This Lemon Delicious Pudding makes people think you've slaved away for hours, when really it's just 10 minutes of stirring and a bit of oven magic.
It's the zesty cousin of my Sticky Date Pudding and just as easy as my Apple Sponge Pudding, except this one somehow turns into two desserts in the one dish.
A Quick Look At The Recipe
✅ Recipe Name: Lemon Delicious Pudding
🕒 Ready In: 40 minutes
👨👩👧 Serves: 8
🔥 Calories: 309kcal per serve
🍋 Main Ingredients: lemons, eggs, butter, milk
🌿 Dietary: vegetarian (gluten-free option available)
⭐ Why You'll Love It: It magically splits into a fluffy sponge and a silky lemon sauce while it bakes, and there's a Thermomix method too so nobody misses out.
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Absolutely amazing recipe! I cooked it for my family tonight and they loved it!
- Tina
Thanks Tina! This one's a proper crowd-pleaser. It's just as good made into Individual Lemon Puddings if you'd rather have your own dish, and if you're a fan of a good self-saucing pud, my Butterscotch Self Saucing Pudding and Baileys Self-Saucing Pudding are both worth a look too.
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Why You're Going To Love This Recipe
- Two Desserts In One - a fluffy sponge on top, a silky lemon sauce hiding underneath. Fancy for basically zero effort.
- Quick & Easy - 10 minutes of prep, 30 minutes in the oven, and you look like a legend.
- Pantry Staples - nothing weird or expensive, just butter, eggs, milk and lemons.
- Thermomix Or Conventional - both methods are included below, so nobody misses out.
- Adaptable - bake it in one big dish or divide it into ramekins for individual serves. See my Variations below.
Lemon Pudding Ingredients
Here's what you'll need for this old fashioned lemon delicious pudding. Most are just pantry staples, but a couple are worth a quick mention.
Note: Scroll to the recipe card at the bottom for the ingredient quantities and full detailed method.
- Lemons - you want both the zest and the juice, so grab fresh ones rather than bottled juice. Bottled works in a pinch, but fresh gives you way better flavour and a properly tangy sauce.
- Eggs - separate them carefully. Whipped egg whites are what give you that lovely fluffy sponge on top, so don't rush this bit.
Variations
- Gluten-Free - swap the plain flour for a good quality gluten-free blend.
- Individual Serves - divide the mixture into 6-8 ramekins and reduce the cooking time to 20-25 minutes.
- Lemon Curd Twist - stir a spoonful of lemon curd through the batter for extra zing.
- Berry Boost - scatter raspberries or blueberries into the batter before baking.
- Lime Swap - swap the lemon zest and juice for lime if you're drowning in limes instead of lemons. Same method, same magic.
How To Make Lemon Delicious
This lemon delicious pudding is way easier than it looks, I promise.
Note: Scroll to the recipe card at the bottom for the ingredient quantities and full detailed method.
- Step 1: Cream the base. Beat the butter, sugar and lemon zest together until pale and fluffy.
- Step 2: Add the yolks. Beat in the egg yolks one at a time.
- Step 3: Mix the batter. Gently beat in the lemon juice, flour and milk until combined.
- Step 4: Whip the whites. In a separate, completely clean bowl, beat the egg whites until firm peaks form.
- Step 5: Fold gently. Stir the egg whites through the lemon mixture with a spoon. Don't overmix, or you'll knock all the air out.
- Step 6: Bake in a water bath. Pour into your prepared dish, sit it in a larger pan, and fill halfway with boiling water. Bake for 30 minutes until golden and firm on top but wobbly underneath.
Top Tip
Don't overbake it. The top should be golden and springy, but the bottom needs to stay wobbly, that's your sauce. Pull it out a minute too early rather than a minute too late, and let it sit for 5 minutes before serving so the sauce settles.
Recipe Tips
- Water bath - this is what protects the pudding and keeps that sauce soft and saucy. Don't skip it.
- Let it rest - give it 5 minutes out of the oven before serving. The sauce looks a bit thin straight away but thickens up as it sits.
- Mini puddings - cut the bake time back if you're using ramekins.
- Testing for doneness - the top should spring back lightly, but the base should still feel wobbly underneath.
- Storage - best eaten fresh and warm, but leftovers keep 2-3 days in the fridge.
- Reheating - warm gently in the oven. The sauce will soak into the sponge a bit, but it'll still taste great.
- Freezing - I don't recommend it. The sauce just doesn't survive the freezer.
- Serving ideas - dust with icing sugar and serve with cream, ice cream, or a jug of custard for something extra cosy.
- Egg separation - make sure your bowl is completely clean and dry before whipping the whites, or they won't whip up properly.
