‘Magic’ Self Saucing Lemon Pudding
on Aug 12, 2022, Updated Apr 24, 2025
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This is one for lemon lovers! An intensely flavoured self saucing lemon pudding (AKA lemon delicious!) that magically separates into two layers – one fluffy sponge, one tangy lemon sauce. Quick and super easy to make with only 5 main ingredients – and no eggs needed!
I love lemon season here in Western Australia. We have a young lemon tree in our garden, but while we wait for it to (hopefully) start producing fruit there are often lemons left in front of houses with a note on – ‘Free Lemons!’.
So what do you make when it’s lemon season (whether you have them growing locally or not)? Personally, either this Greek lemon chicken and potatoes (an incredibly delicious and easy midweek meal), or my famous lemon pudding are two of my go-to lemon recipes!
What’s a self saucing lemon pudding?
You might not be too surprised to learn that, as if by magic, a self saucing lemon pudding makes its own sauce while it’s cooking.
To make it, you mix together a few simple lemon sponge cake ingredients and pour them into a pudding dish. Then you pour over 3 ingredients – just lots of lemon juice, sugar and boiling water.
Somehow, while baking, the pudding ‘magically’ separates into a light and fluffy sponge cake layer with a delicious, tangy lemon sauce layer below.
When you put it in the oven covered in liquid, it’s hard to believe it’ll actually work, but I promise it does. It’s SO ridiculously simple!
Love lemon desserts? More Scrummy Lane faves include lemon mascarpone layer cake or lemon curd cake (great for birthdays and afternoon tea!), lemon bakewell slices, 6-ingredient lemon and ricotta cake or lemon posset.
Why you’ll love it
Here in Australia, this is a classic dessert, sometimes known as lemon delicious or lemon surprise pudding. It’s a perfect quick (and, if lemons are in season, economical!) dessert for your family or for guests.
Recipes can differ slightly from one another, so what’s different about this lemon pudding recipe?
- It contains just 5 simple ingredients (I wanted to keep it super simple).
- SO easy to make with only 10 minutes’ hands-on prep time (the oven does the rest!). No mixer required. Just mix wet ingredients into dry with a wooden spoon, pour over the sauce ingredients and bake.
- It’s made WITHOUT EGGS (perfect for when you don’t have any, or someone has an egg allergy). No complicated whisking and folding of egg whites like in some other lemon pudding recipes!
- The lemon sauce is super zingy. I love the contrast of the light, sweet cake and tart citrus sauce. And there’s a lot of it!
- The sponge is light, fluffy and crisp on top. It might not be the prettiest, but it sure is delicious!
- This version isn’t overly sweet. That’s just the way I usually like to do desserts around here.
5***** Review
“We made this once, and then told everyone we knew about it – it was that good!”
Janiika
About the ingredients
Yes, just 5 main ingredients! Here’s what you need to know:
The cake batter
Self-raising flour: It’s important that you use self-raising flour, and not plain flour or self rising flour (US). If you don’t have any, simply make your own by mixing 2 teaspoons of baking powder into a cup of all-purpose flour.
Sugar: Just regular white sugar or caster sugar (fine sugar).
Lemon zest: Add the zest of one lemon to the sponge cake batter. Nothing gets wasted because the juice will go into the sauce!
Milk: You’ll need half a cup of warm milk. Any kind of milk works.
Melted butter: You’ll melt the butter into the warmed milk. Both unsalted and salted butter are fine.
The sauce
Sugar: Just a quarter cup, since you want a tangy sauce to contrast with the sweeter sponge. Ordinary white sugar or caster sugar (fine sugar) are both fine. Don’t reduce the amount of sugar in the sauce – the recipe needs this amount for the consistency.
Lemon juice: You’ll need the juice of 2-3 lemons or around half a cup.
Boiling water
How to make it
The step-by-step guide below should help you make the recipe perfectly first time. Scroll down to the end for the full recipe including ingredient amounts.
You really won’t believe how easy it is to make this lemon self saucing pudding!
Here’s what to do.
Step 1: Prepare a souffle or pudding dish by rubbing with a little butter or spraying with oil. Also pre-heat the oven.
Step 2: Mix together the dry ingredients for the cake batter – so flour, sugar and lemon zest.
Step 3: Warm the milk in a jug in the microwave. Then melt the butter into it.
Step 4: Pour the wet milk/butter mixture into the dry flour/sugar/zest mixture and stir until you have a smooth batter.
Step 5: Scrape the batter into your prepared dish.
