Microwave Gluten Free Lemon and Lime Sponge Pudding

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Presenting my Microwave Gluten Free Lemon and Lime Sponge Pudding recipe. It’s been a while, did you miss me? I’ve been taking a break from recipe development so far this year, instead I’ve been busy writing a book on being a family with autism. I’m hoping it will help others but at the same time it’s been incredibly cathartic for me.

This recipe does have egg in it but I have also made it on several occasions without egg with very similar results. It is however both gluten and dairy free but of course you can use real butter if that’s your preference.

Why microwave a Lemon and Lime Sponge Pudding?

Frankly, why not microwave a pudding! In the current climate we have to be watching every single penny so steaming a pudding the traditional way can take up to 60 minutes depending on the size, that’s a lot of gas or electricity for one pudding.

With the microwave it’s quick, simple and cheaper on the energy bills. I have quite a powerful microwave so I cook this for 3 minutes on 900W if you have a 800W microwave I’d recommend starting with 3 minutes, check on it and then adding 30 seconds at a time until you’re happy the pudding sponge is fully cooked.

How to make this Citrus Sponge Pudding dairy free too?

That bit is simple, to make this Microwave Gluten Free Lemon and Lime Sponge Pudding dairy free you just need to use a dairy free butter. I always prefer to use Flora Pure Plant Based Butter, it’s not cheap, but then again, none of the alternatives are. Using a solid block of dairy free butter has far better results than a soft dairy free spread or margarine.

Can I make this without eggs (vegan)

Last year I made a few of these jam microwave puddings to test if they could be made without egg. The good news is that they can. The end result is a slightly denser sponge, with less rise. To replace the one egg used in this recipe I use a flaxseed egg alternative which I have instructions for below. You simply add this egg alternative to the beaten sugar and butter, then add the lemon juice and flour.

How to make a flax egg

to make 1 flax egg you need the following ingredients:
– 1tbsp ground flax seed
– 3tbsp water
– 1tsp psyllium husk (optional but does add elasticity to baking)

Simply add all ingredients to a glass and stir before measuring out the other recipe ingredients, by the time you come to use your ‘egg’ mixture it will have thickened to a frog-spawn consistency (thicker if you added psyllium husk)

Then just add to your baking as you would an egg. For 2 eggs double the ingredients but note that recipes that require more than two eggs may fail due to lack of support in the structure.

Can I use an alternative to Lemon and Lime Marmalade?

I appreciate that you may not have Lemon and Lime Marmalade in your cupboards and this may be a last minute bake idea for unexpected guests or an incontrollable urge for sponge pudding so how about using lemon curd instead if you have it?

Another alternative would be orange marmalade to have an ‘Oranges & Lemons’ style pudding, did you just sing the nursery rhyme then, I know I did!

If you did like the idea of lemon curd but cannot eat eggs, fear not. I have a recipe for egg-free lemon curd, but, fair warning, this does take a good hour to make from start to finish so you’ll need extra time to do that bit.

Should I cover my microwave pudding?

Good question. I have tried to make this pudding both ways. First option is to place a plate or Tupperware lid over the pudding basin to keep steam from escaping. Second option is to microwave the pudding without a lid. I’ve made a note of the pro’s and con’s below to help you decide which method you’d rather use.

Option one – Microwave with lid

There is a bonus to having a lid on, it keeps moisture in and results in a less dry sponge. That said, the condensation can drip into the sponge and leave it a bit soggy in places. I guess the question is, do you mind a soggy sponge? The downside to having a lid on is that you can’t keep an eye on the sponge as it rises. With a lid the sponge is more likely to reach to the top of the pudding basin (and the plate), then sink back down to its resting place once you remove the pudding from the microwave.

Option two – Microwave without lid

Microwaving your sponge pudding without a lid means that you can see your creation rise at speed as it cooks (always satisfying and terrify in equal measures). This method also means you get a lighter, drier sponge not unlike a Madera Cake.

How long will this pudding keep?

This is not a pudding you can make in advance, for the best pudding experience you need to make this and eat it with custard or cream as soon as it’s cool enough to eat. Leaving it will result in the sponge going quite hard. That said, this will reheat in the microwave later if you have a portion left over for suppertime.

Microwave Gluten Free Lemon Sponge Pudding Recipe

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*disclaimer: I use affiliate codes on my website, the vast majority are to Amazon. If you click on any of the links or images in the post and make a purchase my family will benefit from a small % of that purchase at no extra cost to you.

For full transparency, in 2020 I made my first £25, and in 2022 I reached my next £25 (Amazon don’t transfer the money until you reach £25). Recently I got paid a whopping £27.10 for 2023.

So to date I have made £78.58 since I first started the scheme in 2017. It won’t pay the bills, that’s for sure but it does help to pay for ingredients or little treats to cheer me up!