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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I took this to a dinner party and it received wonderful compliments. However, I did struggle a little in the preparation. Perhaps it’s because I doubled the recipe, but the batter (prior to folding in the egg whites) looked a little thin, so I added some more flour. As a result, the cakes didn’t have as much pudding. My guess: the recipe is perfect as written, just expect thin batter.
TIP: I thought my individual ramekins were 6 ounces–they were 8 ounces. I figured that out once I had filled 7 of the 10 ramekins and knew I didn’t have enough batter for three more desserts. What a comedy of errors!
Hi! I haven’t made these yet but hoping to as the perfect dessert after a seafood boil. We are having a crowd and I don’t have enough ceramic ramekins. Can I use the disposable tin ones? Thank you!
Hi Maggie, I think disposable tin ramekins should work. Please LMK how they turn out!
This was an easy recipe, and it turned out great. Made it twice: once in ramekins and then in an 8x8x2 baking dish. Both excellent. No leftovers!
Love it! Easy to make and was delicious. No pictures because they ate it all.
Amazing!
These were such a big hit with our guests (and my husband and me!)-
Made recipe as written. Baked 45 minutes in middle of oven and they were done perfectly.
I made in the morning, cooled them and covered with plastic wrap. They were on the counter for the day and I warmed as recommended in the oven. Next time I would probably do 7 min at 350 instead of 10 because they were more hot than warm.
I served with homemade (lightly sweetened) whipped cream and fresh raspberries.
Fabulous dessert!!
This is a great desert. I will try it again using oranges instead of lemons . Would it work using a sugar substitute? My wife and sons are diabetic and would enjoy it if it didn’t have as much sugar
Glad you liked it! Regarding sugar substitutes, I wish I could help but I’ve never worked with them so I can’t say how it would impact recipes. (If it helps at all, I have read plenty of comments from readers who have said they’ve replaced some or all of the sugar in a recipe with a substitute like Stevia and have had good results.) Hope that helps at least a bit!
Hi Jenn,
Can you make this in one pan?
As I have no little single ones.
Thanks,
Sure, I’d use an 8-inch or 2-qt baking dish. Hope you enjoy!
Hi Jen,
Can you do this in a metal 8×8 2 qt. pan instead of pyrex? Will it brown faster? Thanks!
Sure, Carol. I think the cook time should be about the same. Enjoy!
Looking to make this in a baking dish as not enough ramekins, how would I do the water bath if I did it with that?
Hi Lauren, You’d just nest the baking dish in a larger baking dish and fill it halfway with water. Hope you enjoy!
Wonderfully delicious! One of our favorites, and so easy to prepare.
Had too many lemons today so made this recipe, however I only baked them for 40 minutes, the tops cracked and I didn’t get the separate layers but the flavor is wonderful.
Perhaps I beat my whites a little too long, will try again. Thank you
Hi,
Would this dessert be good served cold or room temperature?
Hi Jason, Not sure I’d love them cold, but I think room temperature should be fine. Hope you enjoy!