Step 6: Mix together the sauce ingredients. Then carefully pour over the batter in the dish.
Step 7: Bake for around 35 minutes or until the pudding has risen, the top is golden brown and the luscious lemon sauce is bubbling up around the sides.
Helen’s Top Tips
I’m going to be honest here. This recipe mostly gets rave reviews, but it can also divide a room. I have not experienced this myself, but occasionally a reader reports it ‘not working’, with liquid still on top of the cake.
Bear in mind that this pudding may not win any beauty contests! But it’s always delicious!
Here are my top tips for success.
- 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.
- Make sure the oven is heated up properly before baking.
- Make sure you use self raising flour and not all-purpose or self-rising flour (NOT the same thing).
- Then enjoy immediately. It still tastes lovely reheated the next day, but some of the sauce does soak into the pudding and the sauce will be thicker – more like lemon curd. Yum!
How to serve
This one’s very simple. If you like, sprinkle a little icing sugar (powdered sugar) over the top of your pudding. Then serve your magic lemon pudding into bowls, add a scoop of vanilla ice cream and eat!
Some readers have also served with whipped cream and even Greek yogurt and enjoyed it. In particular the cooling Greek yogurt pairs well with the tangy lemon.
If you want to create even more of an old fashioned lemon sponge pudding vibe, feel free to serve with custard instead!
Also, one last reminder that it’s important to let the pudding ‘rest’ for a while before eating to let the sauce settle, cool and thicken a little. 😉
Variations
This is a beautiful quick pudding, perfect as it is, but there a few changes you can make to vary it if you like:
- Double the ingredients to serve a small crowd. Of course you’ll have to use a larger baking dish. It will also take longer to bake – roughly around 10 to 15 minutes longer or until the top is risen and lightly golden.
- If you like, you can make this with a different citrus juice, or a mixture. Try orange and lemon or lime. Just replace the lemon juice in a ratio of 1:1 and the result will be the same.
- Try mixing a few blueberries or raspberries into the sponge batter.
- Feel free to use gluten free flour to make this a gluten free dessert. The texture of the cake may be slightly different and also may soak up the sauce faster, but the pudding will still be delicious.
- Yes, you can make this a vegan pudding by replacing the dairy milk with a non dairy alternative such as soy milk or almond milk. You can use melted coconut oil instead of butter.
- Try making it in 4 individual ramekins instead of 1 larger one. The cooking time will be a little less (roughly 20-25 minutes). Keep an eye on the puddings in the oven. They’re ready when well risen, browned and bubbling.
Recipe FAQ
You should use a souffle dish or high sided round baking dish that’s between 6 and 8 inches in diameter. Alternatively, a similar sized square or rectangular ovenproof dish will work.
Nope. Although there are versions of this lemon pudding that are made with eggs, this recipe is egg-free. The texture of the cake is light, fluffy and delicious without using any eggs.
Occasionally, a reader reports this issue. I have made this many times and usually when the pudding first comes out of the oven the sauce is still quite runny. That’s OK. Just leave it for 10 to 15 minutes and as it cools it will thicken slightly. Some of the sauce will even soak into the sponge, making it even more delicious.
Nope. This pudding might not win any beauty contests. As long as it’s lightly browned and risen and bubbling, it’ll be delicious. If not browned, feel free to leave in the oven for a few more minutes. If the appearance still bothers you, perhaps it’s one for just serving to the family rather than to guests!
Chocolate self saucing pudding
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 similar 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 too has got plenty of sauce (mmmm… )
Find out more about the chocolate self saucing pudding.
More super easy desserts
One of the things I love about this lemon ‘surprise’ pudding is that as long as you have 2 or 3 lemons, you probably already have everything else you need.
Here are some more super easy ‘I need it now!’ kinda desserts!
- Chocolate lover too? Try this 6-ingredient Swedish chocolate cake, this 10-minute no-bake chocolate truffle cake, or these 5-minute chocolate pots.
- In the mood for ice cream? Try this 5-minute chocolate banana ice cream (healthy nice cream!
- Peanut butter lover? This 2-minute peanut butter mug cake (It’s healthy!) also gets rave reviews. Need dessert for a party or BBQ? Try these easy peanut butter Cheerio bars.
- Love fruit desserts? Try this ‘impossibly easy’ blueberry clafoutis (custardy and creamy!), easy rhubarb bars, or Italian apple cake.
