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Home / Recipes
55 minutes
4.47 from 41 votes
39 Comments

Lemon Pudding Cake

Jump to RecipePrint Recipe
  • 182
by: Joanna Cismaru
01.13.21

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pin for lemon pudding cakes.

These Lemon Pudding Cakes use just 7 ingredients to create one batter, yet gives you two layers of delicious lemony delight. The top is a light and airy cake layer, and the bottom, a silky pudding bursting with fresh lemon flavor.

ramekins of lemon pudding cakes garnished with berries.

You all know I love my magic cakes, and these lemon pudding cakes, totally remind me of them. One batter baking into two separate layers, well I’m all for that! The combination of bright lemon, light and airy cake, and a luscious pudding makes this dessert a true show stopper.

Luscious Lemon Pudding Cakes

  • Easy To Make
  • Bottom layer lemon pudding, top layer lemon cake
  • Delicious, lemony, tangy and refreshing
  • Simple, but fancy enough to impress
  • No shopping for fancy ingredients!

Fear not and trust the process. While you may be thinking this may be difficult, it is the exact opposite! This dessert could not get any easier to make. Requiring only a short list of simple, kitchen and pantry staples, I guarantee you’ll be blown away by how easy, yet impressive it is!

Ingredient Notes

overhead shot of ingredients needed to make lemon pudding cakes.
  • Sugar – Granulated. You can reduce the sugar amount slightly if you don’t want it quite as sweet, but there’s a lot of lemon juice here, so you’ll need the sweetness from the sugar.
  • Flour – All-purpose. I know the amount called for is very small, but trust the process!
  • Eggs – Use large eggs. Be careful when separating them to not get any yolk in the whites.
  • Butter – Unsalted.
  • Lemon – Make sure to grab fresh lemons. You’ll need both zest and juice.
  • Milk – 2% works best for this recipe. You can use 1% or 3.25%, but don’t use skim. I have made this with lactose free milk as well.

How To Make Lemon Pudding Cakes

process shots showing how to make the batter for lemon pudding cakes.
  1. Prep: Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Butter an 8-inch square glass baking dish, or 6 individually sized ramekins. In bowl, combine together the sugar and flour; set aside.
  2. Whip the whites: Place egg whites in bowl and beat on high speed for 4 to 5 minutes or until stiff peaks form.
  3. Whip the yolks: Add egg yolks to a medium size bowl and beat on medium-high speed until the yolks are thick and lightened in colour. Add the butter, lemon zest and juice; beat for 1 more minute on medium speed. Alternately beat in flour/sugar mixture and milk, making 5 additions of flour and 4 of milk.
  4. Finish the batter: Fold in the egg whites with a spatula. Transfer to the prepared baking dish or ramekins. Place dish in large shallow roasting pan. Add hot water to half way up side of baking dish or ramekins.
  5. Bake: Bake in the centre of oven for 50 to 55 minutes. If making in ramekins, bake for 35 to 40 minutes until the cakes start to lightly brown on top. Cool for 5 minutes. Top two-thirds will be cake consistency and bottom third will be pudding consistency.
  6. Garnish: These can be served warm or chilled. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve with berries.
process shots for lemon pudding cakes showing how to prep them for baking.

FAQs & Expert Tips

FAQs

How Does Lemon Pudding Cake Work?

How does one batter give you pudding on the bottom and light, airy cake on top? Much like my Magic Cake, this is all thanks to the egg whites. As the pudding bakes, the light egg whites, filled with air, will float to the top, leaving the yolks on the bottom. This gives you that beautiful airy cake consistency created by the whites, while leaving you a custard style pudding on the bottom with the yolks.

How Do I Properly Whip Egg Whites?

As with desserts like meringue, baked Alaska, and macarons, it’s important to get the right consistency with your egg whites. In this recipe, we’re looking for the stiff peak stage. To tell when you’ve reached this result, pull your beaters out of the egg whites. You should see a peak of whipped whites standing straight up, without the tip curling over.

How To Serve

I like dusting my puddings with powdered sugar after they have cooled. I find it adds not only a bit of sweetness that pairs beautifully with the tangy lemon, but also a visually stunning finish!

overhead shot of ramekins with lemon pudding cakes garnished with berries.

