Lemon Meringue Party Cake
IMHO this is one of the best lemon cakes I ever got to make. But I may just as well be biased… The lemon curd lends so much character to this cake, and the meringue works perfectly with anything that has lemon in it. If you are the lemon lover, give this cake a chance.
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Lemon Meringue Party Cake:
Equipment: Squared pan sized 20cm (l) x20cm (w) x 10cm (h), bottom and sides lined with parchment paper
Recipe: A single lemon cake, sized 20×20 cm.
Cake Batter:
| Ingredient | Amount (g / units) |
| Cake Flour | 250g |
| Baking Powder | 10g |
| Salt | 1/2 tsp |
| Softened Unsalted Butter (Room Temperature) | 167g |
| Vegetable Oil | 65g |
| White Granulated Sugar | 222g |
| Eggs | 222g |
| Vanilla Extract | 10g |
| Milk | 177g |
| Lemon Zest | 10g |
| Lemon Juice | 50g |
Lemon Curd:
| Ingredient | Amount (g / units) |
| Eggs | 50g |
| White Granulated Sugar | 50g |
| Lemon Juice | 50g |
| Lemon Zest | 7g |
| Unsalted Butter | 50g |
Meringue:
| Ingredient | Amount (g / units) |
| Egg Whites | 36g (1 Large egg white) |
| White Granulated Sugar | 31g |
Cake preparation and assembly instructions:
For the cake batter:
- Preheat your oven to 170C (fan mode off) placing a baking rack at the lowest level of the oven.
- In a standing mixer bowl fitted with the paddle attachment (or in a large mixing bowl, using an electric handheld mixer), cream the butter with sugar, lemon zest and salt on high speed until the mixture is light, creamy and airy.
- Gradually add the oil in a thin stream, until combined.
- In a separate small bowl or glass container, thoroughly whisk the eggs with the milk and vanilla. Then gradually add it to the butter mixture (8-10 parts).
- Sift the dry ingredients; flour and baking powder, over the cake batter, and keep mixing for about 2 minutes. Add the lemon juice and mix just until incorporated.
- Transfer the batter into a cake pan lined with parchment paper and bake for about 35 minutes or until a cake tester inserted to the center of the cake comes out clean.
- Allow to cool down for 15 minutes before unmolding. Then cool down completely before icing and decorating.
For the lemon curd:
- Into a small saucepan, add the eggs and sugar and whisk until combined.
- Add the lemon juice and lemon zest, and cook on medium heat, constantly whisking, until the mixture is boiling.
- Once boiling, turn off the heat and add the butter Whisk it into the mixture until melted. Transfer to a clean bowl to cool down completely before use.
For the meringue:
In a separate clean bowl, using an electric handheld mixer, beat the egg whites with the sugar until stiff peaks. Start by beating on the lowest speed to ensure the sugar is fully dissolved. It is recommended to do this step last, once you are ready to decorate the cake.
Assembly:
- Spread the entire amount of lemon curd on top of the cake. Smoothen it evenly with an offset spatula.
- Spread the meringue on top of the lemon curd and make swirls all over. Trim the edges if you prefer a cleaner look. Lightly burn the meringue with a blowtorch or put it into the oven with the grill mode on, for about 2 minutes (the cake should be placed at the upper part of the oven, and you are watching over it as the meringue cooks).
- Decorate with lemon slices cut into thirds and fresh rosemary / thyme leaves.
