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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Jenn,
Are you kidding me? This dessert was amazing. I made Valentine’s dinner for my wife and daughter last night and what a perfect ending. I do not understand the science as to how this dessert comes together to make a soft cake with a pudding at the bottom..but it will be one of my go to desserts. Thank you
Yum… These are delicious. I love how you can make them in advance and simply warm up. I be making them again. Thank you.
This tastes as good as it looks!
I have made several of your recipes and have Never been disappointed! They don’t need to be ‘Tested at home’ before you take them somewhere because you have already done that. Thank you 🙂
Made it on a weeknight on a whim – so yummy and fresh! And we are not really dessert people! 😉
I have to say I was a little worried about making these with the given baking instructions – it seems to me that the size of the pan, the level of the water, the exact format of the ramekins and your definition of room temperature all introduce a fair amount of uncertainty on how long they actually need to bake. Yes, I have a science background, and these are the things that keep me up at night… That said, I have already made them twice, using the light browning of the top as the guiding principle for doneness. The first time, it took about an hour, the next time only 50 min. PERFECTION both times. Kids love them, too! I tried to turn the cakes out of the ramekins, but that won’t work due to the pudding at the bottom, so eat them straight out of there. I am adding these to my dinner party wow factor dessert repertoire!!
I made them instead of watching the Superbowl…sorry folks…however…they cooked through…I think I left them in too long..they were delicious but …not what I expected…tell me…am I the culprit?
Judi Hemmingway
Tallahassee, Fla.
Hmmm…how long did you cook them Judi?
Delicious! Had a couple over for dinner the other night and I popped the prepared cakes in the oven as they were walking in the door. They were done during dinner and I reheated briefly before serving. Rave reviews! Had two left over that I reheated the next night and they were just as good as when first made. I was afraid the pudding layer would “dry up” but it did not. I served with a dusting of powdered sugar and a few fresh raspberries. Very easy to pull together. Nicely tart, light, and not too sweet. Jennifer never ceases to please with her recipes!! This is ANOTHER keeper. Thank you, Jennifer!!!!
Hi Jen!
The Warm Lemon Pudding Cakes are heavenly!!
I experimented and tried making them in silicone baking molds ~ heart shape ~ worked perfectly! I also did some in a silicone cupcake pan. I un molded them onto pretty plates ~ some upside down and some reflipped to right side up ~ either way beautiful and delicious!!
Thank you for this great recipe!
Joy
I made these for company last Saturday and they were terrific. Relatively low calorie for such a nice dessert – I served them with the dusting of icing sugar and blueberries as suggested. Will definitely make them again.
P.S. I have made many recipes from your website Jenn, and have never been disappointed!
I just made these and it’s so delicious. I didn’t have ramekins so I made it in a 2L glass dish, and came out perfect. This one is going to be a keeper. Thank you.