Lemon Pudding Cakes
Photo Credit : Styled and photographed by Liz NeilyPart pudding, part cake, and part soufflé, this easy-to-make dessert feels like kitchen sorcery. One batter is poured into ramekins and emerges from the oven as two desserts: a creamy, souffle-like cake sitting atop a layer of rich pudding. Using a food processor allows you to first blend the sugar and lemon zest to ensure maximum lemon flavor (alternately, you can also rub the zest into the sugar with your fingers to release the oils). Adding heavy cream creates a luxe, pudding-y sauce and a cake that is incredibly creamy and impossibly light.
This recipe from Sarah Hearn Morrison first appeared in the January/February 2025 issue of Yankee Magazine.
Yield:
8 servingsIngredients
1 cup milk
½ cup heavy cream
4 large eggs, separated
2 teaspoons lemon zest
1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (1 to 2 large lemons)
1 tablespoon salted butter, melted
1¾ cups granulated sugar
½ cup (70 grams) all-purpose flour
Confectioners’ sugar, for serving
Instructions
Preheat your oven to 350°F. Grease eight 6-ounce ramekins, place in a large roasting pan, and set aside. Heat a large pot or kettle with water until boiling, reduce heat, and let simmer until needed.
In a large liquid measuring cup, combine the milk and cream and set aside. In a large bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, zest, juice, melted butter, and sugar until smooth. Whisk half the milk and cream into the mixture, followed by half the flour. Whisk in the remaining milk and cream and then the remaining flour until just combined.
Add the egg whites to the bowl of a stand mixer and, using the whisk attachment, whip the egg whites until soft peaks form. Add a quarter of the egg whites to the batter and whisk until smooth. Gently fold the remaining egg whites into the batter.
Pour the batter into the ramekins (they will be quite full), place the roasting pan in the oven, and pour the hot water into the pan until it reaches halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Bake until the cakes are puffed and the tops are set and very lightly golden, about 25 minutes. Use tongs to carefully remove each ramekin from the roasting pan and set on a cooling rack. Let cool for about 20 minutes (the cakes might deflate a bit, but that’s OK). Serve warm and dusted with confectioners’ sugar.
