Mini Lemon Pudding Cakes Are the Sweetest Spring Dessert

mini lemon pudding cake

Dessert is all about texture, and these lemon pudding cakes certainly deliver. They start with a fluffy, moist cake layer and finish with a smooth, creamy curd — and they definitely don’t skimp on lemony flavor. Whip ’em up for brunch — perhaps on Mother’s Day or Easter — to give your guests the perfect final bite.

Mini Lemon Pudding Cakes

Yield: 8 servings

Ingredients

  • Softened butter, for ramekins
  • ½ cup plus 1 teaspoon sugar, divided, plus more for ramekins
  • ¼ cup Bob’s Red Mill organic all-purpose baking flour or ¼ cup Bob’s Red Mill gluten free 1-to-1 baking flour
  • Pinch salt
  • 1 tablespoon lemon zest
  • 3 eggs, separated
  • 1 cup whole milk
  • ¼ cup fresh lemon juice
  • Whipped cream or crème fraiche, for serving (optional)
  • Instructions

    1. Preheat the oven to 350º F. Butter and sugar eight 4-oz ramekins. Spread a kitchen towel along the bottom of a straight-sided roasting pan or baking dish that’s large enough to hold all of the ramekins.

    2. In a small bowl, combine ½ cup of the sugar, flour, salt and lemon zest. Use your fingers to rub lemon zest into the mixture to distribute it evenly.

    3. In a large bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, milk and lemon juice.

    4. Using hand beaters or a stand mixer, beat the egg whites and remaining teaspoon of sugar until they hold medium peaks. Take care not to overbeat, or the whites could turn grainy and be difficult to incorporate into the batter.

    5. Whisk the flour mixture into the egg yolk mixture. Fold in one-third of the egg whites. Gently fold in the remaining egg whites in batches until evenly incorporated.

    6. Divide the batter evenly among the prepared ramekins, then arrange them in the prepared pan. Pour in enough hot water to come about halfway up the sides of the ramekins (a tea kettle works great for this). Carefully slide the pan into the oven. Bake until the cakes are golden in spots on the top and spring back when gently pressed, about 40 minutes.

    7. Transfer the ramekins to a rack and let cool for at least 40 minutes. The cakes can be served slightly warm, at room temperature or chilled.

    To serve, slide a thin knife or offset spatula around the cakes and invert them onto serving plates. Serve with a dollop of whipped cream or crème fraiche. The pudding cakes can be refrigerated in the ramekins for up to three days.

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    12 Responses to “Mini Lemon Pudding Cakes Are the Sweetest Spring Dessert”

    1. Kristina Diab

      they look good !

    2. victoria dunning

      Where does the lemon curd some in? The description says, "They start with a fluffy, moist cake layer and finish with a smooth, creamy curd —" If the curd develops on the top, how do you gently press to see if they're cooked sufficiently?

    3. Anastasia B

      The recipe calls for ‘baking flour’. Is that the same as all purpose flour or is it cake flour ?

    4. Darlene Matthews

      Could you use a springtime pan instead of ramekins?

    5. Dana Scott

      No ramekins, what's another option?

    6. Rosalie Duignan

      Not yet

    7. Karin

      Is whole milk necessary or is 2% acceptable?

    8. Doris James

      Yes, thank you for including a gluten free version for this. Please give us more GF recipes. Some won't work by only substituting gluten free flour. Other ingredients have to be adjusted sometimes for the GF flour to work.

    9. JuDee Clark

      Interest in answer to Nechama...otherwise, the recipe sounds good...want to try it.

    10. Nechama

      Thing is wrong with your recipe. 1/2 cup sugar +1 teaspoon divide it would be 1/4 cup sugar +1/2 teaspoon each. You didn’t say combine half a cup of the sugar with the zest which one is it a quarter cup plus half a teaspoon or did you make a mistake in the original total amount?