An intensely flavoured self saucing lemon pudding that magically separates into two delicious layers – one cake, one sauce. Make it with only 5 main ingredients – no eggs needed!
Amazing lemons!
It’s not uncommon here in Australia to see bags of lemons sitting on driveways with a sign in front: ‘Free lemons’. Which I love!
But if you’re going to take those lemons, you really need to think of something to make with them. And relatively fast before they turn into green powder in your fruit bowl.
I love how versatile lemons are. I have some favourite savoury recipes that include lemons, like this incredible and easy Greek lemon chicken and potatoes.
I also have other go-to lemon dessert recipes, like this lemon mascarpone cake, and these lemon bakewell bars.
How to make a self-saucing lemon pudding
You might have seen something like this magic lemon pudding called self-saucing lemon pudding, or even lemon delicious pudding (here in Australia!).
You mix together:
- flour
- sugar
- lemon zest
- milk
- and butter
then you pour over lemon juice, sugar and water and bake. While in the oven, the dish ‘magically’ separates into a cake layer and a lemon sauce layer.
Add ice cream and eat. Hopefully you’ve fooled guests into thinking you’ve slaved away over this magic lemon pudding, when really it only took you 5 minutes to throw together. Massive win.
In the past, I haven’t had much success making anything that has ‘magic’ in its name. A chocolate self-saucing pudding ended up with hardly any sauce and a magic apple cake tasted divine but didn’t have the 3 clearly defined magic layers it was supposed to.
Love this recipe? Or hate it?
This recipe tends to divide a room. We have made it many times and love it, but it does receive mixed reviews.
Pro tip: The key to success is to leave the lemon pudding to cool slightly for ten to fifteen minutes after it comes out of the oven. The sauce might look a bit runny at first but if you let it stand it thickens up nicely.
This is what people say about this recipe:
Caro said: “ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh this is a lemon lovers dream! Tangy, warm, soft, not too sweet, I loved loved loved it.”
Juanita said: “Loved this! So easy and so yummy. We made it two days in a row!”
But CA Cook said: “I tried to make this and it was a disaster. The liquid stood on top of the cake and after 45 minutes there were still several inches of liquid. It didn’t taste lemony at all. The texture of the cake was really weird. I looked up other recipes for this kind of pudding and they call for eggs. Maybe this needs eggs.“
Nope. The recipe doesn’t ‘need’ eggs. I have tried to figure out why some people don’t like this recipe but can’t.
All I can suggest is to:
- make sure the oven is properly heated before putting the pudding in.
- Make sure you use self raising flour and not plain flour.
- Leave the pudding for 10 to 15 minutes before eating to let the sauce thicken and cool a little.
- Then eat it immediately. We find it tastes lovely the next day, but some of the sauce soaks into the pudding.
The only other advice I have is to try it for yourself… and make your own decision about whether you’re a quick and easy lemon pudding without eggs lover or hater!
I hope you enjoy this. It perhaps won’t ever win any beauty contests, but we think it’s a delicious ‘got-to-have-dessert-right-now’ recipe!
This is the kind of baking dish I use for this pudding:
Update: The original magic lemon pudding recipe I adapted had very mixed reviews, and so does this one! If you give this a go and like it, would you consider popping back and leaving a review? Thank you!
Like this recipe? You’ll enjoy my chocolate self saucing pudding too!
I worked on the ‘little sister’ of my lemon pudding aka a 6-ingredient chocolate self saucing pudding, also with no eggs, for a long time before publishing it.
I wanted to get it ‘just right’. I hope you agree it was worth the wait! There are plenty of chocolate self saucing puddings out there already, but what sets this one apart is that:
- it’s surprisingly low in sugar
- it’s egg free, just like the lemon pudding, in case you can’t get any or you can’t eat eggs
- it’s got plenty of sauce (mmmm… )
More really easy desserts
- 5-minute chocolate banana ice cream (healthy nice cream!)
- 6-ingredient gooey Swedish chocolate cake (you’ve got to try this!)
