Lemon Pudding Cake

Recipe from Ian Knauer

Adapted by Julia Moskin

Updated March 10, 2025

  • Christopher Testani for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Samantha Seneviratne.
Media 1 of 1
Total Time
1 hour
Rating
5(5,096)
Comments
Read comments

A moist lemon cake sits atop a delicate custard in this recipe, adapted from Ian Knauer’s book “The Farm.” The magic is in the cooking: Setting a 8-inch baking dish in a roasting pan filled halfway with water allows the custard to form while the top bakes. It’s an excellent party dish, warm and just out of the oven. But it’s equally as good out of the fridge, its flavors melded and mellowed. —Julia Moskin

Featured in: Straight From the Home Coop

  • 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

  • Share this recipe

  • Print this recipe

    or to print this recipe.

Advertisement

Ingredients

Yield:6 to 8 servings

  • 4 large eggs, separated

  • 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest

  • ⅓ cup lemon juice

  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted

  • 1 cup sugar

  • ½ cup all-purpose flour

  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt

  • 1 ½ cups whole milk

Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 to 8 servings)

34 grams carbs; 101 milligrams cholesterol; 204 calories; 2 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 3 grams saturated fat; 5 grams fat; 174 milligrams sodium; 5 grams protein; 28 grams sugar

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

Preparation

  1. 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.

  2. 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.

  3. Step 3

    Whip the egg whites until soft peaks form, then gently fold them into the batter.

  4. 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.

Tip

  • Adapted from "The Farm," by Ian Knauer (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt)

Private Notes

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

Ratings

5 out of 5
5,096 user ratings
Your rating

or to rate this recipe.

Have you cooked this?

or to mark this recipe as cooked.

Comments

Rebecca Love

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.

Jagruti Harkness

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.

Beth

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!

Carol

I made this last night for my family. Everyone thought it was astoundingly good. It’s one of the best recipes combining different textures of light cake with custard base with tart and sweet. It is best to eat right out of oven when warm. I did add some raspberries for color and flavour. I may reduce the sugar next time and give that a try but otherwise absolutely perfect.

MN Philly

Always a winner dessert, and everyone had seconds when I served it tonight. I sprinkled a pint of rasberries on the bottom of the dish and mashed those with bit of sugar before adding the other ingredients. Also cut down on the other sugar, added more lemon zest and sprinkled top with cinnamon and nutmeg. Delicious.

Amy Stark

I am at high altitude, 9000ft, so I have no idea how this will turn out. Plus, and this is huge, I had only date sugar and only an immersion blender without a whisk attachment. It is not looking good, huh? I used 3/4 cup date sugar and reduced the flour to 1/3 c and miserably whipped the whites in a ball jar and carefully folded the less than peaked whites into the mixture and put them in a brownie metal pan. It’s all I had in a remote mountain village. Placed her in the hot oven bath. We shall see. Then, as I was cleaning up, I noticed the all purpose flour was gluten free! I killed it! Do I end this diatribe now. Leaving you in suspense or pause, wait the 45 minutes and reveal the outcome….. my hypothesis is that it will not pud or soufflé, maybe thick pancake with globules.

Amy Stark

@Amy Stark- It turned out great!!! Shocking! Pudding on bottom, cake on top! Yummy!

Private comments are only visible to you.

Credits

Adapted from "The Farm,” by Ian Knauer (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt)

Recipe Tags

or to save this recipe.