Description
Gourmet creations like lemon meringue cloud cake showcase delicate citrus flavors balanced with pillowy meringue. Home bakers can craft this elegant dessert with precise techniques and quality ingredients.
Ingredients
Scale
- 12 large egg whites, room temperature
- 4 large egg whites, room temperature
- 1 cup (120g/4.2 oz) cake flour
- 1 jar (10 oz/280g) lemon curd
- 1–½ cups (300g/10.6 oz) sugar
- ¾ cup (100g/3.5 oz) sugar
- 2 tsps cream of tartar
- ¾ tsp cream of tartar
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1–½ tsps vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preparation: Meticulously arrange all ingredients and equipment, ensuring a pristine workspace for cake creation.
- Flour Preparation: Sift cake flour with half the sugar, creating a lightweight, airy foundation for the delicate cake structure.
- Meringue Mastery: Whip egg whites with cream of tartar, vanilla extract, and salt, gradually introducing remaining sugar until the mixture achieves glossy, sturdy peaks.
- Batter Integration: Gently fold flour mixture into the egg white meringue, preserving the batter’s voluminous character with a delicate touch.
- Pan Technique: Transfer the airy batter into an ungreased tube pan, eliminating potential air pockets by carefully running a knife through the mixture.
- Baking Process: Position the pan on the lowest oven rack and bake at 350°F, monitoring for a golden-brown transformation and dry surface, approximately 35-40 minutes.
- Cooling Strategy: Immediately invert the pan post-baking, allowing the cake to cool completely to maintain its ethereal height and structural integrity.
- Cake Release: Once cooled, delicately separate the cake from the pan’s edges using a thin, precise knife.
- Filling and Assembly: Slice the cake horizontally, creating layers and spreading a generous coating of tangy lemon curd between the sections before reassembling.
- Meringue Finishing: Whip fresh egg whites with cream of tartar, gradually incorporating sugar until achieving stiff, glossy peaks, then artfully spread over the entire cake.
- Final Flourish: Optionally, use a kitchen torch to lightly caramelize the meringue’s peaks, adding a golden, toasted dimension to the sophisticated dessert.
Notes
- Workspace Readiness: Meticulously clean and organize all ingredients and tools before starting to ensure smooth cake preparation.
- Flour Sifting Technique: Sift flour with half the sugar carefully to create a light, airy foundation that guarantees a delicate cake texture.
- Egg White Whipping Mastery: Whip egg whites precisely, watching for glossy, sturdy peaks that provide the cake’s signature volume and structure.
- Gentle Folding Crucial: Use a careful, gentle folding motion when combining ingredients to preserve the batter’s delicate air pockets and maintain its ethereal lightness.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Category: Desserts
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 9
- Calories: 250
- Sugar: 37g
- Sodium: 90mg
- Fat: 0g
- Saturated Fat: 0g
- Unsaturated Fat: 0g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 63g
- Fiber: 0g
- Protein: 4g
- Cholesterol: 0mg