- Addictive peanut butter Cheerio bars
- No bowl chocolate pecan bars (magic bars!)
- 5-minute chocolate pots (only 4 ingredients!)
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Easy lemon magic pudding (5 ingredients)
Equipment (affiliate links)
Ingredients (UK/Australia? Click below for grams/ml)
for the cake batter
- 1 cup self-raising flour
- ½ cup sugar
- 1 lemon zest only (use the juice in the sauce)
- ½ cup milk warmed
- 2 tablespoons butter (melted and mixed in with the warm milk)
for the sauce
- ¼ cup sugar
- 1 cup water boiling
- ½ cup lemon juice (2 to 3 lemons)
to serve (optional)
- icing / confectioners’ sugar for sprinkling
- vanilla ice cream
Instructions
- Pre-heat the oven to 355F / 180C and grease a medium sized high-sided baking dish with butter.
- Mix together the flour, sugar and lemon zest in a medium bowl.
- Pour the milk / butter mixture into the dry ingredients and stir until well combined.
- Empty the batter into the baking dish.
- Mix the sauce ingredients together, then carefully pour over the batter in the baking dish. Bake for about 35 minutes or until the top is golden brown and the sauce starting to bubble around the sides.
- Take out of the oven, then leave for 10 to 15 minutes to allow the sauce to thicken slightly before serving.
- Sprinkle with icing sugar and serve immediately with vanilla ice cream (if you like).
Kathryn says
I had started making this recipe to take for an informal dinner – when I went to get lemons from the fruit bowl realised I had zero lemons and a ton of oranges! Mentally knew I had citrus, cognitively didn’t click which citrus – ha ha! I followed exactly as per the recipe but added some cinnamon, ground ginger and nutmeg to compliment the oranges in the sauce – and a cheeky tot of whisky. It worked beautifully and I could see the sauce at the bottom – but – we only ate it about 4 hours after making it and it had been reheated in the oven so the lovely sauce had been absorbed into the cake – still tasted amazing. And served with whipped coconut cream. Wanted to say I made this with Gluten free self raising flour and it worked a treat – the cake part was actually one of the best textured cakes I have ever made ironically 😉
Helen says
Hi kathryn! That sounds like us yesterday when we wanted to make sugar lemon pancakes and realised what we thought were lemons in the fruit bowl were actually limes. The pancakes were still delicious though! I’m so happy you enjoyed this cake even though you made it with oranges and the sauce sank in. Actually I can imagine that was still very delicious, especially with the coconut cream on top and the sneaky drizzle of whisky and other flavors. Yum! Thanks so much for the feedback and I hope you try this again – maybe with lemons next time and perhaps a drizzle of limoncello? 😉
Carol says
Just made this today for friends who are coming to play cards this evening. As others have mentioned it looks a bit pale but I gave it extra time so I am sure it is cooked.
The ‘proof in the pudding’ will show when it is served.
Helen says
Hello Carol! I hope you and your friends enjoyed it. That’s fine to give it a little extra time until it browns slightly. Around 35 minutes usually works best for me in my current oven. 🙂
Daphne says
I love this recipe, but the little slider for changing the number of servings is awful! Good thing I’m good at mental math 😜
Helen says
Thanks, Daphne, and I’ll take a look at the slider! I think you have to tap on it rather than slide 🙂
Jean says
Lovely easy lemon pudding
Was even ok the next day , reheated
Helen says
Yay! So pleased you liked it! I sometimes reheat it the next day, too. I find it’s different but still tasty 🙂
Alice Harrold says
Hi Helen! Alice here. Made your glorious magic lemon pudding for Easter dessert and was delighted with it. As you know there are a lot of lemons in Greece too! I found out at last minute I had run out of sugar but used fructose in cake and demerera in sauce. It was just great! I also tried your five ingredients choc orange truffles and thought they were wow!