Lemon Delicious FAQs
It's really at its best straight from the oven while the sauce is still warm and gooey. You can make it a few hours ahead and reheat gently, but the sauce will soak into the sponge a bit as it sits.
Not really, sorry. The sauce doesn't freeze well and turns a bit watery once thawed, so this one's best made fresh.
You can in a pinch, but fresh lemons give you way better flavour, and you'll need the zest anyway, so you may as well use the whole lemon.
This usually means it needed a few more minutes in the oven, or the water bath wasn't hot enough. Make sure you're using boiling water in the water bath and give it the full bake time. It should be golden and firm on top but still wobbly underneath before you take it out.
A 2 litre (8 cup) baking dish is perfect. Going with ramekins instead? You'll need 6-8 of them.
More Pudding Recipes
Puddings are the ultimate comfort food, and I've got a few more you need in your life.
Lemon Delicious
Ingredients
- 220 g (1 cup) caster sugar
- 125 g butter room temperature
- grated zest of a lemon
- 4 eggs separated, room temperature
- 80 g (⅓ cup) lemon juice
- 75 g (½ cup) plain flour
- 310 g (1 ¼ cups) full cream milk
- icing sugar, cream or ice-cream, to serve
Instructions
Conventional Method
- Preheat oven to 170 degrees celsius (fan-forced). Grease an ovenproof casserole/baking dish and set aside (minimum of 2 litre/8cup capacity).
- Beat the caster sugar, butter and grated lemon zest together until pale and creamy.
- Beat in the egg yolks one by one.
- Beat in the lemon juice, plain flour and full cream milk. Set aside.
- Beat the egg whites until firm peaks have formed. Gently mix through the lemon mixture with a spoon.
- Pour into the prepared casserole/baking dish. Place the dish into a large pan and fill halfway up the side with boiling water (to create a water bath around the baking dish).
- Bake for 30 minutes or until lightly golden and firm on the top and a sauce has formed underneath (it should be wobbly at the bottom).
- Dust with icing sugar and serve while warm with cream or ice-cream.
Thermomix Method
- Preheat oven to 170 degrees celsius (fan-forced). Grease an ovenproof casserole/baking dish and set aside (minimum of 2 litre/8cup capacity).
- Place the caster sugar, butter and grated lemon zest into the Thermomix bowl and mix for 10 seconds on Speed 5. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and repeat for a further 20 seconds or until pale and creamy.
- With the blades turning on Speed 3, add in the egg yolks one by one through the MC hole.
- Add the lemon juice, plain flour and full cream milk through the MC hole and continue mixing for 10 seconds or until combined. Set aside.
- In a completely clean and dry Thermomix bowl, insert the butterfly and beat the egg whites on Speed 3.5 until firm peaks have formed. Gently mix through the lemon mixture with a spoon.
- Pour into the prepared casserole/baking dish. Place the dish into a large pan and fill halfway up the side with boiling water (to create a water bath around the baking dish).
- Bake for 30 minutes or until lightly golden and firm on the top and a sauce has formed underneath (it should be wobbly at the bottom).
- Dust with icing sugar and serve while warm with cream or ice-cream.
Notes
- Water bath - protects the pudding and keeps it soft and saucy.
- Mini puddings - reduce bake time if using ramekins.
- Testing for doneness - top should spring back lightly while the base feels wobbly.
- Storage - best served fresh, but leftovers keep 2-3 days in the fridge.
- Reheating - warm gently in the oven, though the sauce will soak in a little.
- Freezing - not recommended (the sauce doesn't survive freezing).
- Serving ideas - dust with icing sugar, serve with cream, ice-cream, or fresh berries.
- Egg separation tip - make sure whites are in a completely clean bowl to whip properly.
Johanna says
Is it possible to make this without the water bath?
Lucy Mathieson says
Hi! I wouldn't recommend making Lemon Delicious without the water bath, as it's what helps the dessert cook gently and creates those beautiful two layers—a light, fluffy sponge on top and a creamy lemon sauce underneath.
Without the water bath, it's likely to bake unevenly and won't have that classic Lemon Delicious texture.
It really is worth the extra step! 😊
Jeanne Schmid-Ryan says
Just tried this recipe and it is excellent. To be recommended !
Deb says
Have made this twice now and it’s a winner all round
Nichola says
If you love lemons you will Love this recipe, but it wasn't lemony enough for me, so I used the zest and juice of 4 lemons, 4th time round I decided to do 2 lemons 2 limes zest and juice.
Taking out to my parents tonight for dessert.
See how it goes. Simple recipe, nice on a cold night, just yum.