The old fashioned lemon delicious pudding recipe your grandma made – but with way more sauce. One simple batter separates into a fluffy soufflé-like sponge with a silky, pourable lemon custard underneath. And yes – this is the easy lemon delicious pudding recipe you’ll make on repeat.
What Is Lemon Delicious Pudding?
Lemon Delicious Pudding – also known as Self-Saucing Lemon Pudding or Lemon Pudding Cake – is one of those genuinely magical desserts where you put a single batter in the oven and it comes out as two completely different textures.
The top bakes into a light, soufflé-like sponge. Underneath? A silky, tangy lemon custard sauce that you scoop up with every bite.
It’s a beloved old fashioned pudding recipe with deep roots in Australian and British home cooking. You’ll find variations of it in church cookbooks, country Women’s Association (CWA) recipe collections, and handwritten cards passed down through generations. The classic CWA lemon delicious pudding is arguably the most famous version – beloved for its simplicity and reliably gorgeous result.
The American version, often called Lemon Pudding Cake, is similar but tends to produce a thicker, dollop-style custard layer rather than a pourable sauce. This recipe? We’re going for the saucy Australian version. Lots of it.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
I know what you’re thinking – every recipe blog says “you’ll love this!” But hear me out, because this best lemon delicious pudding recipe earns it:
- One batter, two textures – it genuinely feels like kitchen magic every single time
- Super easy – no fancy equipment, no complicated techniques. If you can fold egg whites, you can make this
- All pantry ingredients – except lemons, but even those you might have sitting in a bowl on the bench
- Make-ahead friendly – it reheats almost perfectly (I’ll explain how below)
- Works as individual ramekins OR one big dish – perfect for dinner parties
This is comfort food done properly. The kind of delicious lemon pudding that makes people scrape the dish.
The Magic: How One Batter Becomes Two Layers
Here’s the part I genuinely find fascinating every time.
The batter starts out thin and pourable. You fold through stiffly whipped egg whites, and almost immediately you can see it starting to separate – the airy, foamy egg white mixture rises to the top, while the heavier lemon and sugar mixture settles underneath.
Then it bakes just like that.
The top layer, driven by those whipped egg whites, puffs up into a light sponge. The bottom layer – rich with lemon juice, sugar and egg yolks – transforms into that gorgeous custard sauce. One batter. Two completely different things. That’s the magic of the lemon delicious self-saucing pudding.
No baking powder. No baking soda. The entire rise comes from the whipped egg whites alone. Which is also why the sponge layer comes out so delicate – almost weightless.
Ingredients in Lemon Delicious Pudding
The beauty of this easy lemon delicious pudding recipe is that everything comes from a normal pantry – no exotic ingredients, no planning ahead to bring things to room temperature. Even the eggs and butter go in cold. I love that.
Here’s what you need:
Lemons – You’ll need 2 large lemons for 1 tablespoon of zest and ½ cup of juice. Worth knowing: it’s the zest that delivers most of the real lemon flavour. The juice is mainly responsible for the tartness. So don’t skip the zest!
Sugar – 1 cup (200g) of caster sugar / superfine sugar. That might sound like a lot, but trust me – with the lemon juice, you need every gram of it. One of my earliest test batches used half the amount and it was genuinely eye-wateringly sour.
Milk – Full fat milk gives you the best mouthfeel in the custard sauce. You can use reduced fat, but the sauce just feels a bit thinner and less satisfying.
Flour – Plain / all-purpose flour, and only ⅓ cup (50g) of it. This tiny amount is intentional – it’s what keeps the sponge layer light and soufflé-like rather than dense and cakey. Do not substitute self-raising flour.
Eggs – Large eggs, straight from the fridge. No need to bring them to room temperature.
Unsalted butter – Cold, cut into small cubes. We’re melting it, so fridge-cold is completely fine.
Vanilla extract – Optional, but a small amount adds a lovely warmth to the background flavour.
Salt – Just a pinch. It rounds everything out and stops it tasting flat.
How to Make Lemon Delicious Pudding (Step by Step)
Most old fashioned lemon delicious pudding recipes start by creaming softened butter with an electric beater – and then you have to wash the beater before you can whip the egg whites. I’ve streamlined this so you only need the beater once (for the egg whites), and everything else gets mixed by hand with a simple whisk.