Helen says
Alice! Hello! So glad you liked it! I’m interested in the swaps you made. It’s helpful to hear that they turned out OK. And ooh yes, those truffles are pretty good, aren’t they? Your brain is kind of tricked into thinking it’s eating real chocolate. Thanks so much for the lovely feedback! 🙂
Rachel says
Wow thanks for the gorgeous lemon magic recipe. Worked perfectly. Extra lemony zing. My hubby had his with vanilla ice cream and loved it, i prefer zingy so had it plain and it was lovely and tangy. Will be trying the chocolate magic next!
Helen says
So happy this worked out well for you, Rachel. I hope you enjoy the chocolate one as much! 🙂
Barbara Iverson says
This sounds delicious and easy, too. I’d love to make it, but what size exactly should the souffle dish be? The affiliate link leads to a 2.5 liter, which equals 10 cups and seems too large. Thank you.
Helen says
Hi Barbara, I’ve actually made this pudding in several different dishes. All have worked, but my favourite and most trusty is a classic souffle dish – so the same as the one I’ve linked to. Basically somewhere between 6 to 8 inches in diameter will be fine. You can even make it in a different shaped baking dish – I’d just go for a small to medium sized one with sides that aren’t too shallow. I hope you enjoy it!
Lorna Hodkinson says
So, having made this recipe numerous times over the past 2 years, I had the opportunity to try cooking it in an Airfryer (prompted by curiosity and impatience as hubby had the oven full doing our New Years Day Roast Beef) I used a square glass pyrex dish in the basket of the Ninja AirFryer, 35 minutes on Bake mode and it was PERFECT!!!!!!! Maybe even better than my oven attempts! Also, to the people who’s sauce stays a little thin, we serve ours with pouring cream which thickens up nicely with the lemon sauce, delicious.
Helen says
This info is GOLD! Thank you, Lorna! I’ll try it for myself, but really appreciate the tips 🙂
Janet Young says
Really easy. Was worried when it came out of the oven as it was so runny but I left it for 15- 20 mins while we had our first course, then decorated with icing sugar and everyone said how good it was. the sauce underneath does go really gooey if you let it all settled , while the sponge on top stays firm.
Yummy!
Helen says
Great to hear this, Janet. This is the feedback this recipe most often gets. Looks suspicious when it first comes out of the oven, but it all comes good in the end 😉 So happy you enjoyed it!
Rosemary Turner says
Once more , a very easy, sensible recipe. The modifications suggested are all good too. A cook’s cook! Great to return to this after many years. It is now in demand!
Helen says
Hello Rosemary! I’m so glad this was a hit. This recipe has been a labour of love over the years. Some love it, others not so much, but lately it seems to get mostly great reviews. Thanks for leaving your feedback! 🙂
john clark says
yeah – tried making this. Have ususally used my mums one with egg whites etc which is very light.
sorry to say this recipe does NOT cut the mustard. the cake is very heavy and the sauce never became a sauce – just a weak liquid.
i followed the instructions – the only difference being i used coconut sugar.
sadly i would not make this again.
Helen says
Hi John! I’m sorry you didn’t enjoy it! I usually don’t recommend making any substitutions although some people have successfully. It’s best to stick to ordinary sugar. The cake isn’t usually described as heavy so I’d encourage you to try it again but without the sugar change, although I understand if you’d prefer to go back to your old faithful recipe 🙂
Maggie Everett says
as JOhn says VERY VERY runny, so very annoyed and disappointed as made to take to parents.. won’t be making again
Helen says
Sorry this wasn’t for you, Maggie. I’m not sure what to suggest as I always find the sauce thickens up as it sits. 🙁
JT says
Easy recipe and a yummy lemon pudding😁 I will make it again thanks for sharing 😎
Helen says
Thanks for the feedback, Jeannie! I’m so glad you liked it enough to make it again! 🙂
Pam says
Does it travel well? We are travelling away with friends and I would like to make it before I go. (Not sure what the oven is like where we are going)
Helen says
Hello Pam! I have to be honest… while I’ve definitely reheated and enjoyed this the next day, it’s best eaten almost immediately after cooking. You’ll find that if you make it ahead the sauce will sink into the cake and the cake won’t be as light and fresh tasting as when first made. As an alternative, I’d suggest either these lemon bakewell slices (if you want to keep with the lemony theme!) or this 6-ingredient Swedish chocolate cake if you want to make something that’s super super easy. If you were looking for something egg free, may I also suggest this 10-minute no bake chocolate truffle cake? This would travel well as long as you can keep it fairly cool! Good luck!
