Baked Lemon Pudding Recipe (2024)

Recipe from JR Ryall

Adapted by David Tanis

Updated Oct. 11, 2023

Baked Lemon Pudding Recipe (1)

Total Time
1 hour
Prep Time
10 minutes
Cook Time
1 hour
Rating
4(4,176)
Notes
Read community notes

My repertoire of sweet lemon recipes is limited, but, as it happened, my friend, the Irish pastry chef JR Ryall, was in town, with his new cookbook “Ballymaloe Desserts,” for which I wrote the foreword. It contains a recipe for a homey hot lemon pudding. It's not a soufflé, but it has a light, airy feel. And, as it bakes, it separates into distinct layers, custardy on the bottom and spongy on top. —David Tanis

Featured in: Spring Comes Early With This Bright, Cozy Dinner

  • or to save this recipe.

  • Subscriber benefit: give recipes to anyone

    As a subscriber, you have

    10 gift recipes to give each month. Anyone can view them - even nonsubscribers.

    Learn more.

    Subscribe

  • Print Options

    Include recipe photo

Advertisem*nt

Ingredients

Yield:4 to 6 servings

  • 1tablespoon/15 grams unsalted butter, softened
  • 1cup plus 2 tablespoons/225 grams granulated sugar
  • 3large eggs, yolks and whites separated
  • 3tablespoons/30 grams all-purpose flour
  • 2large lemons, grated and juiced (about 2 tablespoons zest and 6 tablespoons juice)
  • 1cup/250 milliliters whole milk
  • Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting
  • Softly whipped cream, for serving

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)

408 calories; 8 grams fat; 4 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 2 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 83 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram dietary fiber; 76 grams sugars; 6 grams protein; 57 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.

Powered by

Baked Lemon Pudding Recipe (2)

Preparation

  1. Step

    1

    Heat oven to 350 degrees and set a rack in the middle of the oven.

  2. Step

    2

    Place butter in a medium mixing bowl. Gradually add sugar as you mash the mixture with a wooden spoon until it looks like damp sand.

  3. Step

    3

    Mix egg yolks into sugar mixture, then beat in the flour. Add lemon zest and juice, then whisk in the milk.

  4. Step

    4

    In a separate clean large bowl, beat egg whites to stiff peaks. Fold whites by hand gently into batter.

  5. Step

    5

    Pour mixture into a 5-cup ceramic or glass baking dish (or Pyrex pie plate). Bake in the middle of the oven for about 40 minutes, or until mixture is just set and top is golden brown. (Alternatively, bake in individual ramekins or custard cups for about 20 minutes.)

  6. Step

    6

    Serve warm, dusted with confectioners’ sugar, with softly whipped cream alongside.

Ratings

4

out of 5

4,176

user ratings

Your rating

or to rate this recipe.

Have you cooked this?

or to mark this recipe as cooked.

Private Notes

Leave a Private Note on this recipe and see it here.

Cooking Notes

Sue Eastman

There is also a Turkish Yogurt Cake, made with 2 cups of Greek yogurt, juice and zest of 1 lemon, 3 tablespoons of flour, 4 separated eggs, egg whites whipped to soft peaks, no butter, and a half cup of sugar. Bake in a grease pan, 40 minutes. Just delicious.

Hearty Eater

Yes, this is very similar to the Joy of Cooking recipe, which is one of my all-time favorite desserts. I only make gluten free desserts and this turns out very well with either almond flour or a gluten-free flour. The recipe is also forgiving as to lemon-sugar ratios. I usually cut down on sugar in all my baking, by at least a third, so I often use Meyers lemons when they are in season, as they are less acidic. Whipped cream unnecessary, as the pudding has its own sauce.

Jim

This is very similar to The Joy of Cooking lemon sponge custard, one of my favorite all time desserts. I think you’d get a better separation of the pudding and cake if this was cooked in a water bath.

JW

The lemon sponge custard was a favorite if my mother and grandmother at least back into the 50s, and it’s mine as well. A water bath helps, I agree. When served custard side up, try drizzling a not-sweet raspberry sauce on top. Lemon and raspberry—aaah.

MS

I halved the sugar and used about a cup of lemon juice. Did the Dorie Greenspan “trick” of rubbing the zest into the sugar, before adding the butter. Baked in a large ceramic soufflé pan, buttered inside, with water bath. Very interesting! Glad I halved the sugar. Brown on top, but barely done in the center. Would make it again.

S. Harchik

Would it be possible to make this with almond meal, matzo meal or matzo cake meal instead of flour? Or does the gluten from the flour contribute to the structure of the pudding?

Faded elegance

Straight out of “Cooking for Two,” a spiral bound wedding gift cookbook in 1966, and one of the best easy desserts known to the young bride I was.

Jacqueline

Ave a water bath gently bakes with the water acting as an insulator. Place the dish in which you have your preparation inside a larger dish containing water - a Pyrex baking dish is a good example. The water does not need to come up all the way to the sides of whatever you are baking, halfway is fine.You can either place your dish inside the larger one, pour water, and transport into your oven (carefully!), or place both inside the oven and pour water inside the larger container.

