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meringue

Lemon Cake with Toasted Meringue

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Lemon Cake with Toasted Meringue

I missed the May selection for the Cake Slice Baker’s group. It’s kind of 2020’s fault because I was going to make a cake that uses hibiscus. I ordered it well ahead of time from the wonderful Spice House and delivery was delayed until well after the cake posting was due – about two weeks after!

The ladies in this group are just great, though, and let me slide until June’s selection. This month I chose Limoncello & Toasted Meringue Cake from “The New Way to Cake.”

You may notice a little difference in the name of the cake. Mine became Lemon Cake with Toasted Meringue because I didn’t get a chance to visit the liquor store to get limoncello. I recommend you use it, though, and will include the amounts in the recipe below. Hey, I didn’t want to miss another cake month – have mercy.

Lemon Cake with Toasted Meringue

What a simple little cake to put together! I was kind of wondering about the baking powder (1 tablespoon) because it’s made in a 9×9″ pan and that seems like an excessive amount.

The cake came out fine though – tall, soft, and fluffy.  You’ve really got to stick that testing toothpick all the way down the tall cake to make sure it’s done.

One of the Cake Slice Baker ladies made her cake in a round pan and it looks great! You just need to make the sure round pan is deep enough, because this little beauty rises a lot.

Lemon Cake with Toasted Meringue

The next fun thing – using my new blowtorch!  I almost chickened out and used the broiler, but have had this little food torch for so long that I finally wanted to use it.

It went surprisingly well – it lit like it’s supposed to and nicely toasted the pretty meringue. And I didn’t blow anything up, so I consider that a success.

Lemon Cake with Toasted Meringue

I love this Lemon Cake with Toasted Meringue. The toasted meringue is really quite a good finish for it. It’s a light and lovely little cake.

Lemon Cake with Toasted Meringue

Lemon Cake with Toasted Meringue

Yield: 9 pieces
Prep Time: 40 minutes
Cook Time: 35 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes

9x9" soft lemon cake with fluffy tasted meringue.

Ingredients

  • 4 eggs
  • 1 1/2 C sugar
  • 1/2 C canola oil (or vegetable oil)
  • 2 C all-purpose flour
  • 1 tbsp baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/2 C milk, room temperature
  • Zest of 2 lemons (2-3 tsp)
  • Juice of 1 lemon (about 1/4 C)
  • 2 tbsp limoncello (I did not use in my recipe)
  • For the Syrup:
  • 1/4 C sugar
  • 2 tbsp limoncello (I used fresh lemon juice)
  • 1/4 C water
  • For the Meringue:
  • 1 C sugar
  • 3 tbsp water
  • Scant 1/4 cup of egg whites, room temperature (the egg whites of 3 to 4 eggs)

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350°. Spray a 9x9" deep baking pan with cooking spray and line the bottom with parchment paper.
  2. For the Cake: In a stand mixer with a whisk attachment, beat together the eggs and sugar for 3 to 5 minutes, until thick and pale yellow. Drizzle in the oil and continue mixing.
  3. In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder and salt. Turn mixer to low and add the flour mixture in by half cup. Pour in the milk and lemon zest. Mix until smooth before stirring in the lemon juice (and limoncello if you're using it).
  4. Pour the batter into the pan and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until well risen, lightly brown, and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Let the cake cool for 10 minutes in the pan before turning it out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
  5. For the Syrup: Heat the sugar, lemon juice (or limoncello) and water together in a small saucepan until the sugar dissolves. Prick holes in the surface of the cake with a toothpick and pour on the syrup, letting it seep through. Set aside while making the meringue.
  6. For the Meringue: Add the sugar and water to a medium saucepan and bring to a boil, swirling the pan to dissolve the sugar (do not stir or it may crystalize the sugar). Heat the sugar until it reaches 238° (again, do not stir). It will get to temperature fairly quickly.
  7. Inspect the bowl of a stand mixer, making sure it is completely dry and clean. Whip the egg whites in the bowl with the whisk attachment on low speed for 1 minute, or until foamy. Increase the speed to medium and whip for 2 to 4 minutes, or until you have soft peaks.
  8. Once the sugar mixture on the stove has reached the right temperature, with the mixer still running, slowly pour the syrup down the side of the bowl, taking care not to pour the syrup onto the beaters or directly onto the whipped egg whites (it's extremely hot, so be careful). Continue to whip the meringue on high speed until you have thick, glossy, stiff peaks and the bowl is fairly cool to the touch.
  9. Spoon the meringue on top of the completely cooled cake, leaving about 1/2" around the edges. Use a blowtorch to lightly toast the meringue. If you don't have a blowtorch, you can place the cake under the broiler for a minute (carefully watching as it will brown quickly).