Step 1: Melt the Butter
Melt butter in a large heatproof bowl in the microwave until almost melted, then whisk by hand to finish. This keeps it from getting too hot, so you don’t need to wait for it to cool before adding the eggs.
Step 2: Make the Thin Batter
Whisk in the sugar first – it’ll look like thick wet sand. Then add egg yolks, lemon juice, lemon zest, vanilla and salt. Whisk until combined. Add the flour and whisk until completely lump-free, then pour in the milk. The batter will be very thin and runny. That’s correct – don’t worry!
Step 3: Beat Egg Whites to Stiff Peaks
Using your electric beater (now the only tool that needs washing!), beat the egg whites until you have stiff, upright peaks – pointy and firm, not soft or floppy. This is the key to getting a good rise on the sponge.
Step 4: Fold In the Egg Whites
Add a big scoop of the beaten egg whites to the batter first and fold through – this lightens the batter and makes it easier to incorporate the rest without losing too much air. Then gently fold through the remaining egg whites using a rubber spatula, with big scooping motions. Take your time here. Gentle is the word.
Step 5: Pour and Bake (in a Water Bath!)
Pour the batter into a ceramic baking dish (5–6 cup / 1.25–1.5 litre capacity). Place the dish inside a larger roasting pan and pour boiling water into the pan until it comes halfway up the sides of the baking dish. This water bath is what makes the lemon delicious self-saucing pudding so beautifully light and moist – the gentle, even heat protects the custard sauce from overcooking.
Bake at 170°C / 340°F (fan-forced) for 35 minutes, until the top is light golden. It will feel jiggly when you poke it – that’s normal. It’s the sauce underneath doing its thing.
Step 6: Rest, Dust and Serve
Rest for 5 minutes out of the oven. Dust generously with icing sugar (powdered sugar), then serve with big scoops that capture plenty of that custard sauce. A dollop of whipped cream or crème fraîche on the side is highly recommended – it cuts through the tartness beautifully.
Individual Ramekins vs One Big Dish
You can make this lemon delicious pudding recipe either way, and both work brilliantly.
One big dish is the classic way – you bring it to the table and scoop servings directly. There’s something wonderfully communal and cosy about this.
Individual ramekins (six 200ml / 7oz ramekins) are the smarter dinner party move. They look elegant, they’re easier to serve, and – as I’ll get to in a moment – they reheat better too.
One note on baking dishes: use ceramic, not metal. Metal pans conduct heat too quickly and directly, which causes the custard to overcook and thicken up into more of a dollop than a pourable sauce. Still edible, but not the silky dream we’re going for.
Can You Make Lemon Delicious Pudding Ahead?
Yes – and this is where individual ramekins really shine.
The microwave lemon delicious pudding reheat trick is genuinely impressive. Refrigerate until needed, then reheat in the microwave. The sponge puffs back up. The custard loosens into a warm, pourable sauce again. On a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being fresh-from-the-oven, reheated ramekins are a solid 9.
If your guests don’t see you use the microwave, they will never know they’re not eating a fresh pudding. I’d stake my reputation on it.
Grandma’s Old Fashioned Lemon Delicious Pudding – Why It’s Still the Best
The grandma’s old fashioned lemon delicious pudding recipe that’s been passed around in CWA cookbooks and family recipe collections for decades is the foundation this recipe is built on. And while it’s been tweaked and tested to maximise that sauce and lighten the sponge, the soul of it is unchanged.
It’s a dessert that tastes like someone cared. Light where it should be light. Tangy where it should be tangy. Saucy – very saucy – where it absolutely should be.
The CWA lemon delicious pudding tradition exists because the recipe is genuinely, timelessly good. Simple ingredients, nothing fussy, and a result that makes people put down their spoons mid-bite to say “what is this?”.
That’s what good old fashioned food does.
Gluten Free Lemon Delicious Pudding
Good news if you’re cooking for someone gluten-free: this recipe adapts well. The flour quantity is already very small (just ⅓ cup / 50g), so swapping it for a gluten-free plain flour blend gives excellent results with minimal difference to the texture. The sponge layer is slightly more delicate, but the custard sauce is identical.
