Gluten-Free Lemon Curd Sponge Pudding

This comforting pudding is an old school sponge pudding, what we in the UK sometimes call nursery puddings. The kind of dessert baked in large trays and served with a vat of custard.

I went out for Sunday Lunch with my mum recently and she ordered this for dessert. Such a simple idea with a bright and tangy lemon curd nestled at the bottom of this thick fluffy sponge and drenched in custard. The most cosy end to a happy relaxed family meal. So of course I became mildly obsessed and wasn’t happy until I had a gluten-free version under my belt.

There’s no lemon in the sponge itself, all the lemon flavour comes from that thick layer at the bottom which soaks up into the sponge during the bake. It caramelises at the edges of the sponge which are the most coveted slices of the pudding.

If you are used to somewhat bland gluten-free bakes then you are in safe and delicious hands with this dessert as there is bags of flavour. We are using my homemade gluten-free flour blend in our sponge recipe which has richly flavoured flours in the blend (sorghum flour and oat flour) lending a lovely flavour base to our lemon flavours which complement and don’t overpower.

You can make this recipe with a homemade lemon curd if you have the time but it is just as delicious with store bought so you can save your homemade jars for hot buttered crumpets.

Watch the Video

Sometimes it helps to see a visual of what I'm talking about. So watch the video to see what it looks like to make your Lemon Curd Sponge Pudding.

Ingredients Needed

Lemon Curd. The most important thing here is to use a thick lemon curd. Most shop bought lemon curds have the right texture. Some are more flavourful than others so do select a good quality curd. You can make your own lemon curd too and it’s very easy and will impart the freshest flavour but you don’t want it to be runny so make sure it’s set correctly.

Gluten-Free Flour – FTL Blend. This recipe uses my Homemade Gluten-Free All Purpose Flour which works really well here as the flour ratio has been carefully tested to ensure the mix between wholegrain flours and starchy flours is balanced. This also means we don’t need to use xanthan gum as the blend is strong enough and produces a well structured and textured bake which can hold together without needing any extra binders.

This flour blend is a mix of 4 different flours: sweet rice flour (glutinous rice flour), sorghum flour, oat flour, tapioca flour (tapioca starch).

There are plenty of flour substitution ideas for within the blend if you go to the original recipe for this homemade flour mix.

Caster sugar. It’s a fine white baking sugar available in the UK. Regular white granulated sugar can be substituted.

Unsalted butter. We need unsalted so we can control the salt content of the recipe. Make sure it is at room temperature.

Eggs. This recipe uses medium size, about 60g each with shell (50g each without shell). These are often classified as large eggs in the US. I recommend weighing your eggs to ensure the correct amount.

Baking powder. A leavening agent which causes the cake to rise and become light and fluffy. Do check your baking powder is gluten-free before use.

Salt. I like to use kosher salt in my baking as it has a round gentle flavour. Using salt in your baked goods lifts and sharpens all the other flavours.

Whole milk. You just need a little milk to loosen the batter. Gluten-free flours absorb more liquid so including the milk will help lock in the moisture.

How To Make Gluten-Free Lemon Curd Sponge Pudding

For full recipe instructions go to the recipe card at the end of this post.

Cream the butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl for a couple of minutes on a medium speed in a stand mixer or using electric beaters in a large mixing bowl until light and fluffy.

Add the eggs one at a time and mix until completely incorporated.

Sieve the flour, baking powder and salt together in separate mixing bowl, then add into the sponge batter. Mix well then beat in the milk to lighten the batter.

Butter a 20cm (8 inch) square, deep baking dish. Spoon the lemon curd evenly over the bottom of the baking dish. Pour the sponge batter over the top of the lemon curd, smoothing the surface.

Bake the pudding in the centre of the oven for around 50-55 minutes until the sponge has browned on top and an inserted toothpick comes out clean.

Making Ahead

This dessert is best served up to a couple of hours after baking for the best texture. If you do want to make this dessert ahead of time then you might not have the lovely presentation of bringing the whole Lemon Pudding to the table fresh from the oven.

If you are making ahead then bake the pudding up to 3 days ahead of when you want to serve it. Store at room temperature covered with plastic wrap (cling film) or in an large airtight container.

To serve, portion out individual servings of the pudding into microwave safe bowls, cover, and re-heat them in the microwave for about 1-2 minutes. This keeps the moisture in. If you were to re-heat in the oven it can get dry.

Freezing

This sponge pudding does freeze very well. However, I don’t really recommend re-heating the dessert as a whole since it can become dry in the oven. Instead, it’s best to freeze individual portions and re-heat them gently in the microwave when needed.

Serving Suggestions

• Custard. This Lemon Sponge Pudding is especially delicious if served with my Homemade Lemon Custard to embolden the lemon flavour. Vanilla custard is still very good though if you want to stick to the classic recipe.
• Single or double pouring cream.
• Vanilla Ice Cream.
• Fresh raspberries are lovely served alongside if you want to freshen up your dessert.

More Lemon Curd Recipes You’ll Love

Lemon Curd is incredibly easy to make with only four ingredients in under 15 minutes. It’s fresh and tangy and wonderful spread on crumpets, stirred into porridge or yoghurt or sandwiched into the most delicious sponge cake.

This Gluten-Free Lemon Curd Cake is a real special occasion cake with bright fresh citrus flavour. Homemade lemon curd is sandwiched between lemon and vanilla infused sponges which are covered with a cloudlike lemon curd swiss meringue buttercream. 

You'll adore this easy No-Bake Gluten-Free Lemon Curd Cheesecake. It is so quick and simple to make (just factor in the chilling time) and doesn’t need any setting agents.

Lemon Curd Drizzle Bundt Cake is a light fluffy bundt cake, bursting with flavour and drizzled with a tangy lemon curd glaze.