Tips

  1. It is possible to over-whip the whites and have them collapse. To avoid this, you can check the whites often to make sure you catch the stiff peak stage right when you get there.
  2. The water bath is imperative to baking these cakes, to create a humid and moist environment which give these cakes their fluffy texture.
  3. Every oven is different, so keep an eye on your puddings to make sure the tops don’t burn.

Leftovers

ramekins of lemon pudding cakes garnished with berries.

Your lemon pudding will last 1-2 days stored in the fridge. This dessert doesn’t transfer well, so I suggest keeping it the container(s) you baked it in covered with plastic wrap.

Reheating

This dessert is wonderful enjoyed cold! No need to reheat, that could potentially wreck the consistency of the pudding.

Freezing

I don’t suggest freezing this dessert. It is quite delicate made with the whipped egg whites, so it’s definitely best enjoyed fresh.

overhead shot of ramekins with lemon pudding cakes garnished with berries.

More Great Recipes To Try

  • Lemon Magic Cake
  • Homemade Vanilla Pudding
  • Coconut Rice Pudding
  • Lemon Bars
  • No Bake Banana Pudding Dessert
  • Homemade Chocolate Pudding
  • Sticky Toffee Pudding
  • Instant Pot Rice Pudding

Looking for more recipes? Follow on… My Newsletter Pinterest Facebook Instagram

ramekins of lemon pudding cakes garnished with berries.

Lemon Pudding Cake

4.47 from 41 votes
Prep: 20 mins
Cook: 35 mins
Total: 55 mins
Author: Joanna Cismaru
Serves: 6
Print Pin Rate
These Lemon Pudding Cakes are made with only one batter and on 7 ingredients, yet gives you two layers of delicious lemony delight. The top is a light and airy cake layer, and the bottom, a silky pudding bursting with fresh lemon flavor.

Equipment

  • KitchenAid Hand Mixer
  • 8 ounce Glass Ramekins (Set of 4)

Ingredients

  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 3 tablespoon all purpose flour
  • 3 large eggs separated
  • ¼ cup butter unsalted, melted
  • 1 tablespoon lemon zest
  • ½ cup lemon juice freshly squeezed
  • 1 ½ cups milk 2%
US Customary – Metric

Instructions

  • Prep: Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Butter an 8-inch square glass baking dish, or 6 individually sized ramekins. In bowl, combine together the sugar and flour; set aside.
  • Whip the whites: Place egg whites in a medium sized bowl and beat on high speed for 4 to 5 minutes or until stiff peaks form.
  • Whip the yolks: Add the egg yolks to a medium size bowl and beat on medium-high speed until the yolks are thick and lightened in colour. Add the butter, lemon zest and juice; beat for 1 more minute on medium speed. Alternately beat in flour/sugar mixture and milk, making 5 additions of flour and 4 of milk.
  • Finish the batter: Fold in the egg whites with a spatula. Transfer to the prepared baking dish or ramekins. Place dish in large shallow roasting pan. Add hot water to half way up side of baking dish or ramekins.
  • Bake: Bake in the centre of oven for 50 to 55 minutes. If making in ramekins, bake for 35 to 40 minutes until the cakes start to lightly brown on top. Cool for 5 minutes. Top two-thirds will be cake consistency and bottom third will be pudding consistency.
  • Garnish: These can be served warm or chilled. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve with berries.

Recipe Notes

  1. It is possible to over-whip the whites and have them collapse. To avoid this, you can check the whites often to make sure you catch the stiff peak stage right when you get there.
  2. The water bath is imperative to baking these cakes, to create a humid and moist environment which give these cakes their fluffy texture.
  3. Every oven is different, so keep an eye on your puddings to make sure the tops don’t burn.
  4. Your lemon pudding will last 1-2 days stored in the fridge. This dessert doesn’t transfer well, so I suggest keeping it the container(s) you baked it in covered with plastic wrap.
  5. I don’t suggest freezing this dessert. It is quite delicate made with the whipped egg whites, so it’s definitely best enjoyed fresh.

