2) Meow did not feel like making 120 macarons for no reason.
3) Meow *lurves* the lemon meringue cake from her local Duchess Bake Shop, but $7 for a 4" cake is sometimes steep (Mr. Meow "It's always steep").
I won't go into how epic of a fail Mr. Meow's tarts were (let's just say the tarts were deep frying in its own butter in the oven along with the yolk mix). But the cake turned out pretty good, short of me not realizing that I didn't melt the basting syrup fully so there was a hint of sugar crunch in every bite. I also had much fun with my little blow torch. *teehehehehehehehee*
The cake layer was much improved with sifting of flour while adding in. I think the real difference was when I was whipping the eggs and I actually whipped it for the recommended time instead of shutting it off early like my impatient self tells me to. The eggs actually did fluff up like double if whipped long enough, making the cake fluffy.
I apologize for the lack of pictures. It actually escaped my mind while my OCD took over.
Lemon Meringue Cake
Cake base
6 large eggs (about 1 1/3 cups)
1 1/3 cup of sugar
1 tsp pure vanilla
1/8 tsp salt
1 1/3 cup all purpose flour
1. Heat oven to 350F
2. Line two 9" round cake pans with parchment paper
I didn't do the two pan thing, and I ended up over baking the sides because the middle wouldn't cook.
3. Combine eggs and sugar. Beat on high speed until light, fluffed and lemon colored. It takes about 5 minutes.
4. Divide the batter evenly between the two pans.
5. Bake until the cake springs back when touched in the center or when skewer comes out clean. About 20 to 30 minutes
6. Take cake out of pans and cool
7. Split each cake into two layers using a serrated knife. You should have 4 layers.
This is where having one of those "bake even" strips that wraps around the pan would be nice. You won't have a cake dome to deal with.
Lemon Curd
from Not So Humble Pie
1/2 cup egg yolks
1 1/4 cup of sugar
6 tsp butter, melted and cooled.
1 tbsp cornstarch
1/2 cup + 1 tbsp lemon juice
pinch of salt
zest of one large lemon
1. In a medium sauce pan, whisk together the egg yolks, sugar and butter
2. Add in the lemon juice, lemon zest, and cornstarch, whisk together
3. Cook this mixture over low to medium heat like you would with a creme anglaise
4. Stir constantly and be patient. Do not allow the mixture to boil and curdle
5. When you run a finger along the back of a spatula covered with the mixture and it leaves a streak and the streak stays there, it is done. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
Lemon syrup
1 cup lemon juice
2 cups sugar
1. Stir together, heat to melt all the sugar
2. Allow to cool
Meringue
6 large egg whites
1/2 cup of castor sugar
1 tbsp pure vanilla
1. Whisk the egg whites to frothy
2. Slowly stream in the sugar while whisking on high speed
3. Add vanilla and continue whisking until stiff peaks not dry
Assembly
1. Start from the bottom. Take a bottom cake layer and generously baste it with lemon syrup.
2. Ladle some lemon curd and spread evenly with an offset cake spatula.
3. Continue until all cake layers are used.
4. Add some meringue onto the top of the cake and spread with an offset cake spatula.
I find it easier to do the sides from bringing down the overflow from the cake top and then patching the gaps with extra meringue.
5. Use up all the merginue
6. Take a blow torch and brown the meringue
This was still too sweet for Meow Mother. Everything is too sweet for that woman. I give up on her. But as for Mr. Meow, he finds it has too much filling but I think it's because he ate 1/8 of the cake on the first go. I think it was fine, the syrup made the cake layers quite moist which I like.
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