I consider January the most infamous of the diet months, with everyone full of hope and determination to fulfill the resolutions they just made. I, myself, am one of those people, but that doesn't mean I can't share dessert 😉 Besides, I made this before I officially started my diet, so it doesn't count, right? This is a ridiculously delicious meringue cake that is filled with {homemade} lemon curd, freshly whipped cream, and heaps of juicy berries. As far as desserts go, you could definitely do worse! This probably doesn't fit in your diet, but well... almost.
You start by making some easy peasy meringue with egg whites, powdered sugar, and a hint of lemon juice and vanilla bean. You split the batter in half and make two disks... and this is now your cake. See how that works? When comparing standard cake layers and meringue cake layers, obviously the meringue is a lot lower in calories and is virtually fat free and lower in carbs. Gluten-free too, if you want to be that picky! Obviously, no dessert will be good for you, but I'd go out on a limb and say this is at least a smidge better for you than regular cake. Right? Right. A for effort.
I had some lemon curd left from the whale baby shower cake so I decided to use it, but to be completely honest you could put whatever you wanted in here and it would be delicious! The obvious pairing with the zesty lemon curd was softly whipped, unsweetened cream, and fresh berries. Absolutely delicious, and surprisingly light and airy! Not sweetening the whipped cream was a good call, since the meringue and the lemon curd are both quite sugary. The cream works to cut a bit of that cloying sweetness and helps balance out the indulgence a bit!
The only thing I would do differently next time, if only for the visual appeal, is to make more meringue disks and make a taller cake! But be duly warned that this is fairly impossible to slice as-is, so definitely use caution 😉 and don't expect any slice of meringue cake to look better than a messy heap! A deliciously messy heap, that is.
Find the recipe for the Lemon Curd HERE!
- 6 egg whites
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- ½ teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
- pinch of salt
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 cup lemon curd (find link to recipe in post)
- ½ cup fresh blueberries
- 1 cup fresh strawberries, sliced
- Preheat the oven to 210F.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the egg whites and cream of tartar until they form very stiff peaks.
- Beat in the powdered sugar, a spoonful at a time, until completely incorporated.
- Add in the lemon juice, vanilla, and salt.
- Grab two pieces of parchment paper, and trace the outline of an 8" cake pan on each. Invert the pieces so that the pen is on the underside (and won't touch your food) and place on a baking sheet.
- Evenly divide the meringue mixture between the two pieces of parchment, gently spreading using a spatula.
- Bake in preheated oven for 1½-2 hrs, until completely dry to the touch but not browned in any way. Let meringue disks cool completely before continuing.
- When ready to assemble, beat the whipping cream in your stand mixer using the whisk attachment, until stiff peaks form.
- Place one of the meringue disks on a serving platter, and top with half the lemon curd, half the whipped cream, and half the berries. Top with the other disk, and the remaining curd, cream, and berries. Serve immediately for a crisper meringue, or allow to sit in the fridge for a couple hours for a slightly softer meringue.
Jess @ Flying on Jess Fuel says
What a pretty little cake! This is definitely the perfect light dainty cake for a shower. 🙂 Yum!