this weekend for company.
These are really perfect! The warm creamy pudding with just the right amount of cake is really lovely. I’m using this recipe for my student cooking class!
Just wondering, if made before and reheated, do I need to cover with foil or similar to stop them drying out?? Thank you
Hi Sue, no need to cover them with foil. Hope you enjoy!
I made this the other night, and it was out of this world. I loved the lightness of the cake and the clean lemon taste. This is the perfect way to end the meal. The best dessert by far. Thank you so much for sharing this.
My lemon tree was making a crazy amount of lemons after all the rain we’ve had here in California. I was wonder what to do with all the lemons when I came upon this recipe. These are luscious! Even my friend, who is a gifted baker had to know how I made these. I have made them 3 times now for 3 different gatherings and everyone was wowed. I added an extra teaspoon of lemon zest because I am a super lemon fan. Thanks Jen for another recipe I’ll visit again and again.
Made this for a group of friends last night and everyone loved it. I too reduced the sugar by one-third and it was perfect. I baked it in a 8 x 8 pan inside a larger casserole, with the water in the larger pan for 35 minutes at 350 degrees. Probably would have been done at 30 minutes.
One hint: strain the lemon juice for seeds before you put it in the batter. Much harder to fish them out of the batter!
Thanks for a classic recipe! I will definitely make this again.
I made this last night for the first time-exactly to recipe except I ended up with more lemon zest than 2 teaspoons so I threw it all in! I used two oval ramekins that held 12 Oz each so that was all my batter-cooked for about 45 minutes-they were perfect! A huge hit! I served with either raspberry sorbet or pistachio ice cream. Yum!
If I double the recipe & use 8×13 dish,do I need a water bath too? I don’t have anything bigger to put it in. Will it bake ok on its own ,without the water bath situation?
Thanks,
Rena
Hi Rena, I think it will be okay without the water bath.
Hi Jenn. I recently saw a similar recipe in the NYT. It said the pudding cake could be served warm or chilled. Given it’s summer, I would like to serve them cold. Do you think that would be good?
Hi Jane, technically you could serve them cold, but if anything, I think they’d be better at room temperature. Please LMK what you think if you try it!
Hi Jenn,
I did a little experiment and served one warm, one room temp, and one chilled. Guests favored the warm one – the way you suggest serving it – but room temp and chilled were still good. I also served them with whipped cream and a few berries. I would definitely do that again, and I think if they are served at room temp or chilled that they definitely need whip cream.
I also made a batch with gluten free flour. Not good! The texture is grainy and the pudding and cake does not separate into 2 distinct components.
I will make this again and serve them warm with whip cream and use regular flour,
I made it and substituted the sugar w/honey and used a pie pan to bake it in, it probably needed to cook a little longer because the middle was still gooey!! I’m going to try again once I get some ramekins!!
Holy Moly, these are the most delicious decadent little desserts I’ve ever tasted!
Fabulous! Needed six 8-ounce ramekins so increased recipe by half, using 5 eggs and baking for 50 minutes. That worked well. It was enough for 7, so the birthday honoree got the extra the next day. All of us enjoyed this so much. Some found mango ice cream on the side to be a nice flavor complement, I thought it was wholly unnecessary. I’ll be asking for this for my birthday cake.
Could I double this recipe and use an 8qt dish?
Hi Joanne, You mentioned using an 8-quart dish – did you mean an 8-inch dish? If so, you wouldn’t be able to fit double the recipe in that, but you could use a 9 x 13-inch dish.
These cakes are so delicious and surprisingly easy to make. I followed the directions for baking a day in advance and reheating. I was so happy with how they turned out! Will definitely be making these again! Thanks Jen for another amazing recipe and the helpful step by step photos as always.
I love this recipe – as did my dinner guests! That separate ‘pudding’ that happens at the bottom of the cake it such a delicious surprise. Wondering…I have a friend that has celiac so has to be GF. Can I make this with a GF substitute and if so, what do you recommend?
