Fluffy vanilla sponge cake soaked in lemon simple syrup and layered with fresh homemade lemon curd and toasted vanilla meringue.
I love taking a dessert like lemon meringue pie and turning it into other forms of dessert. So I made this fabulous Lemon Meringue Pie Cake but I wanted a slightly simpler version that’s also so much easier to serve so here we are with the sheet cake.
It’s very similar to my lemon meringue cupcakes, which I didn’t add the graham cracker crust too but you certainly could if you wanted to!
Step-by-Step Photos
I like cakes that are more than just cake and frosting so there’s definitely a lot of parts to this but we’ll take it one step at a time with step-by-step photos.
First we’ll make the lemon curd and lemon simple syrup since they take longer to cool. Then we’ll make the sponge cake and once everything is cooled and ready to go, we’ll make the meringue fresh.
I chose to slice my cake before frosting it with the meringue so that I can pipe it on all cute. You can also just frost the cake and then slice it for a more rustic look.
Lemon Curd
Combine the sugar, eggs, lemon juice & zest, butter and salt in a small nonstick or enameled (NOT metal) saucepan over medium-low heat.
Whisk continuously until it thickens and reaches about 170F (77C), about 5 minutes. The curd should be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.
While it’s still hot, press the curd through a sieve into another bowl/jar, cover it and allow it to cool completely to room temperature. Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator.
sugar rubbed with lemon zestingredients for lemon curd mixed togethermixture will look split until they the butter is fully meltedlemon curd thickenedlemon curd coats the back of a spoondiscarded chunks from lemon curd.
Lemon Simple Syrup
Use your fingers to rub together the lemon zest with the sugar.
Add them to a small pot with the water and lemon juice and bring to a boil.
Reduce the heat to low and simmer for just a couple of minutes, until the sugar is fully dissolved. Remove and pour into a heat safe jar to cool completely (can refrigerate).
Lemon Cake
Make the sponge cake by separating the eggs and beating the egg whites with the sugar until stiff peaks form.
Add the egg yolks, vanilla and butter and beat at medium-high speed until it’s combined, just a few seconds.
Sift in the flour and salt (and baking powder if using) and beat at medium-low speed, just until the flour is mixed in. Use a rubber spatula to fold the mixture a couple of times to scrape the edge of the bowl.
Spread the batter into the prepared pan and bake for about until it’s golden brown & springs back.
Once it’s cooled, use a fork to poke holes in the cake.
egg whites beaten with sugar until stiff peaksegg yolks and vanilla addedsifted flour addedcake batter in prepared pan
Toasted Meringue
Whisk sugar, cream of tartar and egg whites over a double boiler.
Sugar has to be fully dissolved in the egg whites before whipping & reaches 170F (77C).
Egg whites and sugar fully whipped into a fluffy meringue, about 10 minutes.
raw egg whites and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixeregg whites and sugar cooking over a double boilercooked egg whites with sugar dissolvedMarshmallowy Swiss meringue
Assemble
Use a fork to poke holes in the cake.
Drizzle the lemon simple syrup on top of the cake. Go slowly so it soaks into the cake and not just dripping around the edges.
Spread the lemon curd on top of the cake.
Slice the cake and use a piping bag to pipe the meringue on top of the cake (can also just spread it on top and slice after for a more rustic look).
Use a culinary torch to toast the meringue on top.
fork holes poked into baked cakecake topped with lemon curdmeringue piped on top of cakemeringue torched on top of cake
Expert tips on getting perfect cake
There’s a few things you can do to make sure your cakes turns out perfect.
Don’t reduce the sugar. I know a lot of people do that for some recipes but it alters the texture as well as the flavor and stability.
I recommend weighing your ingredients with a digital scale as baking is much more precise than cooking.
Use an oven thermometer to make sure the oven is heating accurately.
Use a light colored stainless steel pans for even baking.
Read my post on a stable Swiss Meringue if you’re new to meringues!
PRO TIP: If you need the meringue to be SUPER stable you can add gelatin to it.
I just dissolve a ¼ tsp of gelatin in 1 tsp of cold water. Let it set for a few minutes and then microwave it for 5 seconds. Add it in with the vanilla and salt, mixing just until it’s well combined. It’ll set once it’s refrigerated.
How To Store This Cake
This cake definitely needs to be refrigerated because of the meringue and the lemon curd so I recommend covering it with a cake dome or cake container and refrigerating for about 4-5 days. Freeze if it’s any longer than that. Meringue can be finicky once it’s been frozen and defrosted but if it’s stable enough, it should be fine.
To freeze the cake, place slices in an airtight container and then place the container in a freezer bag, squeezing out all the excess air. Bring it back to room temperature by thawing at room temperature for a few hours before serving or in the fridge overnight.
If you have any questions, please comment down below – those will get answered much quicker than email or through social media.
If you’ve tried this, I would very much appreciate a star rating or review as well.
