Ready Time: 1 hrs 30 mins
Preparation Time: 40 mins
Cooking Time: 50 mins
Serves: 8
Ingredients
Cake
- 1 ¼ cups (175g) plain flour
- 1 ¼ teaspoons baking powder
- 150g unsalted butter, room temperature
- ¾ cup (165g) caster sugar
- ½ cup (125ml) pouring cream
- 3 egg yolks
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Lemon Curd
- 1 egg
- 2 egg yolks
- 90g caster sugar
- finely grated rind of 1 lemon
- 1/3 cup (80ml) lemon juice
- 70g chilled butter
Swiss Meringue
- 3 eggs whites (105g)
- ¾ cup (165g) caster sugar
- Pinch cream of tartar
Method
- Preheat oven to 160°C fan forced. Grease and line a (25cm x 30cm) lamington pan with baking paper.
- Sift flour and baking powder together; set aside.
- Assemble mixer with the scraper beater and the large mixer bowl. Add butter and sugar to bowl. Slowly turn mixer to CREAM/BEAT for 3-4 minutes or until pale and creamy.
- Combine cream, eggs and vanilla in a jug. Reduce speed and add half the liquid mixture, then half the flour mixture then repeat with the liquid and flour. Don’t over mix. Spread mixture into prepared pan.
- Bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes or until a skewer inserted in centre comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack lined with baking paper. Leave turned upside down.
- Meanwhile to make the lemon curd: Beat the egg, egg yolk and strain into a heat proof bowl. Whisk through sugar, lemon rind and juice and butter.
- Place bowl over a saucepan of simmering water, making sure the base of the bowl does not touch the water. Stir the mixture over simmering water for about 15-20 minutes, or until curd has thickened.
- Transfer to another bowl, cover with plastic wrap with a small side of the bowl uncovered to allow steam to escape and refrigerate until cold.
- When ready to assemble make the meringue. Place egg whites, sugar and cream of tartar into the small mixer bowl. Place bowl carefully into a saucepan of simmering water and gently whisk for 3-4 minutes or until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture has warmed through. Assemble the mixer with the scraper whisk onto the mixer. Whisk on the AERATE/WHIP for about 2 minutes or until mixture has thickened but not too stiff.
- To assemble, using a 5.5cm round cutter cut 16 rounds from the cake. Spread 1-2 teaspoons of lemon curd onto half of the rounds. With the remaining rounds pipe or shape with a spoon, approximately 2 tablespoons of meringue onto each. Place meringue rounds on top of lemon curd.
- Using a chef’s blow torch, lightly colour outside of meringue. Serve.
Tip: Chefs blow torches can be purchased from good kitchenware stores.