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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It came out perfect! I will be making this again and again.
Especially love the pudding part of this delicious dessert. Is it possible to modify recipe to make only this pudding? Thanks.
Unfortunately not — sorry!
I think that mine is all our mostly pudding… I think this happens as I put In on way more Lemon juice and lemon zest than the recipe called for… An inadvertent but yummy accident!
Hi Jenn,
I made these twice now and everyone LOVES them. But both times my batter separated and although it didn’t seem to affect the taste or end texture, I’m wondering what I’m doing incorrectly as your batter looks completely smooth in the photos.
Hi Nicole, are you saying that the baked cakes had two separate layers (as that’s normal) or the batter separated as you were making it? Thanks for clarifying!
My batter separated. It appeared curdled both times.
The batter does appear to curdle just a little bit. (If you enlarge the pictures you can see it more clearly.) Bottom line is I don’t think you did anything wrong. 🙂
Lemony and luscious! I made these warm lemon cakes for Sunday night dinner and they were a smash success. My husband put this recipe in the “top five” dessert recipes that I make. The rest of my family can’t wait to try them. You recipe is PERFECT. Thank you, Jenn!!
I never post reviews, but if you love lemon custard and easy recipes, this is an unbeatable winner!
I am a chef at work, but not a pastry chef. I made these as a dessert for Valentines Day and my wife’s Birthday, both on the 14th. Damn, these are AMAZING! I don’t normally eat dessert, but I ate two of these! Great recipe, and I will make these at work and claim them as mine 😁 Thank you.
I am reading all the wonderful reviews and am planning to make for my dinner party this evening.
Can you please tell me if anyone has made this a few hours ahead of serving and whether the soft custard like bottom is still there after reheating? I intend to reheat slightly in the oven before serving.
Thank you for your feedback ..
Can I make this with egg beaters in place of the yolks, and then use just the egg whites later in the recipe?
Hi Audrey, I wouldn’t recommend it — sorry!
Hi Jenn,
I made this recipe for dinner this evening. It was perfect for a cold winter day in Ontario. I have sent the link to my daughter in Australia because I know she will love it, too.
Thanks for all the wonderful recipes that warm us up from inside.
These warm pudding cakes are absolutely delicious! It may have been mentioned already – if you cover and refrigerate the left-overs, they taste like lemon meringue pie.