Matthew

This is extremely sweet. I like the idea and the textures were good but it was just too sweet.

Conniethecook

So delicious! I added an extra egg yolk, juice and zest of 4 Meyer lemons, a pinch of salt, and reduced sugar by 1/4 cup. Perfection in 40 minutes.

Carolyn Gilinsky

I make this using ramekins and a water bath. Put 6 six-oz ramekins into a 9 x13" baking dish. Ladle the batter into the ramekins (it will come almost to the top). Pour room temperature water into the pan to reach halfway up the ramekins. Carefully place in the oven and bake for 45 - 50 minutes, or until the cakes are puffy and lightly golden on top. Using tongs, carefully remove the ramekins from the baking dish and let cool. Dust with powdered sugar and add berries.

John Golden

I made this last night and my first question. what is a 5 cup dish? I couldn’t picture it. The suggestion to use a glass pie plate was useful. I googled the cup yield of a 9-inch pie plate and the answer was 4 cups. Hmm. I had several pie dishes—one that was deeper than the rest. This worked well enough and it came out ok. It was tasty. Juice of 2 lemons was also vague. 1/2 cup maybe? 1/4 cup? I juiced a very large lemon and one that was pretty small. It worked. I only zested one lemon

Wendy

Agree this reminded me immediately of the Joy of Cooking recipe and a water bath would make a difference. That said this was delicious. I didn’t have lemons so I made it with blood oranges but otherwise followed the recipe. Will definitely make this again.

Rob

Is there a viable substitute for the flour so it can be gluten free?Thanks

chairsin

After a rich dinner of boeuf Bourguignon I needed a light and easy to make dessert - this seemed to fit the bill to a T. I made it in individual portions in ramekins ( no water bath) using lemons from my tree and it was the perfect coda to dinner.

Yoopergal57

I made this, using less sugar, as suggested in a number of comments (about 2/3 cup) and I used I cup of buttermilk instead of (the too much) 250 MLs of regular milk. Fabulous!!

Michelle

Very, very sweet, and I left out the extra two tablespoons of sugar. I cooked it in a water bath, and it layered up nicely. Others did not find it as cloying as I did. I love lemon, but won't make this again.

Susan

My mother made this frequently in the 1970s and we loved it as kids! She called it Lemon Pudding Cake, which describes the texture perfectly. We loved the lemon version better than the chocolate one. It was yummy warm or cold, just plain or with a little bit of whipped cream on top.

georgina

This is usually called Lemon Delicious in UK and Australia where it's a classic pudding known to almost anyone that owns an oven and had a mother or granny that cooked. The chocolate version is good but nothing like as good Double the lemons unless you like things very sweet. Excellent cold if you can manage to keep a portion back. Look up Felicity Cloakes best of article on the subject for the Guardian - she calls it perfect self saucing lemon pudding but she is a lemon short in my opinion!

Robert K

Lots of people have egg allergies, including my wife.90% (or more) of the dessert recipes have egg as the basis.It would be lovely if there was the occasional egg-free dessert recipe. Like maybe once or twice a month.

Victoria Abel

Somehow missed the part of the "makes it's own sauce" and I cooked it probably longer than I should have (50 min because it was so liquid in the middle . Still "puddingly" but not saucy. Served it for Easter and it was loved. Thanks for the best foodie website of all.

R Hedden

I have to wonder - would this recipe work for other citrus? Limes? Oranges?

Gail G.

This dessert is as old as the hills. I remember my Australian mother in law making it 30 years ago. She called it “Lemon Delicious”.

MGN

In the English fashion the custard made is more liquid. Like a thick sauce to mush in with the the sponge layer. Standard country house weekend pudding. This recipe is Much too sweet. Always cut sugar by at least 1/3.

Voter Frog

For anyone who has never made this, you should make it. IMHO it's delish beyond words, reminds me of my school days in Ireland.

Sarah K.

Can you make this one with just egg whites and no yolks?

MB

Perhaps ask cooking care @ NYT. They have always been very helpful when I have questions on the recipes

mrs.whitsker

Can someone help me with the mixing instructions—I use a wooden spoon for the butter and sugar, mashing by hand, then beat in the flour with an electric mixer, then use a whisk later? Can I just use an electric mixer the whole way through?

Corinne

Made this for my mother-in-law and wish that (a) I’d read the comments about halving the sugar and infusing the sugar with the lemon zest; and (b) I’d remembered to add the milk!! The pudding actually turned out delicious, but it was more like a baked lemon curd. I’ll make this again using the advice in (a) and probably subbing in oat, almond, or coconut milk, now that I understand the consistency. Whipping the egg whites seems important.

Marcia Strauss

This is something my late mother made all the time! How nice to see it again. She used ramekins for individual servings, and the big baking dish when she made it for the family...

Dorothy

I read a bunch of comments before cooking and these are the tips I used and it turned out fantastic! -reduce sugar. I did 2/3 cup.-increase lemon juice by two tablespoons.-cook in water bath.I’ll be making this again and again for sure.

Private notes are only visible to you.

