With fluffy lemon cake on top and rich lemon pudding on the bottom, these unique lemon pudding cakes are a texture dream. It’s all made from 1 easy cake batter and 8 simple ingredients. Baked in individual ramekins, these little cakes are surprisingly easy to prepare, but seem wonderfully special.
With sunshine, warmer days, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Memorial Day, and summertime on the horizon, these fresh and delicious lemon cakes are a dessert favorite.
Tell Me About These Lemon Pudding Cakes
- Part lemon cake, part lemon pudding (made from just 1 cake batter)
- Fluffy, creamy, and rich all in one
- Sweet, tangy, and refreshing
- Simple, yet totally fancy
- 8 easy ingredients like butter, eggs, and lemons
The Best Part of All: Bake these lemon cakes in individual ramekins. Similar to chocolate lava cakes in both presentation and texture, the lemon pudding cakes are perfectly packaged in their own pre-portioned cup. It’s how we serve upside down key lime pies, too. I love that! This is such a fun and unique recipe that has always been a baking bucket list recipe for me.
Here’s Why You Need These Ingredients
Let me walk you through each ingredient so you understand its importance. Substitutions are not ideal and the full written recipe is below.
- Eggs: Since we’re essentially making pudding AND cake in one, we need eggs. (Eggs are a main ingredient in both classic desserts, providing most of the structure and texture.) Separate your eggs before beginning. We’ll use both the yolks and whites in this recipe, which is wonderfully convenient. Use the egg yolks in the base of the cake batter and whip the egg whites separately. Whipped egg whites help the cakes rise. As you know from making Swiss Meringue Buttercream, even a drip of egg yolk will prevent your whites from whipping. For this reason, I strongly recommend a handy egg separator (affiliate link—I love it!).
- Milk: Milk is the liquid in this cake batter. I recommend whole milk for the richest taste and texture, but lower fat or nondairy milk can be used in a pinch.
- Butter: 2 Tablespoons of melted butter add flavor.
- Lemons: Use fresh lemons for optimal flavor. You need lemon zest and juice.
- Vanilla Extract: More flavor.
- All-Purpose Flour: If you’re low on flour right now, great news—this recipe only needs 1/3 cup of it. Do not use cake flour or bread flour. I haven’t tested this recipe with gluten free alternatives, but let me know if you do.
- Salt: Provides flavor balance.
- Granulated Sugar: Sweetens, but also helps whip the egg whites into stiff peaks.
Overview: How to Make Lemon Pudding Cakes
- Prepare ramekins. As you can see, you bake these lemon pudding cakes in individual ramekins or oven-safe bowls. 6 ounce size is best. Grease them with nonstick spray or butter, then place them in a large casserole dish. Like crème brûlée, these little desserts must bake in a water bath. The water bath creates a moist and humid environment, which is imperative for their texture. Dry heat will leave you with rubbery tasting cakes.
- Whisk most of the ingredients together. Combine the egg yolks, milk, butter, lemon zest & juice, and vanilla extract. Then whisk in the flour, salt, and most of the sugar.
- Beat the egg whites. Beat the egg whites until they reach soft foamy peaks. Sprinkle in the remaining sugar, then beat until stiff peaks form. This airy, voluminous mixture is the secret to the fluffy lemon cake on top. There’s no baking powder or soda in this recipe.
- Carefully fold everything together.
- Divide between ramekins. In all of my recipe testing, I got either 6 or 7 cakes from this amount of batter. (Depended on how much the egg whites deflated.)
- Add water for water bath. Without splashing into the ramekins, slowly pour hot water into the casserole dish around the ramekins.
- Bake. Bake until the lemon cakes are puffy and lightly browned on top. The bake time is KEY, so don’t walk away during those last few minutes. Overbaking will cook the pudding on the bottom of the cakes, so I usually remove them at 35 minutes.
- Slightly cool the cakes outside of the water bath.
- Garnish & dig in! A dusting of confectioners’ sugar hits the spot.
Step-by-Step Photos
I usually prepare the egg yolk mixture first, but for picture organization, I’m showing you the egg whites first. Below on the left are the foamy egg whites. Below on the right are the stiff peaks, after we add the sugar.
Here we have the egg yolk mixture. Carefully begin adding the fluffy egg whites.
After gently folding in the egg whites, the cake batter has nearly tripled in volume. It should be foamy, creamy, and smooth:
Divide the batter between the ramekins and bake in a water bath. The lemon pudding cakes will puff up in the oven, but slightly deflate as they cool.