So glad everyone enjoyed it! A number of readers have commented that they’ve made these successfully with gluten-free flour.
Delic!!! If you love desserts with a lemony taste this is a must. It was not only simple to make but delicious. Huge hit. Thank you
Omg this was just perfect and super easy to make! So delicious! I’m going to make it again and again! I only had 4 larger ramekins and they were perfect for the recipe!
Made these for a dinner party last night, and they were an absolute hit! Light lemony a little cakes from heaven. 😁
How long should I bake using a 2 1/2 quart bowl?
Hi Marilyn, I assume you mean a baking dish, not a bowl? If so, the bake time will be shorter but I’m not sure by how much. I’d start checking for doneness at 35 minutes. Enjoy!
Hi Jen,
How far ahead can you make these before baking them? Could they go in frig for an hour or two and them be baked? Thanks much,
Hi Belinda, I’d actually make them ahead and bake them and then reheat them right before serving. See the make-ahead instructions at the bottom of the recipe.
I only have almond milk- would that be an ok substitute or do you recommend only using cow’s milk?
Hi Tina, I haven’t tried them with almond milk, but I think it should work. I’d love to hear how they turn out!
My wife and I had a good friend over for lunch today. We had homemade pizza (one of her favorites). To top the meal off, I fixed you lemon pudding cakes. What a hit, there were delicious and easy to make. Thanks for the great recipe.
Hi there! I love these but need to have a gf version. Will they work with a substitute like Pamela’s or XO Baking flour?
Thank you!
Sharon
Hi Sharon, A number of readers have commented that they’ve made these successfully with gluten-free flour. 🙂
Great recipe, easy to follow and make with ingredients around the house. I did scale back to 2/3 the sugar as our family prefers desserts that are less sweet. Will definitely make again.
Hi Jenn – What are your thoughts on subbing chickpea flour? I’m planning to make the pudding during Passover. Thanks!
Hi Nanette, I’ve never worked with chickpea flour so I can’t say how it would impact the recipe — sorry I can’t be more helpful!
Thanks for the quick reply. I’ll let you know how it works. I’m not going to buy a box of matzo meal for just one thing!
Hag Sameach!
Overall great recipe and easy to follow the reason for a star less due to it being way too sweet, next time will add less sugar.
Ohmigosh! These were so delightful 🙂 I heard someone talking about a similar thing and searched it up myself because I was about to have guests. These turned out perfectly! I even purchased some pretty ramekins to amp the presentation. I used raspberries as my topper since I had some on hand and I recommend those as well. Thank you so much for this great recipe – it is a definite keeper and will be perfect for spring/summer gatherings.
Truly a perfect little dessert! Surprisingly low-ish in carbs and won’t break my target. I probably could put even less sugar than the recipe, as I read another commenter who cut it in half. I ended up with 5, not 6 so my ramekins were probably bigger than 6oz. We were so excited to try it, I completely forgot the raspberries I meant to top them with. Simple, nothing else needed. Can you create a chocolate version???? The ones out there are not great looking.
So glad you enjoyed these! I will add a chocolate version to my list of recipes to potentially develop. 🙂
We are having a small dinner party tomorrow and have a Meyer lemon tree so decided to make a new lemon dessert. I didn’t want to risk a fail, so cut the recipe into 1/3 (glad it was an easy one to do this with!) and did a test for me and my husband the other night. Oh my oh my! This was so simple yet fancy looking and delicious! It will definitely be the dessert for tomorrow. My husband has super sweet tooth so thought it could be sweeter, but I liked it just the way it was. We topped with some fresh macerated strawberry slices, and I will do that again tomorrow, along with a sprinkle of powdered sugar.
If making ahead and re-heating the cakes, do you need to place the individual cakes in the water bath again? If not necessary, how do you place the individual desserts in the oven? Tray or nothing more than the ramekins?
Is this dessert really sweet or just right??!! Thank you!
