Recipe title: «Lemon Meringue Cake»
Hello foodies,
I know you’re fans of lemon, just like me, and I wanted to share a new recipe that highlights this citrus fruit. It’s a delightful treat that combines tangy flavors with a sweet finish, perfect for any occasion. So here is my lemon meringue cake!
The Inspiration for This Lemon Meringue Cake
As is often the case with Casserole & Chocolat, when I find a good idea, I stick with it… This is certainly true with lemon meringue pie, which is one of your favorite recipes here.
This time, I wanted to create a variation in cake form, with a more « snack » approach than just « dessert, » even though one certainly doesn’t exclude the other! The idea for this lemon meringue cake came to me…
Several Variations Available Just for You
Yes, this isn’t my first variation on the lemon meringue pie. Let me remind you…
You can check out the Thermomix version of lemon meringue pie (or any other cooking robot). Perhaps an unexpected pairing, I also have my lemon and praline meringue tartlets. And to finish, you can enjoy (both visually and taste-wise) my lime and basil lemon tart. Here we go, big time!!
What’s New with This Lemon Meringue Cake?
What changes with this recipe today? Not much, actually, just one element: the base. I will replace my sweet pastry dough or my shortcrust pastry with a delightful sponge cake. And this will make all the difference!
The shortcrust pastry is crumbly and crunchy, perfect for rustic or fruity tarts. The sweet dough, finer and crispier, offers better stability and a more aesthetic finish, making it ideal for modern and precise tarts.
In contrast, sponge cake is a light and airy base, generally used for entremets or certain reimagined tarts. That’s what I was aiming for here. It absorbs syrups or creams better, bringing softness, sweetness, and lightness to the palate.
The choice, therefore, hinges on the desired texture: crunchy with shortcrust or sweet pastry, or lightness with a sponge cake.
The Composition of This Cake
You will see, it’s a rather simple recipe I propose. If you are a regular visitor to the blog, you won’t have any trouble here!
You will be making a sponge cake. Ideally, you should use an inverted tart pan to create a slight edge around your cake, which helps to nicely « contain » the lemon cream you will pour on top.
And you’ll finish with traditional meringue. Feel free to pipe on more than I did here. Are we indulgent or extremely indulgent??
However, you could also make this cake without meringue. This would result in a less sweet dessert, allowing the tangy flavor of the lemon to shine more. It’s up to you to decide!
My Tips for Successfully Making Your Sponge Cake
The sponge cake is a fundamental base in pastry, but its success relies on a few key techniques to achieve a light texture and easy unmolding.
To excel at making a sponge cake, it’s crucial to whisk the eggs and sugar thoroughly until you achieve a frothy mixture that doubles or triples in volume. This step incorporates air, ensuring a fluffy texture. Then, gently fold in the flour to avoid deflating the mixture.
Cooking must also be mastered: prefer a preheated oven set to convection mode and avoid opening the door during baking to prevent collapse. Once baked, let it cool for a few minutes before unmolding. Do not let it cool completely; otherwise, your sponge cake may stick to the pan.
For easy unmolding, remember to properly prepare your pan by greasing it and adding parchment paper to the bottom. You can also run a knife blade around the edges after baking.
Final note: you can add lemon zest to the sponge cake to enhance the citrus flavor.
The Essential Utensils
A food processor,
One inverted tart pan,
A saucepan,
One heat-resistant mixing bowl (or a « cul-de-poule » bowl),
A whisk (electric if possible),
One citrus juicer,
A fine sieve,
One piping bag,
And a nozzle of your choice (round, serrated, Saint Honoré, etc.).
There you have it, I’ve shared everything you need to know. Let’s put on our aprons, head to the kitchen, and make a fantastic lemon meringue cake!
The recipe, Chef!
Lemon Meringue Cake
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Loading...Ingredients
- Sponge Cake
- 2 large eggs
- 67 g of sugar
- 20 g of cornstarch (Maïzena)
- 50 g of flour
- Lemon Cream
- 3 lemons
- 60 g of butter
- 2 eggs
- 1 egg yolk
- 150 g of sugar
- 1 sheet of gelatin (optional)
- Meringue
- 3 egg whites
- 200 g of icing sugar
- a pinch of salt
Instructions
Genoise
Preheat your oven to 190 degrees.
Whisk the eggs and sugar in a large bowl.
Place this mixture over a water bath and whisk with an electric mixer until you achieve a well-whitened mixture and a temperature of about 50 degrees. (the mixture should triple in volume)
Remove from the water bath and continue whisking until 25-30 degrees (you should be able to touch the bowl without feeling great heat).
Add the sifted flour and cornstarch in 2 additions, mixing gently with a spatula.
Pour into your buttered and floured mold.
Bake for 15 minutes.
Let cool on a wire rack.
Lemon Cream
Put the gelatin sheet in cold water. (to ensure you have a well-set cream after cooling)
Zest the lemons and juice them. You should obtain about 150 g of lemon juice.
Pour the lemon juice into your saucepan, add the zest, sugar, and butter. Cook for 3 minutes over medium heat (3 out of 6) while whisking.
Add the eggs and yolk and cook over higher heat (4 out of 6) without ceasing to whisk vigorously.
Cook this way for about 2 minutes. Your cream should start to thicken.
Remove from heat. Strain your cream to remove any solid parts.
Add the squeezed gelatin sheet and mix.
Pour over your cooled genoise.
Meringue
Whip the egg whites until frothy. When they become very frothy, gradually add the powdered sugar and continue whisking until you have a very firm meringue.
Pipe your meringue using a piping bag.
Use a torch to achieve a nice golden color.
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