Best Lemon Meringue Angel Food Cake Recipes

LEMON MERINGUE ANGEL FOOD CAKE

Steps:

• For the cake: Place fresh, cold egg whites and cold water in the bowl of a heavy-duty mixer. Set aside until they are 60 degrees, or slightly below room temperature.
• Pour flour, 1/2 cup granulated sugar and salt into a triple sifter or sieve. Sift onto a sheet of waxed paper; set aside. Adjust rack in lower third of oven; preheat oven to 325 degrees. Set nearby a dry, un-greased 10inch tube pan. Such a pan allows the batter to cling to the sides and rise to its full height. Place a long-necked bottle or large metal funnel nearby for inverting the baked cake.
• Whip egg whites, preferably with a whisk attachment until frothy. Add cream of tartar and whip on medium speed until soft peaks form. Continue whipping and gradually add the 1 cup granulated sugar until whites have thickened and form soft droopy white peaks. Add the vanilla and lemon zest in the final moments of whipping.
• Sprinkle one-quarter of the flour mixture over the whites, and with a rubber spatula, fold into the whites. Repeat this process with the remaining flour mixture, folding in only one-quarter of the flour mixture at a time. Gently pour the batter into an un-greased tube pan. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, or until the top is light golden, the cake feels spongy and springs back when touched, and a wooden toothpick inserted in the middle comes out free of cake. Invert cake onto the neck of a bottle or funnel. Cool completely before removing from pan.
• To remove cake from the pan, slip just the tip of a small metal spatula between the cake and pan. Slowly trace the perimeter to release any cake sticking to the pan. Tilt the cake pan on its side, and gently tap the bottom against the counter to loosen the cake. Rotate the cake pan, tapping as you turn it a few more times, until it appears free. Cover the cake with a rack or cardboard round, and at the same time that you invert the cake onto the work surface, tap it firmly onto the surface. Lift the pan from the cake.
• For the filling: In a 1 1/2 quart heavy-bottomed saucepan, whisk briefly to combine the eggs, egg yolks, sugar, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Add the pieces of butter, and place the saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly over the entire bottom. Cook the mixture without boiling until it begins to develop body and thicken. Remove from heat and pour through a stainless steel sieve into a bowl. Cover the surface with plastic wrap, poke a few small slits in the plastic with the tip of a paring blade allowing steam to escape while cooling. Refrigerate (curd will thicken).
• For the frosting: In a 3-cup saucepan, combine the water and 2/3 cup sugar. Place over low heat to dissolve the sugar, then increase the heat to medium high and boil, without stirring, until a candy thermometer reads 235 degrees. (Wash down any sugar crystals slinging to the sides of the pan with a brush dipped in cold water.) Near the end of the boiling time, whip the egg whites with the cream of tartar until soft peaks form. Add the 2 tablespoons sugar, and continue to whip until the whites are stiff but not dry. With the mixer running, pour the syrup onto the whipped whites. Continue to whip on medium speed, about 3 minutes more. Mixture will thicken, cool and form glossy, stiff peaks. Add the vanilla. Cool to room temperature, about 8 to 10 minutes, then frost cake right away.
• Assembling the dessert: Cut cake into three layers. Spread the lemon filling equally between the two layers; top with remaining layer. Frost top and sides of cake with Italian Meringue Frosting.

ANGEL FOOD CAKE WITH LEMON MERINGUE ICING

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325°F.
• Sift the flour, 3/4 cup of the sugar, salt and lemon zest together 3 times.
• Beat the egg whites, water, lemon juice, cream of tartar and extracts together with an electric mixer on low speed until frothy. Increase to medium speed and beat until the mixture is 4 times its original volume, about 2 to 3 more minutes.
• Continue beating and add the remaining sugar, gradually over 3 minutes.
• Sift the flour mixture into the egg white mixture, 1/4 cup at a time with a spatula, working the batter as little as possible.
• Pour the batter into an ungreased 10" tube pan. Run a knife around the center of the batter and tap the pan on the counter to remove any air pockets in the batter. Bake 45 to 50 minutes, until the cake is light golden brown and well risen.
• Immediately invert the pan on the neck of a bottle until the cake is completely cool. Slide a knife around the pan and remove the cake. (This can be done in advance and stored in an airtight container for 1-2 days.).
• For the icing:.
• In a bowl, combine the egg whites, sugar, water, lemon juice, corn syrup and cream of tartar. Place the bowl over a pan of simmering water, stirring constantly with a rubber spatula until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is warm to the touch.
• Remove from heat and beat with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until medium peaks form and the meringue is cool. Add the vanilla extract and lemon zest and mix on high speed until stiffer peaks form.
• Place the cake on a serving platter and spread the icing over the top and sides of the cake. (Do not ice the cake more than 5 hours ahead or the frosting will lose volume and become grainy.).