Baked Lemon Pudding Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is a baked pudding? ›

The Oxford English Dictionary describes puddings also as 'A boiled, steamed or baked dish made with various sweet (or sometimes) savoury ingredients added to the mixture, typically including milk, eggs, and flour (or other starchy ingredients such as suet, rice, semolina, etc.), enclosed within a crust made from such a ...

What is lemon pudding made of? ›

It's made with just four ingredients: whipping cream, sugar, lemon zest, and lemon juice. All you do is warm everything up, then let the pudding set.

What can I do with too many lemons? ›

And with these 25 recipes, you'll never waste any lemony goodness again.
  1. Lemon Scones. Simply Recipes / Mark Beahm. ...
  2. Lemon Pepper Chicken Breasts. ...
  3. Lemon Macarons. ...
  4. Angel Hair Pasta with Salmon and Creamy Lemon Sauce. ...
  5. Lemon Za'atar Potatoes. ...
  6. Blended Whole Lemon Lemonade. ...
  7. Lemon Yogurt Cake. ...
  8. Classic Lemon Bars.
Jan 7, 2024

How to add lemon to baking? ›

To add extra lemon flavor to baked goods, use 1 tablespoon lemon juice powder for each cup of flour. For lemon glaze, use 1 to 2 teaspoons per cup of confections' sugar.

What are the 3 types of pudding? ›

There are four major types and ways to prepare puddings: boiled, baked, steamed and chilled in the refrigerator until it gels.

Is pudding a baked good? ›

And just to make things a bit more confusing, some dishes are referred to as "puddings" that are sometimes baked but formerly were boiled or steamed. The best example is sticky toffee pudding, a date cake with caramel sauce that's traditionally steamed but is now often baked.

Is lemon curd the same as lemon pudding? ›

While curd resembles pudding or custard, the difference lies in the way it's thickened. Custards and puddings rely on cornstarch, milk and cream, while eggs are the primary thickener for curd, making it lighter and brighter.

Does Jello make instant lemon pudding? ›

Jell-O Lemon Naturally Flavored Cook & Serve Pudding & Pie Filling Mix tastes great whether you enjoy it as a treat or use it as an ingredient in your favorite dessert recipes.

Why are baked puddings cooked in a water bath? ›

The hot water helps keep the temperature surrounding the food more consistent. This is particularly useful for recipes containing eggs, which can be quite temperamental in unmoderated temperatures. Delicate bakes using a custard or something similar (like cheesecake) will benefit greatly from the use of a water bath.

What happens if you eat 2 lemons a day? ›

What happens if I eat lemon everyday? Eating lemon everyday will provide you with a variety of nutritional benefits. The only reason not to eat lemon daily is if it's hurting your teeth or stomach. The citric acid in lemons may cause you to get indigestion, heartburn, or acid reflux.

Why is too much lemon bad for you? ›

Enjoying lemons in moderation may even help improve your skin health, lower your risk of kidney stones, enhance iron absorption, bolster your immune system and reduce blood pressure. However, research shows excessive lemon intake can damage tooth enamel due to its high citric acid content.

How many lemons a day is ok? ›

Stephens recommends using the juice from two to three lemons (about four to six tablespoons) throughout the day, and drinking one or two glasses of lemon water with meals, and one glass in between meals. But don't necessarily add lemon to every glass of water you drink.

What happens when lemon juice is mixed with baking? ›

When baking powder is mixed with lemon juice, bubbles formed because of evolution of carbon dioxide gas. This is a chemical change, because in this reaction new substances are formed.

Which lemon is best for baking? ›

Because of this, Meyer lemons are perfect for baked goods and savory recipes that could use some brightening.

Can I use bottled lemon juice instead of fresh for baking? ›

Opt for fresh lemon in uncooked recipes

Bottled lemon juice has additives and preservatives to make it more shelf-stable. It also sits oxidizing longer than the fresh-squeezed stuff. All of this leads to a noticeable change in quality between the two, especially when you add it raw (i.e. uncooked) to a dish.

What do British people mean by pudding? ›

The simple explanation is that Brits use the word 'pudding' to refer to dessert. If they are going to serve you an actual pudding they will specify the type of pudding – for example, sticky toffee pudding or rice pudding.

Why do the British call bread pudding? ›

Bread pudding originated with 11th-century English cooks who repurposed leftover stale bread. In the following centuries, the dish became known as "poor man's pudding" because of the scarcity of food at the time, with the pudding being made only with boiling water, sugar, and spices.

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Article information

Author: Twana Towne Ret

Last Updated:

Views: 5721

Rating: 4.3 / 5 (64 voted)

Reviews: 87% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Twana Towne Ret

Birthday: 1994-03-19

Address: Apt. 990 97439 Corwin Motorway, Port Eliseoburgh, NM 99144-2618

Phone: +5958753152963

Job: National Specialist

Hobby: Kayaking, Photography, Skydiving, Embroidery, Leather crafting, Orienteering, Cooking

Introduction: My name is Twana Towne Ret, I am a famous, talented, joyous, perfect, powerful, inquisitive, lovely person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.