Lemon Meringue Birthday Cake
This is a bigger, cake version of the lemon meringue cupcakes I made a few weeks ago – a 3 layer, lemon sponge sandwiched together with lemon curd and covered with meringue.
I doubled my cupcake recipe for the sponge, which was more than enough for 3 layers. I cut down some of the sponge to make it more even, which meant I had to be extra careful to not get crumbs in the meringue covering.
After stacking the layers on top of each other – with a layer of lemon curd in between each layer – I made the meringue (the simple way, not the italian way) and started to cover the cake.
It took a lot of time for the meringue to reach the soft peak stage, lucky that I have the use of a freestanding mixer otherwise my arm might have fallen off! It was a very different feel to the normal buttercream coverings I use on cakes – for one, it’s not as thick and heavy even though it looks like it could be and it spreads very easily and sticks to the cake well. It also looks like glossy white paint when you spread it on! I decided not to layer it on too thick in case the meringue didn’t cook in the oven.
Once it was covered, I decorated it by adding a few lines to create texture – the Hummingbird way! I left it to cook in the oven on a low heat until the meringue turned a golden brown but before it started to crack. It’s not the most accurate method to ensure the meringue is cooked, but as I had used a thin layer, I was pretty sure that it had cooked through.
Lastly – a picture of the cake after it had been cut. The meringue wasn’t really attached to the cake, it flaked off the cake once it was cut, but there was enough to still taste it.
One final thing – I’m holding a stall at the Fenny Poppers Festival in Fenny Stratford on August 21st between 11am – 6pm. If you’re not busy, why don’t you come along and try some cupcakes 🙂