Lemon and Raspberry Meringue Torte

I think I love lemon meringue more than chocolate.  There, I put it out there!

There is something so fresh, so bright, so Springlike, so hopeful about lemon curd. Combine it with frothy meringue, and well, I’m in paradise (for a moment!)  Meringue desserts are among my most favourite, since there is no flour etc involved.  I feel ever so slightly less guilty about indulging.

So how do you take lemon curd, and frothy meringue and combine them in a fresh way?  Obviously lemon meringue pie is a given.  To make even a lemon meringue pie less guilty, you need to check out my Lemon Meringue Pie Cups, which have no crust, and involve no baking!

Layer One, Meringue Torte

For this dessert today, think of it as a Lemon Meringue Pie collides with a Pavlova!  Instead of fussing with pie pastry, lining pie plates, and baking off the crust before filling it, you are ditching the crust altogether.  You are going to bake the ‘crust’ and the meringue together. Just spoon the whipped sweetened egg whites right over the cake batter.

You will make two of them, for a top and bottom.  And the meringue will turn into that classic Pavlova texture, all crater-like and crackly.  Both start with a layer of cake batter.  Both get the same amount of whipped meringue added on top. But on one of them, you will take a spoon or small off-set spatula and create peaks and funky swirls. These will get covered with a dusting of sugar before baking.  They will take on a lovely burnished hue, and give you the finished look of frothy whipped meringue that is impossible to resist.  This top layer is the final layer in assembling the cake, see below.

The sponge cake batter creates some stability and gives the torte a bit of ‘tooth’ or cake like texture.  This will contrast beautifully with the creamy curd and fluffy whipped cream in the centre.  The two cake rounds with meringue can be baked the day before if absolutely necessary.  Cool, unwrap and store in separate sealed containers.  If it is a very humid day etc at your end, you may find that the meringues start to sweat.  But they will be fine just over night.

I always use a cup for cup gluten free blend flour which contains a binder like xanthan gum for recipes like this one, with great results.

Layer Two, Lemon Curd

My Lemony Lemon Curd recipe is a joy to make up.  In fact, there is always a batch in the fridge for last minute craving.  To make it extra special, when in season, try and use Meyer Lemons.  Meyer lemons are a cross between a classic lemon and a mandarin orange. But if you can’t source them, or they are out of season, you can still recreate the flavour.  Replace two tablespoons of the lemon juice in the recipe with orange juice, and fold in orange zest as well as lemon zest at the end.  You can make the lemon curd in advance and store in the fridge till needed.

You will layer on the lemon curd on one of the baked meringue cakes, just don’t go all the way to the edges.   And no matter how careful you are, some will always drip over the edge, as the top meringue cake layer gets placed on top.  No worries, it adds to the charm!!

Layer Three, Whipping Cream

To ensure that this dessert will last a few days in the fridge if not polished off right away, always stabilize your whipping cream.  You can do this in two ways.  Use a teaspoon of cornstarch added to the cream, or sweeten the cream with a little icing sugar (which has cornstarch in it)  I don’t like to sweeten the whipped cream in this setting too much as the meringue and cake are already sweetened, so I opt for more plain cornstarch.  The whipping cream can be made ahead and stored in the fridge till needed, even overnight.

Layer Four, Raspberries, or Other Fruit

I add raspberries or fresh blueberries on top of the whipped cream, for fresh fruit flavour, and for textural contrast.  I also scatter lime zest over the fruit, for a bit more tartness.  I think this also is a good way to add flavour contrast to the sweet nature of the meringue.  Adding more lime zest to the cake batter makes for a lovely tangy undertone.  You can also serve more berries on the side, more berries is always a good idea!

You could easily use strawberries, but only do this if you plan on eating the entire cake on the day of.  Strawberries do release more juices, which could affect the stability of the whipping cream and the cake. But really, whether it is berries, or even plums or apricots etc, they will all work, as long as you take into account how they may affect the cake long term.  If you are serving a group and it will all get eaten right away, then you will have no issues.

Final Layer, More Meringue Cake

Then comes the fun part, laying the second meringue cake on top of everything.  No matter how careful you are, or how little the amount of curd and whipped cream you put in the middle, some will always drip over the sides when you place the second layer on top.  Wonky goodness!

To Adjust This Torte

The original recipe uses two 8 inch springform pans for the torte.  If you want, it will also work with 7 inch pans.   You will find that the rise on the cake and meringue is higher, and the cake may take a few minutes longer to bake through. If you find the meringue browning too much, just cover loosely with foil for the last little bit of time in the oven.  Always let them cool before unwrapping the sides of the pans.

The photos here are with 7 inch pans.

Final Thoughts

The lemon curd and the cake batter in these photos use Ontario Conestoga Eggs, which have the most amazing egg yolks!

While I say that this torte is best the day of, I have had the cake stored in a sealed container in the fridge, living off of it for even four days, with the structure and texture intact.  Still as good on day four as on day one!