Nutrition Information:

Serving: 1cakeCalories: 288kcal (14%)Carbohydrates: 41g (14%)Protein: 6g (12%)Fat: 12g (18%)Saturated Fat: 7g (44%)Cholesterol: 119mg (40%)Sodium: 63mg (3%)Potassium: 136mg (4%)Fiber: 1g (4%)Sugar: 37g (41%)Vitamin A: 470IU (9%)Vitamin C: 9mg (11%)Calcium: 85mg (9%)Iron: 1mg (6%)
Course:cake, Dessert
Cuisine:American
Keyword:lemon pudding, lemon pudding cake
Tried this recipe? Rate it belowtag @jocooks on instagram and hashtag it #jocooks!
  • 182

Meet Joanna Cismaru

I’m Joanna (Jo for short) and this is my blog where I share with you my culinary adventures. Here you will find a variety of recipes using simple everyday ingredients and creating wonderful, delicious and comforting meals, including some decadent desserts.

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Comments

  1. Lisa says

    June 9, 2021 at 11:45 pm

    4 stars
    If you love lemons, this is a great recipe very light and satisfying dessert. Taste is great but no “cake” on top to speak of. Mostly pudding. Will make again.

    Reply
    • Lisa says

      June 9, 2021 at 11:49 pm

      Added comment to my review above: the pudding was runny and I baked it per the instructions – to was lightly brown and separating from sides. Folded egg whites gently. What gives?

      Reply
      • Jo Cooks Team AMJ says

        June 10, 2021 at 9:18 am

        Hi Lisa,
        Since all ovens are different, it might have been from the way the oven cooks, meaning it browned the outer layers but didn’t get to cook all the way through. Keep in mind to have all ingredients at room temperature before starting to add them all together and make sure the water bath is hot so it helps with the temperature of your pudding as well.
        Let us know how it turns out!

    • Jo Cooks Team AMJ says

      June 10, 2021 at 9:01 am

      So glad you enjoyed it!

      Reply
  2. Deirdre Finn says

    April 2, 2021 at 11:34 pm

    Hi Jo. I was intrigued by this recipe. I’ve made your Lemon Yogurt Cake any times, and the idea of the auto-layering cake was fascinating. I must’ve gone wrong somewhere though. I thought I followed your directions and quantities exactly as given, but for some reason the pudding layer was very liquid – not set at all. Any idea why that might be? Still, it tasted delicious and I’ll give it another try soon!

    Reply
    • Joanna Cismaru says

      April 3, 2021 at 11:17 am

      The only thing I can think of is that it didn’t bake long enough. Try baking them a bit longer and if the top is too brown you could always cover them with aluminum foil.

      Reply
  3. Kim Corcoran says

    January 16, 2021 at 4:24 pm

    5 stars
    This is my FAVORITE dessert from my childhood- my Grandmother made it for me when I was honored to be her special guest for dinner or a sleepover. Since she used a store bought package mix (Betty Crocker I think) which has long since been discontinued (and I am now too many decades older than I want to see in print!) I’ll just say a ginormous THANK YOU for this recipe which immediately brought back sweet comforting memories to my heart and tastebuds. Made it-love it-appreciate it… more than you can imagine!

    Reply
    • Jo Cooks Team says

      January 18, 2021 at 9:52 am

      Awe!! I’m so glad you loved it Kim!

      Reply
  4. NA says

    January 13, 2021 at 9:42 am

    5 stars
    This desert was so good!!! Definitely will make it again.

    Reply
  5. Linda Kemp says

    January 13, 2021 at 7:18 am

    5 stars
    I have been thinking about making this. I have not made Lemon Pudding Cake for a long time. I made this in my 20s and now I am in my 60s, got it from Betty Crocker cook book. Thank you, for posting it!

    Reply
    • Jo Cooks Team says

      January 13, 2021 at 9:15 am

      You are so welcome!

      Reply
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Joanna Cismaru

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I'm Joanna (Jo for short) and this is my blog where I share with you my culinary adventures. Here you will find a variety of recipes using simple everyday ingredients and creating wonderful, delicious and comforting meals, including some decadent desserts.

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