Lemon cake for two made in ramekins.
Fun fact: I only own 2 ramekins.
So, while I've been on this self-imposed journey to miniaturize all the cakes into ramekins (see: chocolate cake for two), I've been washing a lot of ramekins. More specifically, I've been washing them when they're still scalding hot, right out of the oven.
Whenever I have a cake failure, I have to remove the evidence immediately. If I don't trash my cake fails, then I eat them. All of them. By myself, in the kitchen. It's not a good scene.
I had a lot of failures with this lemon cake in ramekins, because the lemon juice played games with the baking soda. But rest assured: we got it right.
Well, almost.
I wanted a soft, fluffy cake, not a domed muffin-like cake. So, we have to accept a leetle compromise: a teeny tiny divot after baking. Don't worry, it's going to be TOTALLY FINE. Just bake the cake all the way through (use a toothpick to be sure), and then let it cool. The slight dimple that forms while it cools is just making way for more lemon glaze frosting, ok?
Trust me on this one. If I gave you a lemon cake for two recipe that didn't slightly sink, it would have the texture of a scone. Lemon scones are good. Tender, moist, fluffy cake is better.
Do you see the tiny dimple?
No, no you don't. Because it's full of bright lemon glaze.
Are you a lemon lover like me? I crave these little lemon cakes almost weekly, but just know that I'm working on a spice cake version, a red velvet version, and a funfetti version. My fingertips are already burning at the thought. But I do it all for YOU.
Me, you, and mini cakes in ramekins. We have a sweet life, don't we?
These are the exact ramekins I use.
Lemon Cake for Two
Two mini lemon cakes for two baked in ramekins.
Ingredients
- 6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- ⅛ teaspoon baking soda
- pinch of salt
- 1 large egg yolk
- 3 tablespoons sour cream (or full-fat yogurt)
- 1 tablespoon + 2 teaspoons neutral oil
- zest of 1 lemon
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
For the glaze:
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- 1-2 teaspoons lemon juice, as needed
Instructions
- First, spray 2 6-ounce ramekins very well with cooking spray, and set them on a mini baking sheet.
- Preheat the oven to 350.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the sugar, flour, baking powder, baking soda, and pinch of salt. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolk, sour cream (or yogurt), oil, lemon zest, and lemon juice.
- Add the dry ingredients in two batches to the wet ingredients, and stir gently to combine.
- Divide the mixture between the two ramekins.
- Bake for 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
- While the cakes cool, make the frosting: whisk together all ingredients, adding more lemon juice to thin it out to a pourable consistency.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
2Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 448Total Fat: 14gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 197mgSodium: 252mgCarbohydrates: 77gFiber: 2gSugar: 54gProtein: 8g
Molly says
Have been surfing your site and find so many comments on how great everything looks - and it does. Would be helpful to have more comments where people had actually made the recipes and how they turned out but that is the downfall of blogs.....I have an order in for your first two cookbooks from Amazon but will hold off on the last one just to see if the recipes turn out as good as the pictures...will try the brioche buns today for my husband for a test drive. I stay away from flour and sugar for me but would like to make the smaller portions for his sweet tooth,
Bonnie Gordon says
Molly, I have all three cookbooks (and lots of recipes printed out from the blog) very, very few are not in rotation at our house. The Husband doesn’t have much of a sweet tooth but I NEED dessert. With Christina’s recipes I have very few things go moldy and I can have something different once or twice every week. The latest book is more dinners for two, but they are delicious and my fridge is not full of leftover containers. Enjoy! (This week alone I have made Sweet potato granola, chocolate cake with peanut butter frosting, and Chicken Salad with apricots. Yum all around.)
Ashley says
Looks great... so happy to hear you are working on other flavors! Can I suggest doing an orange version with a buttercream frosting? It may just be the recipe above but using orange juice or orange emulsion (or extract) in the lemons place...
Still hoping to see the small versions of a chocolate whoopie pie and a pumpkin whoopie pie :-)
Ursula says
I made this today and it was sooo good! Hubby loved it and asked me to make it again tomorrow. It was very moist and so lemony. Thank you!
Nicole Boyer says
Sooo delicious !!!
I live alone and really appreciate those small batch recipe ! (otherwise i eat it all still)
This lemon cake is fantastic ! thank you for that piece of Heaven :)
Kelli Dingmann says
Love this recipe for two. Does it matter what size ramekins they bake in....6 oz? Also, love the comment about the divot in the cake. I make a chocolate guinness cake that contains 1 cup Guinness, 1/2 cup sour cream, two eggs... yada yada (bakes in a 9in springform pan). And it never fails to leave a divot in the center of the cake, no matter how closely I follow the recipe. Oh, does this give you an idea of making chocolate guinness cake for two in ramekins? ;) Thanks for all your hard work and sharing your recipes with the world!
Amanda says
My mother absolutely loves lemon cake (not that I don't enjoy it myself). She will be thrilled with this. I may just bake up a couple of us this weekend. So excited about your cake for two adventures!
Claire says
Thank you for sharing with us these great recipes. I will definitely try to make them for my family
Jean says
I made these in 6 oz Pyrex custard cups and they did turn out perfectly domed! Delicious!
Shannon says
I have made this recipe twice now, and both times the cakes have domed beautifully! Wondering if maybe the yogurt/sour cream makes a difference: I used full-fat Greek yogurt. They are just lovely: moist and fluffy and tender and lemony. Thank you for the recipe!
LouLou says
I can't believe how delicious this is. It was a refreshing burst of lemon flavor, and the texture was so light and fluffy. And really ridiculously easy to make as well!
Christina Lane says
I'm so glad to hear it :)