If you’re craving something bright, cozy, and just a little bit magical, these lemon pudding cakes are it! Light and fluffy on top with a soft, custardy lemon pudding underneath, they’re the kind of dessert that feels fancy but couldn’t be easier to make.
Why These Are the Best Lemon Pudding Cakes
I honestly can’t describe just how pillowy soft and cloud-like these lemon pudding cakes are! If you’re a fan of light desserts (like my popular Light & Airy Sponge Cake), you’re going to fall in love with these. The top is soft and souffle-like, while the bottom forms its own silky lemon pudding. It’s the kind of dessert that just melts in your mouth—warm, tangy, and irresistibly comforting. Here’s why this recipe is one of my absolute favourites on the blog:
Bright & Citrusy
These are bursting with fresh lemon juice and zest—nothing artificial here! The lemon flavor is bold but beautifully balanced, giving you that zingy citrus kick without being overpowering. It’s fresh, vibrant, and the perfect pick-me-up dessert.
Light & Pillowy
What makes these pudding cakes magical is the texture. The airy, souffle-like top layer gently gives way to a smooth, creamy lemon pudding underneath. Whipping the egg whites and folding them in gently is key to that melt-in-your-mouth texture!
Easy to Make
They look fancy, but they’re actually so simple to make. No fancy techniques, no fussy ingredients. If you can separate eggs and whisk a few things together, you can make these! Plus, baking them in a water bath ensures that perfect custardy base every single time.
Perfect Portions
This recipe makes six individual servings, which is great for dinner parties or a cozy night in. You can even stretch it to seven or eight if your ramekins are slightly smaller.
For more lemony desserts, check out my soft lemon cake, lemon bars, and lemon loaf recipes!
How to Make Lemon Pudding Cakes
You can find the full list of ingredients for this recipe in the recipe card at the end of the blog post (for easy navigation, hit the ‘jump to recipe’ button at the top of the blog post). Here is a quick visual breakdown of the recipe (recipe video is also provided in the recipe card below).
Preheat your oven to 180°C (350°F) conventional and lightly grease six 6-ounce (3.5-inch wide) ramekins. If your ramekins are shorter, you may get one or two extra puddings—just reduce the bake time slightly.
In a large bowl, combine the egg yolks, sugar (¾ cup – 150g), melted butter, oil, milk, lemon zest, lemon juice, and vanilla. Using a whisk, mix until smooth and well combined.
Add in flour, cornstarch, and salt, and whisk again until just combined. There is no need to sift the dry ingredients. Set mixture aside.
In a clean medium-sized bowl, whip the egg whites using an electric mixer (hand or stand mixer are both fine) on medium speed for about 30 seconds, until frothy. Gradually add in sugar (¼ cup – 50g) and continue whipping for about 3 minutes, or until soft peaks form. The mixture should look glossy, and the peaks should fold over when lifted (we don’t want stiff peaks).
Add half of the whipped egg whites to the egg yolk mixture and using a spatula, gently fold until just combined. Add the remaining egg whites and fold again until just combined, being careful not to deflate the mixture.
Evenly divide the batter between your prepared ramekins, filling them almost to the top with just a small gap.
Place the ramekins in a 9×13-inch pan, then pour hot water into the pan until it comes halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Be careful not to get any water in the batter. You can do this step while the pan is in the oven to avoid carrying hot water (see video for demonstration).
Bake for 23–25 minutes, or until the tops are puffed and lightly golden. The tops should feel just set when gently touched.
Carefully remove the ramekins from the water bath (I use tongs to do this) and place them on a wire rack to cool for about 15 minutes.
Serve warm, either on their own or with a dusting of powdered sugar. Fresh berries or whipped cream work great as well!
How to Store Lemon Pudding Cakes
Lemon pudding cakes are best enjoyed warm, straight from the oven, but you can totally store any leftovers. Once cooled, cover the ramekins tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 3 days. To reheat, simply warm them in the microwave for about 20–30 seconds until just heated through. You don’t want to overheat them otherwise the custard on the bottom will turn into cake 🙂
Lemon Pudding Cakes (Pillowy Soft!)
Print Pin VideoIMPORTANT: For accuracy, I would recommend using the gram measurements provided, as those are the exact quantities I use. Cup measurements are given as estimates (based on US cup measurements) to make it easier for those who do not have a scale.
Ingredients
- 4 large eggs - separate yolks and whites, room temperature
- 1 cup (200 g) white granulated sugar - divided into two parts, ¾ cup (150g) for egg yolk mixture and ¼ cup (50g) for egg white mixture
- 2 tbsps (28 g) unsalted butter - melted
- 1 tbsp (12 g) unflavored vegetable oil - I use canola oil
- ¾ cup (180 g) whole milk - room temperature
- 2 tsps lemon zest - see note 1
- 7 tbsps (100 g) fresh lemon juice
- 1 tsp vanilla extract/essence
- ¼ cup (30 g) all-purpose flour
- 2 tbsps (15 g) cornstarch
- ¼ tsp salt
- powdered sugar - also known as icing/confectioners' sugar. Used for dusting on top
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 180°C (350°F) conventional (see note 2 if using a convection oven with a fan) and lightly grease six 6-ounce (3.5-inch wide) ramekins. If your ramekins are shorter, you may get one or two extra puddings—just reduce the bake time slightly.
- In a large bowl, combine the egg yolks, sugar (¾ cup – 150g), melted butter, oil, milk, lemon zest, lemon juice, and vanilla. Using a whisk, mix until smooth and well combined.
- Add in flour, cornstarch, and salt, and whisk again until just combined. There is no need to sift the dry ingredients. Set mixture aside.
- In a clean medium-sized bowl, whip the egg whites using a hand or stand mixer on medium speed for about 30 seconds, until frothy. Gradually add in sugar (¼ cup – 50g) and continue whipping for about 3 minutes, or until soft peaks form. The mixture should look glossy, and the peaks should fold over when lifted (we don't want stiff peaks).
- Add half of the whipped egg whites to the egg yolk mixture and using a spatula, gently fold until just combined. Add the remaining egg whites and fold again until just combined, being careful not to deflate the mixture.
- Evenly divide the batter between your prepared ramekins, filling them almost to the top with just a small gap.
- Place the ramekins in a 9x13-inch pan, then pour hot water into the pan until it comes halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Be careful not to get any water in the batter. You can do this step while the pan is in the oven to avoid carrying hot water (see video for demonstration).
- Bake for 23–25 minutes, or until the tops are puffed and lightly golden. The tops should feel just set when gently touched.
- Carefully remove the ramekins from the water bath (I use tongs to do this) and place them on a wire rack to cool for about 15 minutes.
- Serve warm, either on their own or with a dusting of powdered sugar. Fresh berries or whipped cream work great as well!
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information are estimates only as they are automatically calculated by a third party application. Actual values may differ based on brands and types of products used.
2 Comments
5⭐
🎉 MK! YOU ARE THE BEST 😍
I Always make ONLY ur recipes..
How to store this after making? Room temp or fridge? pls guide, thanks lot ❤
If I double the recipe, how long should I bake ?
Going to do this soon!
Hi Rasheedah! 😊 Thank you so much, that means a lot!
Once cooled, cover the ramekins tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 3 days. To reheat, simply warm them in the microwave for about 20–30 seconds until just heated through. You don’t want to overheat them otherwise the custard on the bottom will turn into cake 🙂
If doubling the recipe, but using the same size ramekins, baking time will be the same. Hope that helps and hope you enjoy the recipe! 😊