3 Success Tips
- Individual Ramekins: I strongly recommend using 6 ounce ramekins. I used these (affiliate link) oven-safe pyrex bowls. If using larger ramekins, the bake time will be longer. If using smaller ramekins, the bake time will be shorter. I’m unsure how this recipe will turn out as one large cake, but the batter should fit into a 9-inch square baking pan.
- Water Bath: Place the ramekins in a large baking/casserole dish or roasting pan, spoon the batter into each, then fill the pan with hot water. As I mention above, the water bath creates a moist and humid environment, which is imperative for their texture. Same story for cheesecake, flourless chocolate cake, upside down key lime pies, artisan bread, and crème brûlée.
- Bake Time: Start checking right after 30 minutes. The edges should be set, the tops should be puffy and lightly browned, and the bottoms should be pudding.
It seems like a lot, but I’m extremely thorough in my directions. Once you get going, you’ll see how simple these are to throw together!
PrintLemon Pudding Cakes
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour, 15 minutes
- Yield: 6 or 7 cakes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
With fluffy lemon cake on top and rich lemon pudding on the bottom, these unique lemon pudding cakes are a texture dream. For best success, read through the recipe and recipe notes before beginning.
Ingredients
- 3 large eggs, separated
- 3/4 cup (180ml) whole milk, at room temperature
- 2 Tablespoons (30g) unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
- 2 teaspoons lemon zest
- 1/2 cup (120ml) fresh lemon juice, at room temperature (about 3 large lemons)
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup (41g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar, divided
- optional: 1 Tablespoon confectioners’ sugar for dusting and/or fresh berries and lemon slices
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Grease 6-7 six-ounce ramekins with butter or nonstick spray. Place into a large baking pan or casserole dish. The cakes will bake in a water bath inside the casserole dish.
- Whisk egg yolks, milk, melted butter, lemon zest, lemon juice, and vanilla extract together in a large bowl. Whisk in the flour, salt, and 3/4 cup (150g) of sugar until combined. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat the egg whites on medium-high high speed into soft foamy peaks, about 1-2 minutes. Sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup (50g) of sugar on top, then beat into stiff glossy peaks, about 1-2 minutes. (Stiff peaks hold their shape when you lift the beaters/whisk.)
- Spoon about 1/3 of the egg whites into the lemon batter. Working slowly and carefully so as not to deflate the egg whites, gently fold together until combined. Gently fold in another 1/3 of the egg whites until combined, then fold in the remaining egg whites. Batter will be thick and airy.
- Divide between greased ramekins, filling nearly to the top. In all my recipe testing, I got either 6 or 7 cakes from this amount of batter. (Depended on how much the egg whites deflated.)
- Add water for water bath: Without splashing into the ramekins, slowly pour hot water into the casserole dish around the ramekins, about halfway up the sides of the ramekins. If it’s easier, you can transfer the casserole dish to the oven first, then carefully pour in the hot water.
- Carefully place the casserole dish/baking pan in the oven. Bake until the lemon cakes are puffy and lightly browned on top, about 35-40 minutes. Overbaking will cook the pudding on the bottom of the cakes, so I usually remove them at 35 minutes.
- Using tongs or an oven mitt, remove the cakes from the casserole dish and place on a wire rack set over a baking sheet or kitchen towel to catch any dripping water. Cool cakes for 15-20 minutes before serving. You can serve warm or wait until they cool to room temperature.
- Garnish with confectioners’ sugar and/or fresh berries or lemon slices, if desired.
- Cover leftover cakes tightly and refrigerate for up to 3 days. Warm in the microwave, if desired, before enjoying.
Notes
- Make Ahead Instructions: I don’t recommend freezing these lemon cakes because they will deflate and won’t reheat properly. For making ahead, you can prepare the cakes 1 day in advance. Bake and cool as directed. Once room temperature, cover cakes tightly and refrigerate until the next day. Warm cakes on a baking sheet or in a baking dish (no water bath necessary) in a 350°F (177°C) oven for 10-15 minutes. I don’t recommend preparing the batter ahead of time—it will deflate.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): 6-ounce Oven-Safe Ramekins | Large Baking Pan | Glass Mixing Bowls | Whisk | Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand) | Cooling Rack
- Ramekins: I strongly recommend using 6 ounce ramekins. I used these (affiliate link) oven-safe pyrex bowls. If using larger ramekins, the bake time will be longer. If using smaller ramekins, the bake time will be shorter. I’m unsure how this recipe will turn out as one large cake, but the batter should fit into a 9-inch square baking pan. I’m unsure of the best bake time.