Notes

Tips and Stuff:

Have your lemons squeezed and zested before you begin.  Also, separate your eggs beforehand.  It makes things go much more smoothly.

After poking holes in the cake and pouring in the syrup, I set the cake in the freezer to cool off more quickly.  You don't want to put the meringue on a hot (or even warm) cake or it will turn to goo.

Nutrition Information:
Yield: 9 Serving Size: 1 slice
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 519Total Fat: 15gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 13gCholesterol: 84mgSodium: 279mgCarbohydrates: 89gFiber: 1gSugar: 65gProtein: 7g

Nutrition Values are Approximate

© Benjamina Ebuehi
Category: Cakes
 
 

Each month The Cake Slice Bakers are offered a selection of cakes from the current book we are baking through. This year it is The New Way To Cake by Benjamina Ebuehi. We each choose one cake to bake, and then on the 20th – never before – we all post about our cake on our blogs. There are a few rules that we follow, but the most important ones are to have fun and enjoy baking & eating cakes!

Follow our Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest pages where you can find all of our cakes, as well as inspiration for many other cakes. You can also click on the thumbnail pictures below to take you to each of our cakes. If you have a blog and are interested in joining The Cake Slice Bakers and baking along with us, please send an email to thecakeslicebakers at gmail dot com for more details.

The Cake Slice Bakers also have a new Facebook group called The Cake Slice Bakers and Friends.  This group is perfect for those who do not have a blog but want to join in the fun and bake through this book.

 
 

It is a new year and a new book – The New Way To Cake – and our choices for June 2020 were ~

 

Chocolate Chip Meringue Bars

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Chocolate Chip Meringue Bars

I can’t go very long without making a goodie from Esther Brody’s 500 Best Cookies, Bars, and Squares. You can do a search on my site for her name and you’ll see a ton of terrific recipes I’ve made from this book.

These Chocolate Chip Meringue Bars (she calls them Squares) are no exception. Terrific!

These bars are basically a thick cookie dough base that’s generously sprinkled with chocolate chips, then finished with a crispy, chewy, brown sugar meringue.

Chocolate Chip Meringue Bars

You probably have all of the ingredients on hand for these bars. They’re very basic and the meringue on top really makes them a different treat.

Take these with you to a party, family gathering or potluck. They’re unique and quite tasty. I love the crispy, chewy meringue on top.

Chocolate Chip Meringue Bars

I halved the recipe for these Chocolate Chip Meringue Bars because we really don’t need a 13×9 inch pan full of them waiting for us to sneak one every time we walk into the kitchen.

Just a tip: Be sure and get the piece right in the middle of the pan – it’s the perfect combination of all of the ingredients!

And no, my husband doesn’t appreciate me cutting the middle piece out of bars and sheet cakes. Life’s short…

Chocolate Chip Meringue Bars

Chocolate Chip Meringue Bars

Yield: 12 bars
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 28 minutes
Total Time: 48 minutes

Thick chocolate chip cookie-like base sprinkled generously with chocolate chips, finished off with a crispy chewy brown sugar meringue.

