Vegan Lemon Pudding

This Vegan Lemon Pudding is the best comforting dessert: the moist, fluffy lemon sponge pairs beautifully with the sweet and tangy lemon sauce. It's easy to make, and perfect for Easter! It's gluten-free and refined sugar free too.

Vegan Lemon Pudding

Ingredients

For the lemon sauce:

• 530 ml (2 1/4 cup) unsweetened rice milk * (see notes)
• 35 g (1/3 cup) custard powder ** (or sub cornflour/cornstarch or arrowroot)
• 8 tablespoons lemon juice
• 3 tablespoons maple syrup (or sub any other sweetener)

For the lemon pudding:

• 60 g (1/4 cup) coconut oil (or sub olive or vegetable oil)
• 200 ml (4/5 cup) unsweetened almond milk (or any other plant-based milk)
• 6 tablespoons lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons lemon zest (use unwaxed lemons)
• 10 tablespoons maple syrup (or sub any other sweetener)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Pinch salt
• 150 g (1 1/4 cup) ground almonds (almond meal) ***
• 150 g (1 1/4 cup) gluten-free flour blend (or sub plain flour if not gluten-free)
• 2 heaped teaspoons baking powder (ensure gluten-free if necessary)
• 1/4 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)

Instructions

For the lemon sauce:

• Measure out the milk in a jug or measuring container
• Pour the milk into a pan, leaving behind a few tablespoons of milk in the jug
• Heat up the milk in the pan
• Add the custard powder to the remaining milk in the jug and mix well, ensuring it has dissolved completely
• Once the milk in the pan is steaming, add approximately half of the hot milk to the bowl with the dissolved custard powder, mix well and transfer the custard powder mixture to the pan
• Mix well and keep stirring on a low heat for around 5 minutes, until thickened
• Add the lemon juice and maple syrup
• Taste and add extra lemon juice or maple syrup, if desired
• Transfer the sauce into a baking dish – I used one measuring 26 cm (10 inch) by 18 cm (7 inch) and 7 cm (2 1/2 inch) tall

For the lemon pudding:

• Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius (350 degrees Fahrenheit)
• Place the coconut oil in a large bowl and melt over a saucepan of boiling water or in the microwave (skip this step if using any other oil)
• Once melted, add the milk to the same bowl along with the lemon juice, lemon zest, maple syrup, vanilla, salt and ground almonds
• Sift in the flour, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda
• Mix well, adding a tiny splash more milk if it’s looking too dry
• Carefully spoon the mixture over the lemon sauce in the baking dish
• Smooth over the top of the batter
• Bake in oven for 25-30 minutes until risen and golden brown and an inserted skewer comes out clean – make sure to just insert it into the sponge part, as it will come out wet if you insert it all the way down to the saucy bit at the bottom
• Best enjoyed immediately! Tastes especially good with some vegan vanilla ice cream
• Keeps covered in the fridge for up to a couple of days – although the sauce won’t stay runny

Notes

*You can use any type of plant-based milk, though results do vary depending on which you choose: cashew, oat or coconut milk make a super thick and creamy sauce, whilst almond milk will be less creamy. I like to use rice milk as it creates a lemon curd-like consistency which I love.

**If you can’t get hold of a shop-bought custard powder, you can substitute it with the same amount cornflour (cornstarch) or arrowroot, which will result in the same texture, though the colour will be considerably less yellow. To add yellow colour, I would suggest adding a tiny pinch of saffron, which I much prefer to turmeric as it has a much milder flavour.

https://www.rhiansrecipes.com/lemon-pudding/