Lemon and meringue cake: easy recipe to make and step by step
If you are greedy, it is quite likely that, at some previous moment, you have tasted this delicious and delicate cake. Popularly known by the name of Lemon Meringue Pie, we are facing a cake that over the years has become a true classic pastry not only British but also American.
Although we must go back to the middle ages to find the first cakes, puddings or puddings where the lemon is one of the star ingredients, lemon cake and meringue as we know it today is a development dating from the nineteenth century. It seems that the oldest recipe of this cake that has been recorded was attributed to Alexander Frehse, a Swiss-born baker residing in Romandía.
What is the lemon and meringue pie and what is it?
Basically it is a cake or lemon cake with meringue, which is baked and made from a broken dough that serves as a crust, and a wonderful filling made with lemon cream. In its upper part an exquisite merengue is placed, spongy, which forms a kind of harder layer when it is cooked in the oven.
It is a very easy recipe to prepare, although from the first moment it is very important to have the trick caught in the merengue, especially if it is the first time we prepare it.
How to make the lemon and meringue cake step by step
Ingredients for the dough:
- 185 g of flour + A little more to sprinkle
- 85 g of butter
- 50 g of luster sugar
- 1/2 egg yolk
- 1/2 teaspoon of milk
- The zest of half a lemon
Ingredients for the stuffing:
- 2 eggs
- 180 g of fine sugar
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- 300 ml of water
Preparation of the lemon and meringue cake:
- In a bowl sift the flour. Cut the butter into small pieces and add the flour to the previous bowl. Work both ingredients with your fingers until you get a consistency similar to that of bread crumbs. Sift the sugar and add it.
- Beat the yolk and save half. Add this half to the bowl with the rest of the ingredients and knead again a little. Wrap the dough and reserve in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 180ºC.
- Meanwhile, grease a mold of about 20 centimeters with a little butter. Spread the dough with a thickness of 5 mm and line the base with it, leaving a little dough on the sides of the mold. With the help of a fork punctures the dough. Now spread vegetable paper over it and pour a few dried vegetables.
- Bake the dough in the oven for 15 minutes at 180º C. After this time remove from the oven and being careful not to burn remove the paper and vegetables.
- Now it's time to prepare the filling. To do this, dissolve the cornstarch in a little water. Put the rest of the water in a saucepan. Squeeze the lemon and add the juice to the saucepan with the cornstarch paste. Stir well and bring to a boil, then boil for 2 minutes. Then let it warm up. Add the egg yolks, the sugar and mix well again. Then pour this cream into the flour base already cooked.
- Carefully, in a clean bowl and something cold, assemble the egg whites until stiff. Add the rest of the sugar and once the meringue is made, spread it on the cake.
- To finish, bake for 40 minutes at 150 º C. Once ready, remove from the oven and let it cool.
This recipe is so versatile that, if you do not like the merengue or even want to make it a little simpler and quicker, you can simply make the broken dough and the lemon filling, skipping the final step of the meringue.
In this way you will also have a delicious and delicious lemon cake, fresh, homemade and even easier to make. ThemesCake recipes