Rice flour works as an alternative, though the sponge comes out a little denser. A 1:1 GF flour blend is the better option.
Tips for the Best Lemon Delicious Pudding
A few things that make the difference between a good result and a great one:
Use full-fat milk. The custard sauce will be creamier and have a better mouthfeel. It’s worth it.
Don’t skip the water bath. I know it adds a step, but it’s the reason the sponge stays moist and the custard stays saucy rather than baking solid.
Beat those egg whites to stiff peaks. Floppy, softly whipped whites won’t give you the lift you need. You want pointy peaks that hold their shape.
Be gentle when folding. The goal is to keep as much air in the egg whites as possible. Vigorous stirring knocks it all out and you end up with a flat, dense sponge.
Use a smaller, deeper dish over a wide, shallow one. Taller sides = thicker sponge layer = better ratio of sponge to sauce in every spoonful.
Serve immediately (or reheat in ramekins). The sponge is most dramatic fresh from the oven, but ramekins reheat beautifully as described above.
Serving Suggestions
This dessert is perfect as-is, but here’s how to dress it up a little:
- Whipped cream – Classic. The richness cuts through the tartness.
- Crème fraîche – A little more sophisticated, slightly tangy in its own right. Really lovely.
- Vanilla ice cream – A scoop melting into the warm custard is never a bad idea.
- Fresh raspberries – The sharpness of the raspberries plays beautifully against the lemon.
- A small mint sprig – Just for colour, if you’re serving to guests.
- Icing sugar dusting – Non-negotiable. It makes everything look finished.
Lemon Delicious Pudding Recipe
Serves: 6 Prep time: 20 minutes Cook time: 35 minutes Total time: 55 minutes
Ingredients
- 60g / 4 tbsp unsalted butter, cold, cut into small cubes
- 1 cup (200g) caster sugar / superfine sugar
- 3 large eggs, separated (cold from fridge is fine)
- 1 tbsp finely grated lemon zest (from 2 large lemons)
- ½ cup (125ml) fresh lemon juice (from 2 large lemons)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract (optional)
- Pinch of salt
- ⅓ cup (50g) plain / all-purpose flour
- 1¼ cups (310ml) full-fat milk
- Icing sugar / powdered sugar, for dusting
- Whipped cream or crème fraîche, to serve
Method
- Preheat oven to 170°C / 340°F (fan-forced) or 190°C / 375°F (conventional). Put a kettle on to boil.
- Melt butter in a large heatproof mixing bowl in the microwave until almost melted. Whisk by hand until fully melted. Don’t let it get too hot.
- Make the batter: Whisk sugar into the melted butter. Add egg yolks, lemon zest, lemon juice, vanilla and salt. Whisk until combined. Add flour and whisk until smooth and lump-free. Whisk in the milk. The batter will be very thin – this is correct.
- Beat egg whites in a separate clean bowl using an electric beater until stiff peaks form (upright and firm, not floppy).
- Fold egg whites in: Add a big spoonful of the egg whites to the batter and fold through to lighten it. Add the remaining egg whites and fold through gently with a rubber spatula using big, sweeping motions. Stop as soon as no large white streaks remain.
- Pour the batter into a 5–6 cup (1.25–1.5 litre) ceramic baking dish. Place inside a larger roasting pan. Pour boiling water into the roasting pan until it comes halfway up the sides of the baking dish.
- Bake for 35 minutes until the top is light golden. It will feel jiggly from the custard underneath – that’s perfect.
- Rest for 5 minutes. Dust with icing sugar and serve immediately, scooping deep to catch plenty of sauce. Serve with cream or crème fraîche.
Individual ramekins: Use six 200ml / 7oz ramekins and reduce baking time to 30 minutes. Fill to 1cm / ½ inch from the top (the pudding barely rises). Same water bath method applies.
To reheat: Refrigerate cooled pudding. Reheat in the microwave – ramekins heat more evenly than one large dish. The sponge refluffs and the custard loosens back into a sauce beautifully.
Lemon Delicious Pudding, Self-Saucing Lemon Pudding, Easy Lemon Delicious Pudding Recipe, Old Fashioned Lemon Pudding, CWA Lemon Delicious, Gluten Free Lemon Delicious