I love Lemon Meringue Pie, especially this time of year when citrus fruit is in abundance and at their most delicious and juicy. Nothing tops my Mom’s Lemon Meringue Pie. So when I recently started craving these flavours I thought I’d make a cake version instead. Et voila! Lemon Meringue Cake.
I definitely didn’t invent the concept of a Lemon Meringue Cake, but instead of using an untested recipe, I used several of my own favourite recipes for the various components. My homemade lemon curd, sandwiched between two layers of my super moist citrus yoghurt cake, covered in torched Swiss meringue.
Homemade Lemon Curd
My go-to lemon curd recipe is so much better than any shop-bought version. 4 Ingredients and 10 minutes is all it takes for creamy, sweet and tangy lemon curd. I am including the full recipe here but you will have quite a bit left over to use for other purposes. Mine never goes to waste though. It’s fantastic as a topping or filling for so many desserts. If you’d like to make less, feel free to halve the recipe.
Lemon Yoghurt Cake
My super moist citrus yoghurt cake is one of my all time favourite cake recipes. No equipment needed, this zesty cake can be thrown together in minutes. I’ve smothered it in Swiss Meringue for this recipe, but it’s so full of flavour and moist that it’s delicious on it’s own or simply sprinkled with some icing sugar.
Swiss Meringue
Swiss meringue is the perfect choice of topping for this cake. The biggest difference between Swiss meringue and other meringues is the way it is cooked. The egg whites and sugar are gently heated over a double boiler which means that it’s essentially cooked and doesn’t require further baking. It’s super versatile and makes the perfect frosting since it’s much more stable than some meringues. Toasting it with a kitchen torch is not essential, but it definitely adds to the flavour and texture.
Lemon Meringue Cake
Ingredients
Homemade Lemon Curd
- 2 Large Eggs
- 2 Large Egg Yolks
- 1 Cup Castor Sugar
- ½ Cup Lemon Juice
- 1 Tbsp Lemon Zest
- 150 grams Unsalted Butter Cubed
Lemon Yoghurt Cake
- ½ Cup Plain or Greek yogurt
- 1 Cup Light brown or white granulated sugar
- 3 Large Eggs
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 1½ Cups Cups All-Purpose/Cake Flour
- 2 tsp Baking Powder
- ½ tsp Salt
- ¼ Cup Lemon Zest (approx. 1 – 2 lemons)
- 2 tbsp Lemon Juice
- ½ Cup Oil (Vegetable/Sunflower/Canola)
Swiss Meringue
- 4 Large Egg Whites
- 1 Cup Castor Sugar
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
Instructions
Homemade Lemon Curd
- Place the eggs, egg yolks, sugar, zest and juice in a saucepan and whisk to combine
- Bring the saucepan to low – medium heat, continuously stirring, until the sugar has dissolved
- Next, add the cubes of butter, a few pieces at a time, stirring until each addition is incorporated fully
- Cook for another 4 – 5 minutes until thickened and the mixture coats the back of a spoon
- Pour into a sealable jar and let cool to room temperature, then place the lid on and store in the fridge to cool and set further until needed*
Lemon Yoghurt Cake
- Preheat the oven to 180˚C. Grease and line the bottom and sides of two** approx 20cm spring-form cake tins with cooking spray and baking paper. Set aside
- In a large bowl, add the yogurt, sugar, eggs and vanilla and mix until well combined
- Sieve in the flour, baking powder, salt, and zest and mix to just barely combined
- Add the juice and oil and stir well. Don’t worry if it seems to separate at first. Keep stirring until it comes together and a smooth batter forms
- Pour the batter into prepared tins
- Bake for 25 – 30 minutes or until the cake feels springy to the touch and a skewer or cake tester inserted into the centre comes out clean. Be careful not to over bake as this is meant to be a moist cake
- Cool the cakes in the tins on a wire rack for around 10 – 15 minutes. Then remove from the cake tins and cool completely (before filling and decorating) on the wire rack, approx. 1 hour
- When the cakes are cooled, spread a layer of curd on the one, leaving a little rim around the edge as not to let the curd squeeze out, then place the other layer on top. Place back in the fridge while you make your meringue
Swiss Meringue
- In a small saucepan, bring an inch of water to a simmer
- Place the egg whites and sugar in a large heat proof bowl or the bowl of your stand mixer and place over the saucepan
- Gently whisk the egg whites and sugar continuously until they become whiter and frothy. It will be ready when the sugar has dissolved, the mixture is warm to the touch and no longer gritty from the sugar (approx. 5 minutes)
- Remove from the heat, then with a hand mixer or stand mixer, whisk the meringue until soft peak stage, then add the vanilla and continue mixing until stiff peaks form
- Remove the cake from the fridge and gently spoon on the meringue to cover the top and sides of the cake. Feel free to do this free hand or piped (I quite like the organic swirls I got from doing it free hand)
- Finally, for an added flourish, using a kitchen torch, gently toast the raised edges to give a toasty, golden colour
- Slice and serve and remember to store the cake in the fridge
Leave a Reply