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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Just made these and they are perfect! Real lemony flavor and so light. Will definitely make again!
Ok I’ve tried different lemon pudding cake recipes. I bake regularly. But every time I try this, I completely fail. It looks perfect on top but it’s a soupy mess underneath the cake layer. Someone please help! What am I doing wrong?
Hi Stephanie, Happy to help troubleshoot. Are you making any changes to the recipes? What brand of flour do you use?
Hi Jenn,
I had the same result as Stephanie – lemon soup. I followed the ingredient measurement exactly but had to take the cakes out at 35 mins as the tops were very brown. The cakes were nice and fluffy. I need to cover them and cook to 50 mins, perhaps?
Hi Cece, Did you have your oven rack in the center position? If so, next time you make these, keep an eye on them and if they are starting to brown before the 45 to 50 minute mark, I’d loosley cover them with foil and let them keep baking. Hope that helps!
I have made these several times and they are always delicious. Can this be made gluten free successfully? Thanks! Love your recipes!
So glad you like them! I haven’t made these with gluten-free flour, but several readers have commented that they have with good results. Hope that helps!
These are delicious – lovely lemon flavor and not too sweet. I think I filled my ramekins a little too much, because I only had enough for 5. Also, I overbeat the egg whites, because mine were extremely stiff – almost dry (I was using my KitchenAid stand mixer). However, even w/ those two issues, these still turned out beautifully. Topped w/ a little powdered sugar & raspberries/blueberries.
Hi, could you make the batter ahead of time and bake them later?
Hi Wilma, I wouldn’t suggest making the batter ahead, but you can fully prepare them and reheat before serving. See the bottom of the recipe for Make-Ahead instructions. Hope that helps!
Always a winter winner!
We have made this recipe and loved it. What are your thoughts on things we could sub the lemon for? Would this recipe work with rhubarb?
Hi SG, Glad you liked it! Unfortunately, I don’t think rhubarb would work here. The only other option that comes to mind is lime.
These are so delicious and very quick and easy to put together. Perfect recipe down to the cooling time. My mom said these reminded her of her childhood.
I’ve made these once before in ramekins and they were divine. This time I’d like to bake it in a 1 1/2 quart dish as others have mentioned they’ve done. How long would you recommend baking for? Thanks in advance!
So glad you like them! It should take about the same amount of time to bake in a larger dish.
These were super easy to make and tasted soooooo yummy!
I baked them ahead of time since it was a new recipe and I was serving them to dinner guests. After baking I just let them sit on the counter and just before we sat down to eat dinner I popped them in the oven to warm them up. Just before serving I added the confectioners sugar and blueberries. Oh my goodness, they were so creamy and delightful and everyone raved about the dessert. It actually made 8 instead of 6, but maybe my ramekins are smaller than yours :-). Maybe I’ll try it in a 2 quart sized baking dish so everyone can have as much as they want.