‘Magic’ Self Saucing Lemon Pudding
Ingredients
for the cake batter
- 1 cup self-raising flour, (NOT self-rising flour: If you don't have self-raising flour mix 2 teaspoons baking powder into 1 cup plain/all-purpose 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 boiling water
- ½ cup lemon juice, (2 to 3 lemons)
to serve (optional)
- icing / confectioners’ sugar for sprinkling
- vanilla ice cream, whipped cream or custard
Instructions
- Pre-heat the oven to 355F / 180C (note this is for a fan oven – if you have a conventional oven increase to 390F/200C). Grease a medium sized high-sided baking dish with butter.
- Mix together the flour, sugar and lemon zest in a medium bowl.1 cup self-raising flour, ½ cup sugar, 1 lemon
- Pour the milk / butter mixture into the dry ingredients and stir until well combined.½ cup milk, 2 tablespoons butter
- 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.¼ cup sugar, 1 cup boiling water, ½ cup lemon juice
- 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).icing / confectioners’ sugar for sprinkling, vanilla ice cream, whipped cream or custard
This is just a simply delicious, easy and zesty desert – between this recipe and Helen’s Chocolate Self Saucing Pudding recipe (which is equally delicious) I never consider store bought desert when either of these can be whipped up so easily. The flavour cannot be compared with store bought!
You’re right, Sandy – store bought of this kind of dessert is usually so sweet and sickly. You’ve described what I first liked about this and it makes me very happy to hear you’ve enjoyed it many times. Thank you so much for letting me know!
Can you make it a day ahead and rewarm.
Hello! I actually wouldn’t recommend this as the sauce will start to soak into the cake. The leftovers are still very delicious, but I want you to enjoy all that lovely sauce first. It is however very easy to make on the day! You can prepare the cake part just before dinner, and then pour over the liquid when you’re ready to bake it, if that helps.
*typos!!!
45 minutes Baking
and
45 minutes Cooling
Thanks for the clarification, Eve 🙂
I’m not the best cook, and was short 25mL of lemon juice, and didn’t have a zester so I put 1 tsp orange extract in the batter. I put some orange extract and rum extract in the juice. It took 45 minutes making to look done enough. It came out so sour that it could dissolve teeth! There was a bitterness that might be from my baking powder. It is edible with plenty of ice cream, but not alone. And the sauce wasn’t all that thickened after 45 minutes of cooking.
Still, I want to try it again with all the listed ingredients. If it’s still too strong I’ll try using 1/2tsp less baking powder, maybe removing 60mL lemon juice, and maybe adding a little cornstarch to the juice.
I liked how easy it was to make and how the batter floats on top. I can see this becoming a favorite!
So happy you’re going to keep working on this until it works well for you. If it does turn out to be too lemony for you, you could replace a bit of the lemon juice with water and the recipe should still work out well. I love the sharp lemony flavor but it’s no problem to lessen it a bit. It’s also a good idea to replace some of the lemon juice with orange too, as you already did! Let me know how you get on if you try this again 🙂
it was a bit scary pouring so much liquid over the sponge mix but it turned out perfectly – thanks so much (beautiful with our local NZ lemons) 🙂
I know what you mean, Hilary, but I’m happy (and relieved haha) that the recipe turned out well for you. The perfect time of year to make this! Unfortunately our lemon trees have gone down hill over the past few years, but hoping our pruning and fertilising will help in time for the next crop!
So easy and delightful. Thank you
So happy to hear this and thank you so much for letting me know!
Hi Helen,
I just wanted to let you know that I’ve been making your lemon pudding for the past couple of years. I’ve followed MANY recipes over the past 15 or so years, but yours is definetely the best – BY FAR. It’s the easiest to make, and tastiest. And it’s the only recipe that always works out perefectly – with a moist sponge on top and lots of lemony sauce. Thank you for sharing your recipes!
Rochelle
This is the biggest compliment ever, Rochelle – thank you so much for taking the time to let me know! I’m so happy you enjoy it so much and most of all, that you make it regularly. 🙂
This worked beautifully although I was a bit freaked at measuring tablespoons of butter instead of having a weight! I know it says melted butter – but I would still need to measure the butter before melting. Anyway – I used a UK tablespoon and melted the butter in the warm milk. It was delicious, well received by all and looked great once baked. We had it with custard, vanilla ice cream and double cream and a dollop of black cherry pie filling. Will definitely do this again.
Hello Sarah! Oops, so sorry about that – that’s an error on my part. It should say ’30 grams’ for the butter if you click on the ‘grams/ml’ option. I’ll change that right now! Otherwise, I’m so happy your family enjoyed it so much and will make it again. Also, I love how you served it. I remember cherry pie filling from my childhood. Mmm!
