With a light flavor of lemon and blueberries, and creamy texture, this Blueberry Lemon Pudding Cake may just be the ultimate summer dessert.
Pudding cake was somewhat of a common dessert in my house when I was growing up. There were all kinds of flavors (chocolate and lemon are the ones I remember most), and they always came from a boxed mix.
I remember always thinking that pouring the boiling water over the batter would totally ruin it. However, I was amazed when the dessert would come out with a perfect layer of cake, with a perfect layer of warm pudding sauce to spoon over the cake.
I still like to make pudding cake on occasion, but now I make it from scratch. I had the idea to make a Blueberry Lemon Pudding Cake one day when I was trying to figure out what to do with some leftover blueberries that hadn't been eaten.
Side note: are anyone else's kids totally fickle with fruit? One day they're eating the whole container of berries in one sitting, the next week they won't touch them!
What is pudding cake?
Pudding cake is a delightful dessert that's a combination of cake and pudding. It's typically made by mixing up a batter, and then pouring a boiling water mixture over the batter (without mixing) just before baking.
The result is a dessert that's separated into a cake layer on top, with a saucy pudding layer underneath. It comes in many different flavors (I also have a recipe for a gingerbread version) and is best eaten warm.
When I first made this dessert, my expectations were not very high. I expected it to taste good because blueberries and lemon always taste good together. But I expected it would look like a hot mess.
I thought the color from the blueberries would run into the cake and/or pudding, and that the whole thing would look like an unappealing, grayish mess.
Luckily, I was wrong. I was very pleasantly surprised to see that the blueberries kept their juices to themselves. Out of the oven came a beautiful yellow cake and pudding, with purple pops of blueberry.
How to Make Blueberry Lemon Pudding Cake:
This pudding cake is definitely a nice, light dessert that's perfect for a light spring or summer meal. But because you can make it with frozen blueberries as well, you can make it at any time of the year.
The first thing to note about making this pudding cake is that it should be cooked inside a dish of hot water. This helps it to cook more gently and prevents any overcooking or curdling of the pudding.
This is easy enough to accomplish: simply find a roasting pan or baking dish that's larger than the one you plan to cook the cake in. Fill it about halfway with hot water, then put it in the oven while you're heating it.
Making the cake starts similarly to making most cakes: whisk the dry ingredients together in one bowl, and the wet ingredients together in another. One thing to note is that in this recipe, the eggs are separated. The yolks go with the wet ingredients, and the whites get set aside to whip later.
Mix half of the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, then mix in half of the milk. Mix in the remaining dry ingredients, then the remaining milk.
Using a hand mixer, whip the egg whites to a stiff peak, and fold these into the batter (this helps to leaven the cake portion of the pudding cake). Fold in the blueberries, then pour the batter into the baking dish, and place the dish into the pan of hot water to bake.
Blueberry Lemon Pudding Cake Ingredients:
- Large eggs
- Lemon - you will be using both the zest and the juice from the lemon
- Unsalted
- Vanilla
- Granulated sugar
- All-purpose flour
- Kosher salt
- Milk
- Fresh or frozen blueberries - if using frozen blueberries, do not thaw.
Want more blueberry recipes?
Blueberry Lemon Pudding Cake Nutrition Notes:
Like most desserts, this Blueberry Lemon Pudding Cake is high in sugar (and added sugar). Eat in moderation.
Blueberry Lemon Pudding Cake
Equipment
- 9x9" Baking Dish or similar-sized casserole dish
Ingredients
- 3 large eggs separated
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest from 1 lemon
- ¼ cup lemon juice from 1 lemon
- 1 Tablespoon unsalted butter melted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup all purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 ½ cups milk
- 1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries (if using frozen blueberries, do not thaw)
Instructions
- Fill a large roasting pan about 2 inches deep with water. Place it on the lower middle oven rack and heat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 9x9" Pyrex baking dish or similar sized casserole dish.
- In a large bowl, whisk together 3 large egg yolks, 1 teaspoon lemon zest, ¼ cup lemon juice, 1 Tablespoon unsalted butter, and 1 teaspoon vanilla. In a medium bowl, whisk together ¾ cup granulated sugar, ½ cup all purpose flour, and ½ teaspoon kosher salt.
- Whisk half of the flour mixture into the egg yolk mixture, then whisk in ¾ cup of the milk into the egg yolk mixture. Repeat with the remaining flour mixture and the remaining ¾ cup of milk.
- Using a hand mixer, whip 3 large egg whites on low speed until frothy (about 1 minute), then increase speed to high until stiff peaks form (about 2 more minutes). Gently fold the egg whites into the batter with a spatula until no more white streaks remain. Add 1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries and stir gently (they will sink to the bottom.
- Pour batter into prepared baking dish and carefully place in the hot water bath. Bake until the top is set, about 45 minutes. Cool for at least 10 minutes before serving.
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