Lemon Meringue Cake

I honestly think this may be my favourite cake combo moving forward, beating even chocolate and salted caramel! (I know, shocking). This week's recipe consists of a classic vanilla sponge cake, a vanilla swiss meringue buttercream, and a homemade lemon curd filling. I then chose to decorate it further by adding candied lemons on the sides and crushed meringue nests on top, to truly drive the lemon meringue theme home. An important point (which I'll stress again in the ingredients list) is that technically, a classic vanilla sponge cake doesn't have any set weights, and can also be customised for bigger or smaller tins. The weight of practically all the ingredients is determined by weighing your eggs first, shell and all, and then using the same weight for the flour, caster sugar, and butter. I used 4 eggs for 2 x 8 inch cake tins.

The ingredients and method are listed in drop down lists, based on the part of the cake you're making. This is to condense the information and make it easier to make and refer to separate elements as you're baking.

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Ingredients

Vanilla Sponge Cake

4 eggs (260gr, in my case)

260gr caster sugar

260gr plain flour

260gr softened unsalted butter

1tsp vanilla paste (or, 2tsp vanilla essence)

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

Swiss Meringue Buttercream

4 egg whites

265gr caster sugar

235gr softened unsalted butter, cut into small cubes

1tsp vanilla paste (or, 2tsp vanilla essence)

Lemon Curd

15gr butter

Zest of 1 large lemon

Juice of 1 large lemon

15gr cornflour

125ml water

1 egg yolk

55gr caster sugar

Candied Lemon (optional)

1 large lemon

200ml water

150gr sugar

For further decoration (optional)

Yellow food dye

Meringue nests, crumbled

Method

Making the Vanilla Sponge Cake

1. Preheat your oven to 180 degrees celsius and grease and line your cake tins.

2. In a large bowl, cream together the softened butter and caster sugar until light and fluffy. Start adding the eggs one by one, whisking in between each addition.

3. Add the plain flour in 4 batches, whisking well until incorporated after each addition.

4. Add the vanilla and baking powder, whisk well until incorporated. Once the mixture is ready, separate the mixture equally into the two cake tins and bake for 30-40 minutes, or until a skewer comes out clean.

Making the Swiss Meringue Buttercream

1. Place the egg whites into a glass bowl and add in the sugar, mixing until just about incorporated. It is crucial to ensure there is no egg yolk at all in the egg whites, and that all your tools are free of any signs of grease.

2. Set up a double boiler over medium-high heat. Make sure your bowl at no point touches the water, otherwise you'll just cook the egg whites. Whisk gently every once in a while, to keep the sugar moving. The mixture should reach around 70 degrees celsius, but you can check whether it's ready by rubbing some mixture between your fingers to see if all the sugar granules have dissolved. Be careful doing so, as the mixture can feel quite hot.

3. Once the sugar has dissolved/the mixture has reached the temperature, move to your stand mixer or handheld mixer. Be aware that this is quite time consuming with a handheld mixer, but not impossible. Start whisking the egg white mixture instantly, whilst still warm, and whisk on high until stiff peaks form. This can take up to 20 minutes of whisking. If after 20 minutes there's no sign of stiff peaks, place the mixture in the fridge for 10-20 minutes, and start whisking again.

4. Once you've reached stiff peaks, start adding the cubed and softened butter in a cube or two at a time. It is crucial that the butter is very soft, but not hot, and that this is done very slowly, so as not to deflate the egg whites.

5. Once all the butter has been added, add in your flavourings and dye (if you're opting to use food dye) and whisk further. If you have access to a stand mixer, switch to the pedal attachment for around 5 minutes to get rid of any excess air bubbles. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Making the Lemon Curd

1. Melt the butter in a medium sized pot over medium heat. Add the lemon juice and zest.

2. In a small bowl, take around 3 tablespoons of the water and add it to the cornflour to create a slurry. Add the rest of the water to the butter and lemon mixture, still over medium heat.

3. Add the sugar and stir until around dissolved. Keep the heat going and add the egg yolk, stirring them in as soon as they hit the mixture so it doesn't curdle. Add the cornflour slurry and keep stirring until the mixture thickens and coats the back of a spoon. Set the lemon curd aside.

Making the Candied Lemon (optional)

1. Slice the lemon thinly into half moons. In a medium sized pot add the water and sugar and stir until dissolved.

2. Add the lemon to the pot of water and allow to simmer until the white edges of the lemon turn almost translucent. Reserve the lemon syrup (by product) to use on the cake.

3. Set the lemon slices on a lined (important) baking sheet. Set in a preheated oven for around 180 degrees celsius for 10-20 minutes to get browned edges, or for an hour on 80 degrees celsius for clearer and paler candied lemon slices.

Assembling the Cake

1. Place one of the cakes on a large plate and level the top. Brush the cake with lemon syrup (if making the candied lemon slices), to ensure it remains moist for longer. IMPORTANT: ENSURE ALL INGREDIENTS ARE COOL/AT ROOM TEMPERATURE

2. Spread a thin layer of buttercream on top, and create a dam on the edges of the cake using a piping bag or offset spatula. In the middle, place spoonfuls of the lemon curd, making sure not to add too much as to leak out of the buttercream barrier you've created. If using, crumble up some meringue nests and scatter on top of the lemon curd.

3. Level the 2nd cake and brush with lemon syrup. Place on top of the filling and ensure you've assembled it to be as level as possible.

4. Using an offset spatula, cover the cake first with a very light layer of buttercream, filling in any gaps and allowing any crumbs to stick to the surface (crumb coat). Set aside for 30 minutes - 1 hour and go in with a 2nd and thicker coat of buttercream.

5. (Optional) Stick the lemon slices to the sides of the cake in whichever fashion you fancy. Sprinkle some crumbled meringue nests on top. Enjoy!