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 the recipe. Also made this with half cup of sugar and it came out great. It always pleases the crowd. I would love to learn how to make a chocolate version! Thanks Jenn.
Glad you enjoyed them, Sandy! Have you tried my molten chocolate cakes?
They are great! I’ve cooked them several times already, and everybody loves them! But I can’t really eat anything dairy, so is it possible to substitute milk for almond milk and butter for olive oil for example?
Hi Natalia, I’ve only made this with milk and butter so I’m not sure how the changes would affect these. I suspect almond will be okay. I really don’t think olive oil would work – you could try coconut oil, but I’m not sure how it will impact the results. Please let me know how it turns out if you try it!
I’ve tried to make them with almond milk and 1,5 tablespoons of olive oil, they turned out to be almost exactly the same)
One of my new favorite deserts! It’s also good at room temperature. Probably special chilled too but none have ever lasted that long.
These were perfection! Threw them together while I was making dinner and they were done just in time for dessert. Tart and total deliciousness.
I did have a question: if I wanted to change the ratio of cake to pudding (more cake, a little less pudding) would I fill the casserole up with less water? Maybe only 1/3 up the side of the ramekins? Or would I just bake longer?
So glad you enjoyed them! To change the consistency/ratio of cake to pudding, you wouldn’t need to adjust the water; that won’t have an impact. I would add just a little bit more flour. Hope that helps!
Hi! Can I use lime instead of lemon and if I do how much should be used?
It won’t have quite the same bright tang that lemon has, but it should work. I’d love to hear how they turn out with lime!
Made these tonight and they were a huge hit. Even my husband who never gets excited about a dessert that’s not chocolate raves about them. I had smaller ramekins and they looked a little over cooked but still turned out delicious. Can’t wait to make these again!
WOW – excellent recipe! Served for Easter dinner dessert with mixed berries. My ONLY suggestion is to make sure the berries are sweetened to offset the lovely lemony tart flavor. This recipe is dinner party perfect, too!
I made these exactly as the recipe said and they were beautiful! Tonight I accidentally left out the milk! They tasted like a lemon bar, still so delicious! Next time I’m gong to make them without the milk and add an extra egg yoke/egg white!
I love this recipe, thanks Jenn. It’s part lava cake and part souffle, perfect for the ladies in my book club. I was looking for something light but satisfying and this fits the bill.
I have lemon curd already prepared. Could I use that in place if any of these ingredients? Incorporate it somehow?
I don’t recommend it, Lanell – sorry!