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4.5 from 44 votes

Lemon Pudding Cake

Jump to RecipeVideoPrintRate
By: Joanna Cismaru •Last Updated: 1/13/21 44 Comments

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.

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.

Table of Contents

Toggle
  • Luscious Lemon Pudding Cakes
  • Ingredient Notes
  • How To Make Lemon Pudding Cakes
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Tips
  • Leftovers
  • More Great Recipes To Try
  • Recipe: Lemon Pudding Cake
ramekins of lemon pudding cakes garnished with berries.

Luscious Lemon Pudding Cakes

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.

  • 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.

Frequently Asked Questions

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

Before You Begin! If you make this, please leave a review and rating letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business thrive & continue providing free recipes.

ramekins of lemon pudding cakes garnished with berries.
4.50 from 44 votes

Lemon Pudding Cake

Prep 20 minutes minutes
Cook 35 minutes minutes
Total 55 minutes minutes
6
Rate Recipe Print Recipe
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.

Video

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%)

Before You Begin! If you make this, please leave a review and rating letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business thrive & continue providing free recipes.

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.

Equipment

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

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%)
© Author Joanna Cismaru

Notice: Nutrition is auto-calculated for your convenience. Where relevant, we recommend using your own nutrition calculations.

ramekins of lemon pudding cakes garnished with berries.

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Joanna Cismaru

Joanna Cismaru

I'm Joanna Cismaru, home cook, recipe developer, and the person behind JoCooks since 2011. I test every recipe in my own kitchen, multiple times, until it's actually worth making. My goal is simple: recipes that work, written the way a real person cooks.

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I’m Joanna Cismaru, home cook, recipe developer, and the person behind JoCooks since 2011. I test every recipe in my own kitchen, multiple times, until it’s actually worth making. My goal is simple: recipes that work, written the way a real person cooks.

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