Mini Lemon Sponge Pudding with tangy lemon curd filling is a simple dessert, yet super tasty. Topped with whipped cream, pistachios, and freeze-dried raspberries, it's the perfect individual dessert recipe for dinner parties.
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❓Why this is the best recipe
- It's easy - This easy lemon sponge comes together in no time and is super quick to bake as well. You can make it ahead of time and easily reheat it, too.
- It's an individual dessert - I love serving guests their own plated dessert at a dinner party. It's fun to decorate each one, and it gives off more of a restaurant vibe.
- It's warm - A warm sponge pudding is so cozy, yet the lemon flavor keeps it from being heavy. You can serve this lemon dessert in any season, and it rounds off a meal perfectly.
📖 Ingredients List
There are only simple ingredients in this mini lemon sponge pudding, which you might already have in your pantry.
- Almond flour - I love the moist nuttiness you get from an almond sponge cake, and it works so well with the natural lemon flavor.
- Plain flour - A little flour (all-purpose flour or plain flour) adds a bit of extra lift and lightness to this mini lemon curd sponge cake recipe. To make it gluten-free, use polenta flour instead.
- Sugar - Fine white granulated sugar (or caster sugar) is fine for this recipe.
- Eggs - Use room temperature eggs for best results. The eggs add richness and lift to this fluffy cake.
- Baking powder - This rising agent just adds some lightness to the lemon almond sponge.
- Lemon - Lemon zest and lemon juice add fresh citrus flavor to this lemon pudding recipe. Avoid using bottled lemon juice.
- Lemon curd - A teaspoon of lemon curd in the center of each mini sponge cake gives the most delicious hit of extra tang with every bite. Lemon curd is made from fresh lemons, sugar, and egg yolks, which makes it super rich and creamy and the perfect cake filling.
- Pistachio nuts - Chopped pistachio nuts give added texture, a glorious contrast to the soft and juicy sponge.
See the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post for full quantities and step-by-step directions on how to make mini lemon sponges.
👩🏼🍳 How to make mini lemon sponge pudding
Preheat the oven to 175C/350F (no fan). Whisk the eggs and sugar together in a large bowl until pale and creamy. Mix the baking powder and flours together, and fold into the eggs and sugar mixture to form a smooth batter. Stir in the lemon zest and juice.
Line greased mini pudding basins with two strips of greased parchment paper. Fill one third with the sponge batter, then add a teaspoon each of curd and nuts. Fill the rest of the mini cake pan, leaving a small gap at the top for the sponge to rise.
Bake for 15 minutes until the top of the pudding is golden brown. Let each mini sponge cake in pudding basin cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes before running a knife around the edge and gently turning them out by pulling on the strips of paper lining.
Serve the baked mini lemon sponge puddings warm, with fresh whipped cream, more chopped pistachio nuts, and some fresh or freeze-dried raspberries.
🌟 Top Tip
You can use a stand mixer or electric hand mixer to whip the eggs and sugar together, but stop once the mixture becomes pale and creamy. Do not overwhip. I use a balloon whisk and do it by hand.
👩🏼🍳 Chef's Tips & Serving suggestions
- When grating fresh lemon rind to get the zest, stop once you reach the white layer as this will taste bitter. We only want the outer lemon peel.
- Pour enough batter into the prepared mini cake molds before adding the curd and nuts. This ensures a fluffy sponge layer on top before you find the crunchy yet creamy filling.
- Don't fill the pudding basins all the way to the top, as the batter will rise as it bakes. Leave around half an inch from the top.
- Always bake in a preheated oven. And oven temperature can vary, so it can help to check the temperature with an oven thermometer.
- You may need to adjust the cooking time if you double the quantities and make more of these little desserts at the same time.
- As the pudding bakes, whip up some double cream (heavy cream) to spoon on top before serving.
🍷 Wine pairing for lemon pudding
Serve a sweet white wine with fluffy lemon sponge pudding, like a Sauterne, or Beerenauslese Riesling. Alternatively, try a glass of ice-cold Limoncello. And if you're a lemon lover, try my Limoncello Creme Brulee, too.
❄️ Storage & Freezing
You can make this mini baked lemon sponge pudding recipe ahead of time and reheat it in the microwave before serving. It's one of the reasons I love it so much! Store at room temperature wrapped in plastic food wrap to keep it nice and moist, and consume within 2-3 days.
Alternatively, freeze lemon sponge pudding cakes double-wrapped in plastic wrap and aluminum foil. Use within one month.
🥣 Equipment
Weigh the ingredients by the gram using a digital scale for best results. Baking is about precision! I whisk the eggs and sugar by hand in a large mixing bowl using a balloon whisk, but you can use an electric mixer if you prefer. Just take care not to overwhip them if using an electric hand whisk or stand mixer. Then, fold in the dry ingredients with a rubber spatula to avoid knowing out the air.
Bake mini lemon sponge cakes in mini pudding basins (mini pudding molds). Line them with two strips of parchment paper to make it easier to release the dessert after baking. Alternatively, you can bake in individual ramekins and not turn them out afterwards.
❓Recipe FAQ
Using a combination of lemon juice and lemon zest is the best way to make a cake taste lemony.
Raspberry and lemon work well together, as do nuts like almond and pistachio.
🍽 Other easy dessert recipes
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Have you tried this recipe?
If you make this recipe, I'd love to hear how it went! Please leave a 5-star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating on the recipe card and consider leaving a comment as well. Your feedback helps other readers and is greatly appreciated.
📖 Recipe
Mini Baked Lemon Sponge Pudding With Curd Filling
Equipment
- 1 balloon whisk
Ingredients
- 3 eggs at room temperature
- 110 grams (½ cup + 1 tablespoon) white sugar
- 110 grams (1 cup + 1 tablespoon) almond flour
- 30 grams (¼ cup) plain flour /all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 lemon zest and juice
- 4 teaspoons lemon curd
- 4 teaspoons pistachios chopped
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 175℃/350℉ (no fan).
- Whisk the eggs and sugar together in a mixing bowl for a few minutes until they become pale and creamy.
- Mix the almond flour, all-purpose flour, and baking powder together, and then fold them into the eggs and sugar mixture. Stir in the lemon juice and zest.
- Grease 4 mini cake tins/pudding basins and line with two strips of greased parchment paper (baking paper).
- Fill the pudding basins one-third, then add a teaspoon each of lemon curd and chopped pistachios to the center of each one. Pour the remaining sponge cake batter over it, leaving a small gap at the top for them to rise. Place them onto a baking tray.
- Bake the mini lemon sponge puddings for 15 minutes or until the top is golden brown and remove from the oven. Allow to cool for 5 minutes before turning out.
- Serve each mini lemon sponge pudding warm and topped with freshly whipped cream, raspberries, and more chopped nuts.
Notes
- For best results, always weigh ingredients by the gram using a digital scale.
- You can replace the plain/all-purpose flour with polenta flour to make this lemon dessert gluten-free.
- Use the strips of parchment paper to help you gently tug the sponge out of the tin. Run a knife around the edge to make it easier if necessary.
- This mini sponge cake recipe can be made ahead of time and reheated in the microwave.
- Store wrapped in plastic food wrap to maintain its moist texture.
- It also freezes well, wrap each lemon sponge pudding in plastic food wrap and aluminum foil and use within 1 month.
Beth says
These little puddings were so easy! I loved how moist the almond flour made them and they were really lemony. Will definitely make again