Since moving house, it’s been a little crazy in our kitchen — but the good kind of crazy with the end result being this Gluten Free Lemon Meringue Layer Cake. Jesse requested a Lemon Meringue Layer Cake for his birthday. Although a week late (yes I’m a terrible wife) and a trip to the hardware store later for a blowtorch, I am super proud of how the cake turned out.
If you want to make a special cake for a loved one I would highly recommend this amazing cake! The cake is filled with two layers of lemon curd and is super fluffy. Oh but don’t worry you don’t have to go out and buy a blowtorch to make this lemon meringue cake. You can simply use the oven to brown the meringue.
Thanks for stopping by. Hope you’re having a great week!
The Naughty Dietitian
xoxo
- 2¼ cups gluten free plain flour, sifted
- 3 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 6 large eggs separated, at room temperature
- 1½ cups caster sugar
- ½ cups vegetable oil
- 2 teaspoons orange zest (Approximately 1 orange)
- 2 teaspoons lemon zest (Approximately 1 lemon)
- ½ cup orange juice (Approximately 1½ oranges)
- ¼ cup lemon juice (Approximately 2 lemons)
- 2 pinches of cream of tatar
- 6 large egg yolks, strained
- Zest of 1 lemon
- ½ cup lemon juice (Approximately 4 lemons)
- ¾ cup sugar
- 110 g unsalted butter cold, cut into pieces
- 4 large egg whites, at room temperature
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 pinch cream of tartar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- Heat oven to 160℃. Sift together flour, baking powder and salt, then set aside.
- Place egg yolks in a large bowl and beat with the an electric or stand mixer on medium high until pale and foam is formed, approx. 3-5 minutes. Gradually add 1 cup of the sugar, beating until very pale and puffy, approx. 5-7 minutes.
- Add oil in a steady stream then add lemon and orange zest and beat for 1 minute on medium high. Reduce speed to medium low and add flour mixture alternating with juices, beginning and ending with the flour. Then set aside.
- In a clean bowl, whip egg whites on low speed until foam is formed. Add cream of tartar and increase speed to medium high until soft peaks form. Gradually add in remaining sugar and beat for a further 1½ minutes until whites are glossy and stiff peaks have formed.
- Stir in a quarter of the whites into the flour-egg yolk mixture. Then fold in remaining whites trying not to deflate the batter. Then gently pour into an un-greased springform cake pan and bake for 60-65 minutes until golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the middle of the cake.
- Remove from the oven and cool completely in the pan. Run a knife around the sides to loosen then remove from the pan. Turn upside down onto a cake round and slice horizontally into 3 layers using a serrated knife.
- Spread half the lemon curd filling on the bottom cake layer then add the middle cake layer. Spread the remaining filling on the middle layer before covering with the top cake layer. Refrigerate overnight until lemon curd is set.
- Prepare meringue, and spread it all over the cake, using a flat spatula make large swirls to create peaks as desired.
Heat oven to 200℃ and place the cake in the oven watching carefully until the meringue is browned, approximately 5 minutes. Then transfer to a serving plate and serve as soon as possible. Or using a blow torch, caramelise the meringue until evenly browned.
- Combine the yolks, sugar, lemon zest and juice into a small saucepan. Whisk to combine. Set over medium heat, and stir constantly with a wooden spoon. Cook until mixture is thick enough to coat back of wooden spoon, 5-7 minutes.
- Remove saucepan from heat. Add butter, one piece at a time, stirring with a wooden spoon until butter has melted and curd is a smooth consistency.
- Transfer mixture to a medium bowl. Lay a sheet of plastic wrap directly on the surface of the curd to avoid a skin developing; wrap tightly and let cool. Refrigerate until firm and chilled, at least 1 hour.
- Fill a medium saucepan one quarter full with water. Set the saucepan over medium heat and bring water to a simmer.
- Combine egg whites, sugar and cream of tartar into a heatproof bowl and place over saucepan. Whisk constantly until sugar is dissolved and whites are warm to the touch, 3-3½ minutes. Test by rubbing between your fingers.
- Transfer bowl to a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, and whip, starting on low speed, gradually increasing to high until stiff, glossy peaks form, about 10 minutes. Add vanilla, and mix until combined. Use meringue immediately.
Original recipe adapted from Martha Stewart.
