Lemon Pudding Cake
Updated March 11, 2025
- Total Time
- 1 hour
- Rating
- Comments
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Ingredients
- 4large eggs, separated
- 1teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
- ⅓cup lemon juice
- 1tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
- 1cup sugar
- ½cup all-purpose flour
- ½teaspoon kosher salt
- 1½cups whole milk
Nutritional analysis per serving (8 servings)
204 calories; 5 grams fat; 3 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 2 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 34 grams carbohydrates; 0 grams dietary fiber; 28 grams sugars; 5 grams protein; 174 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Place a large roasting pan on a rack in the center of the oven. Fill the pan halfway with water. With the pan inside, heat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter an 8-inch square or round baking dish.
- Step 2
In a large bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, lemon zest, lemon juice and butter. In another bowl, stir together the sugar, flour and salt. Whisk half the flour mixture into the egg yolks, then half the milk. Whisk in remaining flour mixture, then remaining milk.
- Step 3
Whip the egg whites until soft peaks form, then gently fold them into the batter.
- Step 4
Pour batter into the buttered dish. Place the dish in the pan of water in the oven. Bake until the cake is set, about 45 minutes.
- Adapted from "The Farm," by Ian Knauer (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt)
Private Notes
Comments
I've been making this since the 1960s. I think the recipe came from Fannie Farmer. I use almost twice as much zest and extra lemon juice, less sugar (3/4 cup) and plain yogurt thinned with water instead of milk. It has a slightly cheese cake-y or maybe cheese danish taste which I like very much.
Next time you bake this recipe place the pan containing the batter for the pudding cake in the water bath pan first and then fill the water bath pan with hot water from the tea kettle. Then place in the oven.
I've made a similar recipe for years, using buttermilk, but I fold in a cup of fresh raspberries to the mixture before pouring it into the baking dish. I then serve more fresh raspberries on the side. You could use any kind of berries, or even a mix. In addition to adding flavor, and a bit of texture, the pop of color from the berries is great.
And when baking, the deeper the water, the more custard, and the shallower the water, the more cake. Adjust to your preference!
Used limes instead of lemons - everything else as per recipe. Served with frozen mixed berries thawed at room temperature for a few hrs. Delish - no left-overs.
Made a half-recipe using the juice and zest of a Meyer lemon from my tree. (I reduced the sugar, as suggested by other commenters.) Delicious but, like another commenter wrote, the cake turned out very airy and white, not dark at all on top. Perhaps I over-whipped the egg whites?
Made this for the first time; followed recipe carefully, but a bit less sugar + eggs were jumbo sized not large (surely not the problem?). After 45 minutes it looked perfect, nicely browned. Later I lifted it to move it and T-shirt got splashed with liquid as the custard hadn't set. Put it back in the oven in water bath, covered with a bit of foil at about 325 deg and left it in for quite a long time (didn't check). Turned out well but custard was still not completely set. Tasted good though.