Ingredients

  • 1 C all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • pinch of salt
  • 1/4 C butter
  • 1/4 C granulated sugar
  • 3/4 C packed brown sugar, divided into 1/2 C and 1/4 C
  • 1 egg, separated
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla
  • 1/2 tbsp water
  • 3/4 C semi-sweet chocolate chips or chunks

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 325°. Lightly spray an 8" square pan with cooking spray.
  2. In a small bowl, stir together the flour, baking soda, and pinch of salt.
  3. In a mixing bowl, beat the butter, granulated sugar, and 1/4 cup of the brown sugar together until smooth and creamy. Beat in the egg yolk, scraping down the sides of the pan as needed. Add the vanilla and mix. Gradually add the flour, mixing until just incorporated.
  4. Spread the thick dough into the prepared pan, smoothing down with the back of a large spoon. Sprinkle the chocolate chips evenly over the dough, pressing down lightly into the dough.
  5. Beat the egg white until soft peaks form. Gradually beat in the remaining 1/2 cup of brown sugar and beat until stiff peaks form.
  6. Spread the meringue evenly over the dough to the edges. Bake for 26-28 minutes, until the meringue is set and golden brown. Place the pan on a wire rack and cool completely. Store leftover bars in an airtight container.

Notes

Tips and Stuff:

I halved the original recipe, so if you want to you can double this recipe and bake in a 13x9" pan.

Make sure and press the chocolate chips down into the dough so that when you spread the meringue over the top, the chips don't move around.

Don't worry if you don't exactly get stiff peaks on the egg white/brown sugar mixture.  Beat it for several minutes until it's very thick.

Mine were done in 28 minutes - don't overbake them.

Nutrition Information:
Yield: 12 Serving Size: 1 bar
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 161Total Fat: 8gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 26mgSodium: 102mgCarbohydrates: 23gFiber: 1gSugar: 14gProtein: 2g

Nutrition Values are Approximate

© Esther Brody (500 Best Cookies, Bars & Squares)
Category: Bars

Chewy Crunchy Ritz Cracker Pie

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This Chewy Crunchy Ritz Cracker Pie is another of my mom’s recipes from way back that we loved as kids. Using Ritz crackers in a pie sounds strange, but when combined with pecans, egg whites, sugar and a little vanilla it becomes a crunchy, chewy and delicious dessert.

It’s very sweet, but besides the sugar it doesn’t have a bunch of bad-for-you ingredients. A dollop of Cool Whip or your favorite homemade whipped cream will balance that sweetness, so don’t forget to add it.

This recipe also gave me the opportunity to use some more of those wonderful Texas pecans!

Ritz Cracker Pie

The texture is almost a meringue, but the crackers and pecans give the pie a great flavor. Hard to describe – definitely delicious. What a treat!

Ritz Cracker Pie Cut

Chewy Crunchy Ritz Cracker Pie is a great pie for any day of the week or for special occasions. People won’t believe the ingredients, but they’ll ask for the recipe!

We lost Mother in January of 2009, and using her old recipes makes me smile, tear up a little, and think about how special she was. I really miss her and think of her every day.

Ritz Cracker Pie

Ritz Cracker Pie

Yield: 8
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes

Chewy and sweet with a crunchy meringue-like topping from the egg whites.

Ingredients

  • 3 egg whites, beaten until stiff
  • 1 C. sugar
  • 1 tsp. vanilla
  • 20 crushed Ritz crackers
  • 1/2-1 C. chopped pecans
  • Whipped Cream

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350°.
  2. Beat egg whites until stiff. 
  3. Gradually add sugar to beaten egg whites - mix on low until combined.  Stir in vanilla.  Gently fold in crackers and nuts. 
  4. Spread into a well-greased pie pan and cook at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.  Top slices with whipped cream when served.

Notes

Tips and Stuff:

Make sure the egg whites are stiff before slowly adding sugar. Just mix until combined or your egg whites will deflate; remove from mixer after sugar is mixed in, then go ahead with the vanilla.

I put the crackers in a sandwich bag and crushed with my fingers. You want a little texture, so don’t pulverize it into cracker flour!

I only used 1/2 chopped nuts and the texture was great.

Carefully fold in the crackers and nuts with about 10 stirs of a rubber spoon – you need to retain the lightness of the batter. It will pour, but should be fairly fluffy.

Nutrition Information:
Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1 slice
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 195Total Fat: 7gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 1mgSodium: 94mgCarbohydrates: 32gFiber: 1gSugar: 26gProtein: 3g

Nutrition Values are Approximate

© sblades
Category: Pies/Pastry/Puddings