Hi Diana, you don’t need the water bath for reheating the cakes. And, yes, feel free to use a baking sheet to make it easier to move the ramekins in and out of the oven. And I think there’s a nice balance of sweetness and lemon tang in these. Hope you enjoy if you make them!
My family really loved this recipe. It is great alone or with fresh summer fruits. Yum!
Love it. Easy to follow the recipe.
Has anyone tried making with Splenda or Stevia?
I have made these set times and they are always a hit. Last time I used freshly squeezed Meyer lemon juice and WOW! Even better!
Question: I’m going to try to make these. But I don’t have ramekins. I see you said it’s ok to cook them in an 8″ or 2 quart dish. But do I still need to put the dish in a water bath?
Yes, I’d still use the water bath. 🙂
Wow this was amazing! Cake on top with a warm pudding surprise below. Used unsweetened almond milk and added a dash of vanilla extract. Thank you!
AMAZING!!! light and fluffy and so lemony! Highly recommend!
Absolutely delicious!! Didn’t change a thing and it was perfect!! Thanks Jenn
I made a nondairy version with oat milk and earth balance ‘butter’ and it was to die for. This will be on my dessert rotation for sure!
My ramekins are not 6ozs. Can I make this in one big pan? I only have 6 ramekins. I also have 4 big ones that I use for pot pies. Wonder if those would work.
Hi Judy, Yes you can make this in a 2-qt baking dish.
Easy and Fabulous!!!!
I made these yesterday for a family gathering. Since it was a bigger crowd I doubled the recipe, and I used the tiny small size jam-jars to bake them. What a hit!! I’m glad I had extras, everyone was raving about them, and practically licking the little jars clean. Thanks, great recipe!!
This is my second review – I am adding it because, this time, I baked it in my Combi Steam Oven. I have been experimenting with baking in it lately – did the wonderful Vanilla Cake in it and it turned out great so I thought I’d try this, as it avoided using a bain marie (which, since I am still not very strong after breaking my arm, seemed like a disaster waiting to happen). The cakes turned out great! Cooked at 350 with 50% steam but just for 35 minutes. So, if any of you have a steam oven give it a go. Note: once again, I halved the sugar and it was sweet enough for my lemon-loving family.
It turned out perfectly. Reminds me of my mother and grandmother’s recipe.
A fresh, light, and delicious dessert option.
Thank-you for sharing this lemony treat.
I topped with a small scoop of vanilla ice cream. Yumm.
These were so good! What an impressive dessert and so easy and yummy!
Oh my gosh! You did it again 👏 amazing absolutely amazing.
I’m a terrible cook and baker lol I usually can’t even follow recipes. But I can always manage yours! They always turn out so good!!
I made it the night before, according to the recipe, then warmed it up for 10 minutes and it was the best dessert I’ve ever made! I added a squirt of whipped cream and a fresh blackberry on tap. All 5 of my guests cook regularly and they asked for the recipe and also agreed that it was awesome! I have a lemon tree so I will make this again and again until everyone I know has tasted it!
These were great, and quite simple to make. We topped them with passionfruit sauce that my wife made — that worked well too.
I have a question on size of the ramekin! Since it calls for 6 oz ramekins, how should I adjust the bake time for ramekins that are 4 oz?
Hi Celine, I’d start checking them for doneness at 35 minutes. Please LMK how they turn out!
Hi Jenn! Thank you for the tip and they turned out great after 45 mins! very delicious
So glad they came out nicely — thanks for reporting back!
Can you make these like 5 hours ahead of time? I need to get them made and no time to do it later.
Definitely! See the bottom of the recipe for specific make-ahead instructions.
This post was super helpful. We too have 4oz ramekins and cook time was 35 minutes and it was perfect! Thank you!
I have to say this is the BEST Lemon Pudding Cake I’ve ever had and I’ve had alot. The recipe is amazingly good and relatively easy. I used two mixers so I had both whipped up at the same time. Delicious!! Like Grandma used to make. Thank you and well done.