Lemon Pudding Cake Recipe: Tips for Making Pudding Cakes
Written by MasterClass
Last updated: Jan 10, 2022 • 2 min read
This lemon pudding cake recipe, prepared in individual ramekins, yields a sweet, tangy cake with a light, fluffy, souffle-like texture that will keep your dinner guests coming back for more.
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What Is Lemon Pudding Cake?
Lemon pudding cake is a citrus-flavored dessert made with pantry staples like flour, sugar, eggs, and fresh lemon juice and zest. Recipes for this old-fashioned cake have appeared in American cookbooks since the early nineteenth century.
Bake lemon pudding cake as a full-sized, sliceable cake or in serving-sized ramekins.
3 Tips for Making Lemon Pudding Cake
Bakers of all skill levels can successfully craft this luscious lemon cake. Consider the following tips:
- 1. Use high-quality ingredients. This simple cake recipe allows the flavor of each component to shine. Use juice and zest from fresh, ripe lemons (rather than bottled lemon juice) for the best-tasting cakes. Use a high-quality vanilla extract rather than imitation flavoring.
- 2. Experiment with additions. Incorporate various fruits, nuts, herbs, and extracts into this batter to put a unique spin on the recipe. Garnish the cake with fresh berries like blueberries, blackberries, and raspberries, or add fresh herbs, like mint, for herby flavor. Top the cake with vanilla ice cream and whipped cream for a cool contrast.
- 3. Store properly. It’s best to eat these moist cakes immediately, but you can store them in an airtight container on the countertop for up to 2 days or in the refrigerator for up to 5.
Single-Serving Lemon Pudding Cake Recipe
makes
4 3½-inch cakesprep time
20 mintotal time
55 mincook time
35 minIngredients
Note: Total time does not include 15 minutes of inactive time.
- 1
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and grease four 6-ounce ramekins with butter or nonstick cooking spray.
- 2
In a large bowl, beat the egg yolks. Add the butter, milk, vanilla extract, lemon juice, and lemon zest and stir to combine.
- 3
In a separate bowl, whisk together the sugar, flour, and salt.
- 4
Add the flour mixture to the lemon mixture and stir until just combined.
- 5
In a mixing bowl, beat the egg whites using a handheld electric mixer or stand mixer on medium speed until stiff peaks form.
- 6
Gently fold the egg whites into the batter.
- 7
Distribute the cake batter evenly into the four prepared baking dishes and place the ramekins in an 8-inch square roasting pan.
- 8
Pour the boiling water into the baking pan until the hot water bath reaches halfway up the sides of the ramekins.
- 9
Transfer the baking dish to the oven and bake until the cakes are golden brown, about 35 minutes. You should be able to insert a skewer through the center of each cake that comes out clean.
- 10
Remove the cakes from the oven and use tongs to carefully transfer the ramekins to a metal rack. Allow the cakes to cool for 15 minutes. Serve the cakes warm with a dusting of powdered sugar.
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