LOG IN SIGN UP

FOLLOW NIGELLA ON:

Related Book

  • FEAST

    FEAST

    ‘Food can never just be about the bald story of the… Read on

Related Recipes

LEMON MERINGUE CAKE

In all honesty, the origin of this cake is simply that I cannot make a go of a lemon meringue pie. I've tried, and I've tried, and it's not that I've utterly failed, but I haven't completely delighted myself. There's enough of that kind of falling short in the rest of life, without having to usher in disappointment and self-loathing in the kitchen. This, then, is the easy option. And the funny thing is, the layers of sponge, with their crisp-carapaced squashy-bellied meringue topping are, sandwiched with tart lemon curd and softly whipped cream, so much better than a lemon meringue pie could ever be.

After I'd made this a couple of times, it occurred to me, that if I were to fill the cakes with passionfruit curd, in place of lemon curd (which I buy, but it must be a good one) it would be particularly appropriate for Eastertime.

Recipe posted by Nigella

Ingredients

  • Nigella Recipe
  • Vegetarian
  • 125g very soft unsalted butter
  • 4 eggs, separated
  • 300g plus 1 teaspoon caster sugar
  • 100g plain flour
  • 25g cornflour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
  • Zest of 1 lemon
  • 4 teaspoons lemon juice
  • 2 teaspoons milk
  • 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
  • 150ml double or whipping cream
  • 150g good quality lemon curd

Method

Serves: Makes 8 Slices
  1. Preheat the oven to gas mark 6/200°C. Line and butter two 21cm sandwich tins.
  2. Mix the egg yolks, 100g of the sugar, the butter, flour, cornflour, baking powder, bicarb, and lemon zest in a processor. Add the lemon juice and milk and process again.
  3. Divide the mixture between the prepared tins. You will think you don't even have enough to cover the bottom of the tins, but don't panic. Spread calmly with a rubber spatula until smooth.
  4. Whisk the egg whites and cream of tartar until peaks form and then slowly whisk in 200g of sugar. Divide the whisked whites between the two sponge-filled tins, pouring or, more accurately, spreading the meringue straight on top of the cake batter.
  5. Smooth one flat with a metal spatula, and with the back of a spoon, peak the other and sprinkle 1 teaspoon sugar over the peaks. Put the tins into the oven for 20-25 minutes.
  6. With a cake-tester, pierce the cake that has the flat meringue topping to check it's cooked all through. (It will have risen now but will fall back flattish later.) No sponge mixture should stick to the tester. Remove both cakes to a wire rack and let cool completely in the tins.
  7. Unmould the flat-topped one on to a cake stand or plate, meringue side down.
  8. Whisk the double cream until thick but not stiff and set aside. Spread the flat sponge surface of the first, waiting, cake with the lemon curd and than spatula over the cream and top with the remaining cake, bronze-peaked meringue uppermost.
Equivalents & Conversions
Stockists

Comments

  • I was a bit worried that the sponge would be too dry - it looked that way - and it was a bit messy to make. It was a bit dry. Tasted nice and lemony but I would probably have put more rind in the cake mix. It was very messy to make, though.

    Posted by KatharineB on 22nd May 2011 at 13.55

  • One of my favorite cakes, my family and friends always ask me to bake this one for their celebrations / special occasions!

    Posted by jamjam on 25th May 2011 at 14.08

  • I actually made this a few weeks ago (not strictly part of the cook along) as my contribition to a Royal Wedding celebration. It was a hit! Easy to make, it tastes sooooo good. Nice and tangy, it makes a great change from the normal sponge or chocolate cake. I sprinkeld a genorous helping of edible gold stars (from lakeland) on the still still sticky meringue, and the addition of indoor sparlers gave it a suitable level of glitz and pazazz! It already been requested again, so that is all the praise I need.

    Posted by theonlyduncan on 12th Jun 2011 at 15.22

  • If you want to make a lemon meringue pie, but you do not fancy to go through all the trouble of making a pastry base, it is far easier and quicker to melt 50 grams of butter and then stir in 250 grams of crushed digestive buscuits with 100 grams of sugar. Stir until all the crumbs look like wet sand and put it in your baking tin. push to with the bottom of a spoon to make it all even, and presto! your base is ready for the rest of the meringue :) (another plus is that the lemony juices seep into the digestive crumbs, giving the whole pie an extra boost)

    Posted by Virginia* on 20th Jun 2011 at 15.45

  • Not sure what I did wrong with this. Everything went well until I put it in the oven. The top browned in 10 minutes so I turned it down and took it out after 15 minutes as it was starting to blacken. Haven't taken it out of the pans yet but the cake batter has risen through the meringue, don't think it will be one of my best. Any suggestions? thinking that I should partially cook the cake batter first.

    Posted by Mez4 on 24th Jul 2011 at 0.45

  • This is simply 'Lemon meringue dream cake' I cannot express the sheer joy of delivering this up to my family, fiends and ME! Absolutely the BEST. Thanks Nigella

    Posted by Noisy on 3rd Aug 2011 at 11.40

  • thank you. it was really tasty.

    Posted by foboki on 22nd Sep 2011 at 17.53

  • Vis-a-vis a biscuit base for a lemon meringue pie, I've found that using ginger nuts is tastier than digestives.

    Posted by Margo Dunlop on 8th Nov 2011 at 0.25

Add Comment