I’m sorry to say that this turned out to be a bland runny lemon sauce, covered by a giant biscuit slab. I used the correct flour and did let it sit for 15 minutes after baking, but the consistency is not like cake and the sauce is not like pudding. I tried this because I didn’t have eggs on hand but would have been better off going shopping for the eggs. I can’t recommend it.
Hello Anne. I’m sorry to hear this! It doesn’t sound like it turned out how it is supposed to at all. I wish I knew why because it always turns out well for me.
It’s a wonderful recipe. It’s delicious. I love how you have written it. It’s so easy the follow since I have concentration problems. Ten out of ten
Aww thank you, Melanie, I really appreciate this feedback and I’m so happy you enjoyed it!
Is 180°c gir a fan oven?
Hi Sue, yes that’s right! I find my newish oven runs hot so I keep an eye on baked goods and turn the oven down slightly if there’s too much browning. I think you’ll be fine with this recipe, however. Enjoy!
First time I bake this cannot wait to taste it 😋😋
I hope you enjoyed it as much as you were hoping to! 🙂
I can see that the amount of butter has just come up – I must have been using an older link.
No worries, Sandra – I’m glad you found it! 🙂
Pudding turned out well despite not finding the amount of butter to use. Delicious with fresh berries and cream served separately and looked good too. Just the right quantity for 4people with no leftovers.
Sounds like you did well to get it right by guessing the butter amount, Sandra! Really happy you enjoyed it and thank you so much for the feedback.
Thank you Helen,I needed a lemon pudding recipe without eggs and this was so great !
So happy to hear this, Mel, and thank you so much for the feedback!
On a cold New Zealand Winters night. Delicious
Aw so happy to hear this, Kelly! I agree, this is just the recipe for a cold winter’s day! 🙂
Thanks Helen.
I totally agree by leaving it 15 min to set the sauce.
Very happy family ❤️
Lovely easy recipe. Thr only thing I found is that the sauce hardly thickened. Cout you put a bit of corn flour in the sauce mix to help thicken it while cooking or just l
Use less sauce mux
Hello Janice! So happy you enjoyed it! I find that if you leave the pudding standing for 15 minutes or so, the sauce thickens beautifully. If you’re still finding it doesn’t, however, it’s fine to add a tiny bit of corn flour at the beginning. Perhaps just a teaspoon. Just mix with a little water first before adding to the rest of the sauce ingredients.
Hi. How many servings will this make? Sounds great! Thx. Cindy
Just saw the serving calculator! Never mind!!
All good, hope you enjoy it!
Why on Earth didn’t you give the quantities until right at the end ?
Hi Julie! Apologies if this has frustrated you. Simply click the ‘jump to recipe’ button at the top of the post, or scroll down to the recipe card for the full recipe. You can check off the steps as you cook or print if you prefer. I hope you enjoy the recipe!
Im in the process of making this recipe and its tasting delicious as we go through it. Its taken about 40 minutes to get it into the oven because Im baking with a 1 year old and a toddler who would much rather eat it than bake. I love the fact that they can eat/drink the “lemon tea” lemon sauce while we prepare the batter, (which they are also eating). Its coming out great and baking well. We only got about half of the sauce in the pudding so hopefully its saucy enough. Without having raw egg in the batter takes the worry out of my mind when it comes to licking the spoon!!
Id send you a picture if I could!! We are about done in the oven maybe 2 minutes left.
Hello Rahnae! Thank you so much for your feedback… and while still baking, too! I’m impressed as I know what it can be like baking with little ones. I’m so happy you made this into a family activity, and I hope you enjoyed the final result as much as you hoped to. It’s interesting that you point out that the lack of eggs makes it more suitable for spoon-licking – love that! 🙂
Hi, I would like to try the lemon sauce cake recipe but can it be cooked in the airfryer because here in Britian at the moment due to the rising fuel prices we are all trying to avoid using the oven. If it can, cod you give the temperature and times please.
Hello Patricia! I’ve been hearing all about this on the news and it’s a clever idea to use your air fryer more instead of your oven! Now, I haven’t ever tried making this in the air fryer. I will try to give it a go soon. I suspect that it would take around the same time as in the oven but you might want to reduce the temperature a bit – to say 150C. I’d love to know how you get on if you try it, but at the same time I’d hate you to feel like you wasted the ingredients if it didn’t work out. I’ll definitely let you know after I’ve tried it out myself! (I’ll try to do it over the next few weeks). 🙂