Small Batch Lemon Pudding Cake Recipe
These ridiculously easy Old Fashioned Small Batch Lemon Pudding Cakes baked in dessert cups are perfect for smaller households or for those just craving a sweet treat without the fuss, these little wonders are pure magic in the oven.
Servings: 3 servings
Ingredients
- ½ cup milk
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons grated lemon zest plus ¼cup juice (about 2 lemons)
- ½ cup granulated sugar , divided
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 large egg separated, plus 1 large white
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
- confectioners' sugar optional
Instructions
- First, adjust the oven rack to middle position for even baking and heat oven to 325 degrees. Bring milk and cream to simmer in small saucepan over medium-high heat. Removing the sauce pan from the heat, whisk in lemon zest, cover saucepan, and let stand for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare your baking dish by folding a dish towel in half and placing in the bottom of 13 by 9-inch baking pan. Place 3 - 6-ounce ramekins on top of towel and set aside pan.
- Whisk 6 tablespoons sugar, flour, baking powder, and salt in medium bowl until combined. Using a fine-mesh strainer, strain milk mixture into bowl with sugar mixture. Press the back of a wood spoon on lemon zest to extract liquid; discard lemon zest. Add egg yolk, vanilla, and lemon juice and whisk until combined. Your batter will be very thin, almost like the consistency of milk.
- Using hand mixer or whisk adapter on a hand immersion blender, whip egg whites on medium-low speed until foamy, about 1 minute. Increase speed to medium-high and whip whites to soft, billowy mounds, about 1 minute. Gradually add remaining 2 tablespoons sugar and whip until glossy and soft peaks form, about 1 minute.
- Now to create culinary magic, whisk one-quarter of whites into batter to lighten. Gently whisk in remaining whites until no clumps or streaks remain. Ladle batter into ramekins. Pour enough cold water into pan to come one-third of way up sides of ramekins. Bake until cake is set and pale golden brown. Using an instant read thermometer take the temperature of the pudding layer, bake until the cake registers 172 to 175 degrees at the center, 35 to 40 minutes.
- Remove pan from the oven and let ramekins stand in the water bath for 10 minutes. Transfer ramekins to wire rack and let cool completely. Sprinkle with confectioners' sugar, if using, and serve.
Video
Notes
For step-by-step instructional photos and baking tips like using an instant read thermometer to read the temperature of the pudding layer, read the section above on how to make small batch lemon pudding cakes.
Recipe consulted were Favorite recipes in any language (from the friends and members of the Association of Children's Health Care - Minneapolis), my favorite church cook book called Normandale Cooks and America's Test Kitchen