- Eggs: Eggs separate easiest when they’re cold. Egg whites will whip into fluffier peaks if they’re room temperature, so I suggest separating the cold eggs, then letting the separated yolks and whites sit for about 20 minutes before starting the recipe.
- Milk: Whole milk is best, but you can use a lower fat or nondairy milk if you’re in a pinch. The cakes won’t taste as rich. I don’t recommend half-and-half or heavy cream.
- Room Temperature: Make sure the cold ingredients (milk, lemon juice, egg yolks) are room temperature. If they’re cold, they will solidify the butter and/or possibly deflate the egg whites.
- Adapted from Fine Cooking. Reduced butter, milk, lemon zest & salt. Used more lemon juice and flour. Added vanilla. Method made a bit easier in just 2 bowls.
Awesome recipe! I made these for my mom’s birthday, and everyone loved them. I served them warm per her request, but had a few cold ones left over, and some people preferred the cold ones. Both warm and cold were great, though.
Hi Sally,
I made these today with Bob’s red mill 1to 1 gluten free baking flour. I can not compare it to the receipe made with flour but I must say they turned out so nicely and I enjoyed it so much that I couldn’t help but eat two. Thank you so much.
Can you double this recipe?
I recommend making two separate batches of batter instead of doubling. You risk over-mixing those fluffy egg whites into the batter if you work with too much at a time.
I had some oranges I wanted to use, so I substituted orange juice and peel for the lemon. It came out perfect. A mild orange taste, quite tasty, creamy.
Thanks so much for your reply Sally. Can’t wait to give it a go again.
Cheers,
Prerna.
As always I was so excited to try your new recipe. However, found this tastes too much like plain lemon curd. Too strong for me. Can I reduce the amount of lemon juice?How much do you suggest I reduce to still get the custard at the bottom with cake on top?
Thanks,
Prerna
Hi Prerna! These are certainly flavorful. Feel free to replace some of the lemon juice with milk depending on however much/little lemon flavor you’d like.
Yum!! Thanks for sharing something bright + cheerful in these times! I love that this is all basic ingredients – we have an abundance of lemons to use up so this was perfect. The only thing we didn’t have was 6 ramekins (we only had 2) but I got 6 ramekins and made these tonight. I was a bit worried because my cakes came out quite dark on the top but they tasted amazing. So lemony!! I will certainly make these again – especially when you can have visitors again! My lemon-loving brother would obsess over these 🙂 a couple of the cakes didn’t have a lot of pudding on the bottom, but they still tasted amazing so it wasn’t a big deal. All of my taste testers were happy!
Incredible! I put the whole mixture into a cake tin. It cooked very quickly, in about 20 minutes. Tasted amazing.
These are the BOMB!!!! Made them for Mother’s Day dessert – my husband and I loved them! Another winner Sally 🙂
I don’t have ramekins. Can I make the cake in an 8 inch round pan instead? If yes, what would the bake time be?
I’m unsure how this recipe will turn out as one large cake, but the batter should fit into a 9-inch square baking pan. I’m unsure of the best bake time.
Thanks for the recipe! I reduced to 2/3 because I only had six 4oz ramekins. They came out great! I just watched out for the browning on top, then turned off the oven. I had the pudding layer and the fluffy layer. Luscious! Thank you <3
I made these today for a Mother’s Day dessert and they were a HIT! I was shocked at how easy they were to make – will be a go to recipe from now on!
Made these and they were the PERFECT Mother’s Day dessert after kabobs and gifts :). My picky brother went back for seconds. Everyone relished the tart lemon flavor & the warm, toasty top of the cake. Thanks for another hit Sally!! & a pretty easy, foolproof one at that!
I made these today and they were delicious! I used cup4cup gluten free flour and they turned out very well!
I’m so happy you enjoyed them- and glad to know using a GF flour worked, too!
Hello! Would it be possible to use wheat flour instead of plain flour for this recipe? Only because I can’t find plain flour anywhere right now. Thank you in advance 🙂
Hi Zahrah, I recommend plain/all-purpose flour. If using whole wheat flour, the cakes will taste dense and may require longer in the oven. If you’re interested, here are all of my recipes using whole wheat flour.
