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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Hi Jenn:
I didn’t have the ramekins so tried it in a 8 – 9 inch dish. It turned out perfect. This is definitely is a keeper. Thank you for such a wonderful refreshing dessert.
Ann
How long did you bake it using the larger dish?
Hi Jenn….I have made these several times and they are delicious. I was wondering if you think this recipe would work with limes.
Thanks,
Leslie
Glad you like it! I like the flavor that lemons provide, but this should work with limes as well. Please LMK how they turn out if you try it!
Hi Jenn… this weekend I tried this recipe with limes and it was fantastic.
I put whipped cream and a graham cracker garnish on top.
So glad you enjoyed!
This recipe was amazingly easy and tasty. loved it
I am not much of a baker but this recipe was really easy and turned out amazingly. Found I only had to keep them in the oven for c. 30 mins before they started to brown.
Can i use 4 ounce ramekins instead?
Hi Robin, They will likely take a little less time in the oven in 4-oz ramekins, but not much, so just keep a close eye on them. Enjoy!
Thanks! The 4 ounce ramekins took about 35 minutes in my oven. I had enough batter to also fill a 6 ounce custard cup. Our two friends were unable to come so I put their two ramekins in the fridge. I will reheat them today, two days later!
Glad they came out well- thanks for reporting back!
What is the best way to reheat if I make day before. Thank you!
Hi Leslie, 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. Enjoy!
Gave reply below. A winning recipe.
Another 5-star recipe from Jenn! I’ve made this multiple in recent months and it certainly brightened up our days. Light and fluffy but still moist inside because who wants dry cake? I did reduce the sugar to 3/4 cup and thought it was fine. (Trying to eat healthy here). The recipe is easy to follow that my 16-year-old son made these for my birthday!
I made these for my mom’s birthday and they were a HUGE success!! I’ve made them a couple times since then, once for a friend who has a gluten allergy so I used gluten free flour and they turned out just as delicious as when I used normal flour 🙂
This recipe is a treasure! One of my favorites as I love lemon. I do use a little less sugar and I use the King Arthur lemon oil too. This is a recipe this is always appreciated and enjoyed!
Absolutely brilliant. I cannot say enough, this is so delish and the instructions are so easy to follow. I will be making this often.
Perfection!!! I have made them twice in a row for dinner for friends. I used Meyer lemons from my own tree the second time and topped them with candied cranberries and mint for Christmas. I also used the make- ahead instructions the second time and reheated them. This is such an impressive and absolutely delicious dessert.
Made this for a dinner party and they were a hit, even asked me to share the recipe. I didn’t have ramekins so I used ceramic coffee mugs instead and it still turned out just fine! The pudding at the bottom was perfection and the blueberries added a great contrast both in flavor & color.
These little lemon cakes are scrumptious! Perfect for any company (back when we could entertain…) because you can make it ahead of time and it’s a lovely presentation with the blueberries and the surprise pudding. But easy to prepare at any time. Don’t miss out on this deliciousness!