Brittany says
I loved this recipe overall. It was delicious and I agree, the cakey part didn’t need an egg. I did make 1 alteration with the sauce, after reading the reviews I decided to add 1.5 tsp cornflour to the sugar that goes on top. I am glad I did because the sauce was still a little thin (but delicious). I was careful to use self raising flour as suggested, I also preheated the oven. I did double the recipe and was careful to use a long 3L oven dish. 100% will make again.
Helen says
Really appreciate this feedback, Brittany – thank you! I’m glad it turned out just the way you wanted it to, and it’s helpful to know it still worked well doubling the recipe. 🙂
Waveney says
Amazing recipe and tasted great’ only thing was the sauce was too runny when it came out but this was possibly because I eyeballed the lemon juice and like it tangy.
Just poured the sauce into a saucepan and boiled for 5 mins to thicken!
Such a good sweet treat for those watching their sugar intake 🙂
Helen says
Hello Waveney! So glad you enjoyed it! The recipe is pretty lemony anyway but it’s good to hear you enjoyed it even more lemony! 🙂
Rochelle White says
Hi Helen,
I would count this as perhaps the best lemon pudding recipe I have ever made. I have tried many lemon pudding type recipes over the past 10 years. I have always preferred a sponge pudding with a lot of lemon sauce. This recipe ticks everththing. And, on top of this, it is the easiest recipe I’ve ever made and it has no eggs! Thank you. This recipe is a keeper!
Rochelle
Helen says
Hi Rochelle! Aw, I’m so pleased!! I published this recipe quite a long time ago but it’s still really popular. It was a bit of a surprise hit, but I agree with you – it’s super easy, great for people who can’t eat eggs or don’t have any, and there’s tons of really lemony sauce. I also have a chocolate version with no eggs – just in case you’d like to try that one too 😉 Thank you so much for the feedback!
SoupandSalad says
This was fantastic. I was craving a lemony dessert on a weeknight that wouldn’t take forever to make. I thought I followed the recipe exactly and after putting it in the oven, I read the note about self rising flour! I’m in the USA and used Washington self-rising flour. Anyway all I can say is that it took an extra five minutes in the oven to get golden brown on top (but that may be my oven and not the flour.) It was more of a cake-y consistency than what is pictured and I did let the sauce congeal after baking which it did nicely. I also used an ungreased silicone baking pan (9×9) and though it didn’t look very pretty on top, I think if I make it for guests, I’ll flip it onto a serving plate with high edges because the bottom was nicely golden browned (I love these silicone baking dishes -such easy clean up!) or the ramekin idea as you did. I dusted with powder sugar and served with a little whipped cream and am enjoying it very much right now! My husband said “mmm that’s good” as opposed to “that’s interesting” which is his tell for “not so great”. So make it! Thanks for the recipe! I’m now hooked and excited to try more of your recipes.
Helen says
Hello! Thank you so much for the detailed feedback. Your husband sounds like mine hahaha. He’s a bit hard to please sometimes so when he says something is good it’s a real complement 🙂 I hope you enjoy this many times more, and have a great weekend!
Kate says
Delicious! I had some oranges to use up, so I did half orange and half lemon juice for the sauce and the result was great – nice and tangy. I also cooked it in 4 small ramikins instead of 1 large and this made the cooking time a little less. Will definitely make again. Thanks for the recipe!
Helen says
Hello Kate. Thanks so much for the feedback. It’s so helpful to hear that you made it successfully adding some oranges into the mix, and also in smaller ramekins. I have a chocolate version of this too which is getting good reviews 😉