Name: Lemon Pudding Cakes
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 1 h
Yield: 2
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1 tablespoon butter for greasing ramekins; 1/3 cup sugar, plus 2 tablespoons extra for ramekins; 1 egg, separated; 1/3 cup whole milk; 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice; 1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon zest; 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour; 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt

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You won’t believe me if I tell you that this cake batter magically separates into 3 layers in the oven! The bottom becomes a sponge cake layer, a creamy layer forms in the middle, and a curd-like layer settles on top. You have to make these magical Lemon Pudding Cakes!

Bright yellow lemon pudding cake on a plate garnished with blueberries.

Have you ever had a pudding cake? A lemon pudding cake is a cake recipe that magically transforms in the oven. The thin liquid cake batter separates into a sponge (or cake) on the bottom, a creamy middle layer, and a citrus curd on the top. (Technically, however, the order is reversed because the cakes are flipped over before serving).

Ingredients

White bowls of flour, sugar, and milk on marble counter.

Butter. You’ll need one generous tablespoon of butter to thickly coat each ramekin. This is not optional. Do not skip this step.
Granulated Sugar. You need 1/3 cup of sugar for the lemon pudding cake batter, but you need an additional 2 tablespoons or so to sprinkle over the butter in the ramekins. The coarse coating of sugar on the ramekins gives the batter something to cling to while it rises during the baking process. Do not skip this step.
Egg. Separate one large egg, because we’ll stir in the egg yolk to the liquid ingredients, and then later whip the egg white and fold in just before baking.
Milk. One-third cup of whole milk is best. You can use 2% milk with success, but do not use skim milk.
Lemon. Grab one whole lemon, because we need one tablespoon of fresh juice and 1/2 teaspoon of fresh lemon zest. No, you may not use bottled citrus juice; we need the zest to make this lemon pudding cake taste as bright and fresh as possible.
Flour. Just two tablespoons of all-purpose flour.
Salt. One-quarter teaspoon of fine sea salt to balance the flavors.

How to Make Lemon Pudding Cake

Two empty ramekins with butter and sugar on the insides.

Mixing bow with white liquid and orange egg yolk.

This is the most important part: very generously butter the insides of each ramekin, all the way up to edge of the dish. Sprinkle one tablespoon of sugar into each ramekin, and tilt until it coats the entire inside and all the way up the edges. Dump out any excess sugar.

Combine the remaining 1/3 cup of sugar, just the egg yolk (reserve the egg white on the side for the next step), milk, lemon zest and lemon juice in a bowl. Beat with an electric mixer until smooth.

Bright yellow batter in bowl with white flour sprinkled evenly on top.

Freshly whipped raw egg white in a clear bowl.

Add the flour and beat again until well-mixed.

Rinse the beaters. In a separate clean bowl, beat the egg white until very fluffy and white.

Yellow batter with fluffy whipped egg white on top, about to be stirred in.

Two ramekins with pale yellow batter inside a square glass baking dish.

Use a spatula to gently fold the egg white into the lemon pudding cake batter.

Divide the batter into the prepared ramekins, and place inside an 8 or 9-inch class dish. Fill the dish with 2 cups of very hot water (or enough water that it comes up 1/2-inch on the sides of the ramekins).

Two yellow cakes in ramekins cooling on a wire rack.

Lemon pudding cakes flipped over onto two serving plates.

Bake on the center rack for 40-45 minutes, until the tops of the cakes appear dry and spring back when gently touched.

Immediately after baking, run a butter knife around the edge of each ramekin, and tip out each lemon pudding cake onto serving plates. Garnish with powdered sugar and blueberries, if desired.

Lemon pudding cake with one bit missing to show insides.

Unmolding Lemon Pudding Cake

If you’re the type of person who gets nervous about flipping or unfolding cakes before serving, I totally feel you! This recipe requires you to butter and sugar the ramekins all the way up the edges and slightly over the rims. The sugar gives the cake batter something to cling to while it rises in the oven, and the butter allows it to release. It is not optional to butter and sugar the ramekins properly.

My biggest tip when flipping and unmolding cakes is to have patience. Run a knife around the edge if you think it might stick, flip it over a plate carefully, and let it rest until you hear it flop out.

Variations

These pudding cakes are great with any type of citrus—lemon, lime, orange, anything really. I make lemon pudding cake most often with lemon, but a fun twist is to use orange zest and vanilla, because it tastes like a creamsicle!

Yield: 2