60mLlemon juice, 1 large juicy lemon or 2 smaller ones
Lemon Curd
100gramsgranulated sugar
2large lemons, zested or 4 small
2large eggs, room temperature
2large egg yolks, room temperature
120mLlemon juice , 1 large or 2 small lemons
84gramssalted butter , room temperature
Toasted Meringue
200gramsgranulated sugar
1/4tspcream of tartar
4large egg whites, 120ish grams
1Tbspvanilla bean paste or extract
tiny pinch fine sea salt
Method
Lemon Curd
Combine the sugar, eggs, lemon juice & zest, butter and salt in a small nonstick or enameled (NOT metal) saucepan over medium-low heat.*
100 grams granulated sugar, 2 large lemons zested or 4 small, 2 large eggs room temperature, 2 large egg yolks room temperature, 120 mL lemon juice 1 large or 2 small lemons, 84 grams salted butter room temperature
Whisk continuously until it thickens, about 5 minutes, just until it reaches about 170F (77C) – don't go over. The curd should be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.
While it’s still hot, press the curd through a sieve into another bowl/jar, cover it and allow it to cool completely to room temperature. Can store covered in the refrigerator.
Lemon Simple Syrup
In a small pot, add the sugar and lemon zest. Use your fingers to rub them together to release more lemon flavor.
100 grams granulated sugar, zest of 1 large lemon
Add the water and lemon juice to the pot and bring to a boil. Heat just until all the sugar is fully dissolved. Allow to cool completely.
180 mL water, 60 mL lemon juice 1 large juicy lemon or 2 smaller ones
Sponge Cake
Preheat the oven to 350F (177C) convection (325F/163C conventional) and grease and line a 9×13" or a 10" square pan with baking spray and parchment paper.
Place the egg whites in the bowl of the stand mixer and using the whisk attachment, at full speed, beat until they're frothy.
6 large eggs 55-60 grams each, separated
With the mixer on medium speed, stream in the sugar. Turn the mixer up to full speed and beat just until the meringue reaches stiff peaks.
150 grams granulated sugar
Pour in the egg yolks, butter and vanilla and turn the mixer to medium-high speed, mixing, a few seconds, just until they're fully combined.
Sift in the flour and salt (and baking powder if using) and turn the mixer up to medium-low speed, mixing just until the flour is incorporated.
120 grams all-purpose flour spooned and leveled, 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt, 1 tsp baking powder read blog post
Scrape the edge of the bowl well and spread the batter evenly into the prepared pan. Bake for about 20ish minutes, until the cake is golden and separates itself from the edge of the pan. It will also spring back when you press on it gently.
Allow the cake to cool completely and then use a fork to poke holes all over it.
Toasted Meringue
Bring a small pot with a little water to a boil and then reduce the heat to simmer (keep it on very low heat).
Wipe down your equipment with a tiny bit of vinegar or lemon juice (any edible acid) and then place the sugar and cream of tartar in the bowl of a stand mixer, whisking them together.
200 grams granulated sugar, 1/4 tsp cream of tartar
Add the egg whites to the bowl and whisk the egg whites into the sugar. Place the bowl of egg whites and sugar on top of the simmering water (making sure it doesn’t submerge into the water) – you want the steam to heat the egg whites.
4 large egg whites 120ish grams
Whisk the egg whites frequently so they don’t coagulate around the edge of the bowl. Generally around 5 minutes, the sugar will feel like it’s dissolved in the egg whites but you want to take the egg whites to 175F (80C) in order to get that stable, marshmallowy texture, which is normally around 10 minutes for me. So make sure to check the temperature with a thermometer between the 5-10 minutes (it may take up to 15 minutes).
Once it’s at 175F (80C), turn the stove off, remove the bowl from the simmering pot and place it on the stand mixer fit with the whisk attachment. Beat at medium speed for a minute and then increase to medium-high for about 10 minutes.
Add in the vanilla extract and salt and mix, that just until it’s combined, making sure to scrape the edge of the bowl as well. The texture should be thick and marshmallow – not dry or foamy.
1 Tbsp vanilla bean paste or extract, tiny pinch fine sea salt
Assemble
Use a pastry brush or a spoon to drizzle the lemon simple syrup on top of the cake and then spread a good layer of lemon curd on top.
Spread the meringue or use a piping bag to pipe the meringue on top of the lemon curd. Use a culinary torch to toast the top of the meringue. Feel free to top it with a little more lemon curd if you want.
Notes
Store bought lemon curd will work as well but I don’t particularly love any of them to recommend (but store bought marshmallow fluff will just weep so I don’t recommend that).
If you need the meringue to be SUPER stable you can add gelatin to it.
I just dissolve a 1/4 tsp of gelatin in 2 tsp of cold water. Let it set for a few minutes and then microwave it for 5 seconds. Add it in with the vanilla and salt, mixing just until it’s well combined. It’ll set once it’s refrigerated.