We loved this! I have 10oz ramekins, so filled 4 and baked for 40 minutes. Dusted with powder sugar and had raspberries on hand for garnish. The raspberries really set off the delicious lemon flavor. Thanks for sharing this, Sally!
I read that you don’t recommend substitution. I think you are meaning flour, milk, eggs. I’m wondering about limes instead of lemons?
Limes work for a lime pudding cake! A 1:1 substitution for the juice.
Hi Sally! I made these today (with my 2.5 year old- whew!) for Mother’s Day tomorrow. I plan on covering them and reheating them tomorrow, but will it cause them to over bake? I baked them for 40 minutes since I only had 8oz ramekins. Thanks for so many amazing recipes! You are my go to!!
Hi Rachel, for reheating, microwaving for a super quick 10 seconds should do the trick or heat the oven to 300°F (149°C), place the ramekins on a baking sheet (no water bath needed), and bake for 10 minutes. I would cover them with a large sheet of aluminum foil.
Really yummy and easy recipe. I used 2/3 of the recipe, except 10 g less sugar in the egg whites and the original amount of zest.
Baked these in a 6 muffin tray. The amount of batter was just nice but the top was browning after 20 minutes do I took it out. A tad too lemony (I didn’t reduce the zest) so will follow the recipe next time. Will probably try to reduce the sugar further.
Yes Thanks for the great recipe! The instructions were very easy to follow.
I LOVE lemon pudding cake. It is one of my favorite desserts. Yours looks delicious with the blueberries i it. I have made lemon pudding cake in individual ramekins and in 1 large pan – it works either way. I prefer the individual ramekins. I have also made it with bottled lemon juice in a pinch and it is still delicious. Yes, fresh lemons are better, but it will work either way.
Hi! When you made it in a pan, did you use a water bath, and do you happen to remember how long it took? Thanks!!
Yes, I did use a water bath.
Sorry, I don’t remember how long I baked it.
These turned out BRILLIANTLY! You totally made me look like a rock star as I delivered them as part of my quarantine care packages today❤️
With trees full of Meyer lemons, I am always looking for great options. These little gems were a super easy hit and only a third of a tablespoon of butter per serving! Loved the crunchy topping. I took them out in 30 minutes and had lots of goey pudding underneath. Thank you, Sally for another family favorite. Yum!
I made these last night and they were SO good! Came together pretty easily and were just so delicious. Perfect with a cup of tea!
Made these today and they were absolutely perfect. I 1/3rd the recipe since it’s just my husband and I. I just 1/3rd all of the weights and it worked out perfectly. I was a little afraid I miscalculated the flour since the batter didn’t seem as thick as I thought it’d be, but they came out perfect. Will definitely be making these again. It had a great lemon flavor without being too sweet.
Delicious! My 12 year old just whipped these up for dessert and they were perfect! Thank you for writing recipes with plenty of detail and clear instructions.
Hi Sally! I’ve never baked with a water bath, should the water go to the top of the ramekins? Or slightly below? Thank you, so excited to try these!!
Hi Ashley! About halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Hope you love these!
Hi Sally, I’m so excited to make these! I love lemon desserts! What do you think would happen if I substituted the 3/4 cup of sugar with honey though?
Thanks!
Hi Rina, you need a dry sugar here– do not use liquid sweetener in this cake batter.
Thanks for getting me out of bed early today! I was craving lemons but did not want to make lemon bars. What a sweet surprise seeing this today! About half of them collapsed, not sire if that is normal or a result of something I can fix in the future, still beautiful though.
Hi Jules! I’m so glad you already tried these. I’ve never had them collapse before, but it could be because they were under-baked. Did you use the water bath?
Hi Sally. There’s just two of us- can I half the recipe. I am willing to forgo my keto diet for this lemony treat!
Definitely– it will get a bit tricky since there are 3 eggs. Let me know how it goes!
Hi Sally, these sound fantastic, but I only have 2 lemons. Do you recommend anything to make up the difference in the 1/2 cup of lemon juice? Supplies are very limited right now. I know it won’t be as “lemony”.
Hi Ileana, I’m unsure without testing alternatives, but you can try extra milk or lime juice, or another juice you enjoy.
Thank you so much for the quick response. I used a bit of fresh pineapple juice. These are fabulous! My husband loved it. Your recipes are always on point.
hi sally!! can fresh blueberries be added without compromising cake structure? thanks 😉
I don’t recommend it. You can use them as a garnish.