Lemon Sponge Pudding
A favorite from the archives!
The Susanality readership has grown so much since the recipe for this lemony treat was originally published, so I’m resharing the original post with you today in case you missed it the first time, way back in 2021. It originally appeared in the summer, but since winter is truly citrus season, it’s a perfect dessert for right now.
I always opt for lemon desserts when they’re offered, and this homey and extremely easy recipe is one everyone should have in their back pocket.
It’s perfect for a family dinner (leftovers store well, and are perhaps more delicious cold) or a fancy dinner party. You can bake the portions in individual ramekins if you want to make it even fancier. I used to make this for huge events back in my catering days, and it was always a big hit (and easy to mass-produce!).
Read on to learn more about this magical pudding, and where the inspiration for this particular version came from.
Recently, I was leafing through my copy of Dinner with Jackson Pollock, a really cool book. More than just a cookbook, it is all about Jackson Pollock and Lee Krasner’s life in the 1940s and ’50s, and how art, food, and nature were intertwined. Their home, where they both painted, is now a museum. It’s just a bike ride away from mine here in Springs, NY, so I feel especially connected to the life they lived. I enjoy the same local clams and strawberries that they did, and enjoy the same beautiful light and vistas. The area is still a mecca for artistic types; entertaining casually at home is still one of the more popular social activities, at least among my circle. After pausing for the past few years, it’s back. It seems everyone could not be happier than to indulge in the simple pleasure of sitting around the table with a few close friends again, eating good food and drinking good wine.
The recipes in the 2015 book were taken from Lee Krasner’s recipe files and her cookbook collection (which is still on the shelves of the kitchen at the Pollock-Krasner House and Study Center). Many handwritten recipes were found tucked into the cookbooks. The author/photographer of the book was given special access to the house — I’m jealous. The book feels very authentic to the couple, whose existence was both quietly domestic and famously tumultuous.
It’s interesting to see recipes that seem dated (Pea Salad with Russian Dressing) next to ones that are classic (French-Style Roast Chicken with Herb Stuffing and Old-Fashioned Macaroni & Cheese). All in all, their good taste in food comes through. Most of it would be right at home on today’s table — even though so much has changed in the world at large and the world of food since the era of these starving artists.
One recipe in particular caught my eye. Titled simply, “Lemon Pudding,” I recognized it as the same Lemon Sponge Pudding I used to make back in my catering days for big parties, because it was easy to make, very cheap, always in season, and was possible to “fancy up.” Most of all, it’s super delicious. Over the years, I have seen a million recipes for this pudding. There are slightly varying proportions, but all are essentially the same recipe. A few of them were published under my watch at Martha Stewart Living.
I became curious about its origins, so after a quick search I found an article from way back in 1985 by the writer Regina Schrambling, who did a deep dive on the subject. The recipe has been around in the U.S. since at least the early 1800s, and I imagine in England before that. There it is sometimes called “Self-Saucing Pudding,” along with other more whimsical names. Here it goes by many names too, including “Lemon Pudding Cake,” “Puff Pudding,” “Lemon Cake-Top Pudding,” “Lemon Surprise Pudding,” and many more.
There is a big surprise in this recipe, a miracle even! It separates, all on its own in the oven, into two layers: a delicate spongey top which turns golden, and a luscious custardy, creamy bottom.
There is a reason that recipes like these endure. They are so easy and good and can be made with stuff you most likely already have in the house. This sassy little pudding can be whipped up on a moment’s notice in about 15 minutes — really, I timed it! — and can be enjoyed warm from the oven or chilled. I prefer it chilled. To make it fancy, bake it in individual ramekins, and to make it fancier still, turn those ramekins out onto a plate after chilling so the shiny custardy side is on top and the spongey, cakey part is on the bottom. Add some poached rhubarb, macerated strawberries or just tumble some raspberries or blueberries around and you have a restaurant-worthy plated dessert. But really it is just a humble pudding whose elegant flavors and textures belie its simplicity. My version has quite a bit of lemon juice: the juice of three lemons along with all of their zest, versus the one lemon in Lee Krasner’s recipe. I like to really up the pucker factor and adding a slightly higher proportion of liquid to flour also keeps the custard a bit looser.
I’m so glad I rediscovered this favorite from the past. Next time I need a fast dessert that everyone will love, I’ll be making this one.