Lemon Meringue Toaster Strudel
Super easy puff pastry stuffed with fresh homemade lemon curd and topped with marshmallow-y toasted vanilla meringue.
I had some leftover lemon curd and meringue from making these Super Fluffy Lemon Meringue Cupcakes so I used the rest in some puff pastry. It’s the perfect way to use up leftovers and makes for a fabulous little treat. I wasn’t sure what to call these but they remind me of toaster strudels so that’s what I went with. The only difference is that you get a luscious serving of meringue on top instead of icing!
Lemon meringue lovers, I think you’ll also appreciate my gorgeous creamy Lemon Meringue Cheesecake and these springy Lemon Meringue Baked Donuts.
How To Make Lemon Meringue Toaster Strudels, Step-by-Step Photos
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 covered in the refrigerator.
Assemble
- Thaw the puff pastry and slightly roll out each sheet so they’re not quite as thick.
- Slice each sheet into 6 rectangles and place the first 6 on a baking sheet line with parchment paper.
- Spread lemon curd on top and then brush the edges with an egg wash.
- Place the other 6 rectangles on top of the lemon curd and use a fork to seal/crimp the edges.
- Brush the whole puff pastry with egg wash and freeze, until solid, while the oven preheats.
- Bake until a nice dark golden brown and allow to cool completely.
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.
- Use a piping bag to pipe the meringue on top of the cooled pastry, swirl in some more lemon curd and toast them using a culinary torch.
Expert Tips On Getting Perfect Toaster Strudels
- 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 – especially in the meringue.
- Weigh your ingredients with a digital scale
- Use an oven thermometer to make sure the oven is heating accurately.
- You can use a ruler to make them perfect but I just trimmed the pastry after assembling to make them even.
- Read my post on lemon curd if you’re new to that.
- Read my post on a stable Swiss Meringue if you’re new to meringues!
How To Store Lemon Meringue Toaster Strudels
Unfortunately these are best served fresh and probably not that good later lol. You’d need to refrigerate them but then the pastry will lose its crispy/flakey texture.
You could hold off on the meringue and just pipe that on fresh so then you could store them toaster strudel at room temperature for 1-2 days.
Freezing would definitely give you a soggy pastry once it’s defrosted so I don’t really recommend it unless you hold off on the meringue and then try rebaking them to make them fresh again.
Toaster strudels were one of my favorite treats growing up so I’m excited to make more, I’m thinking we’ll do a S’mores one and definitely a Tiramisu one!
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.
As always, have a blessed day and happy baking!
Love, B
Equipment
- 1 sheet pan
- 1 zester
- 1 small pot
Ingredients
- 2 sheets puff pastry (1 box) , thawed
- 1 large egg yolk
- 30 mL milk
Lemon Curd
- 50 grams granulated sugar
- 1 large lemon, zested, or 2 small
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 1 large egg yolk, room temperature
- 60 mL lemon juice, 1 large or 2 small lemons
- 42 grams salted butter, room temperature
Toasted Meringue
- 100 grams granulated sugar
- 1/8 tsp cream of tartar
- 2 large egg whites
- 2 tsp vanilla 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.*50 grams granulated sugar, 1 large lemon, zested or 2 small, 1 large egg room temperature, 1 large egg yolk room temperature, 60 mL lemon juice 1 large or 2 small lemons, 42 grams salted butter room temperature
- Whisk continuously until it thickens, about 5 minutes, just until it reaches about 170F (77C) – don't go over. It 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 covered in the refrigerator.
- Once the puff pastry is thawed (can still be cold), roll out both sheets a little bit and slice each into 6 rectangles (you can roll it a little more and cut them into 8 smaller rectangles if you want but the smaller they are the less filling you get).2 sheets puff pastry (1 box) thawed
- Spread about 2 Tbsp of lemon curd onto each one, leaving a good edge to seal with the top.
- Mix the egg yolk with the milk and then brush the edges of the pastry around the lemon curd and place the top layer of puff pastry on top of the lemon curd and seal the edges using the back end of a fork.1 large egg yolk, 30 mL milk
- Brush the whole top layer of puff pastry with the egg wash and place in the freezer while you preheat the oven to 400F (204C).
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.100 grams granulated sugar, 1/8 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.2 large egg whites
- 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.2 tsp vanilla bean paste or extract, tiny pinch fine sea salt
- Use a piping bag fit with a round tip to pipe the meringue on top of the cooled toaster strudel. 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.
- These are best served fresh because the puff pastry may get soggy if it’s refrigerated or frozen after baking.
- If you need the meringue to be SUPER stable you can add gelatin to it. I just dissolve a 1/8 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.
Nutrition
Serving: 1gCalories: 644kcalCarbohydrates: 64gProtein: 9gFat: 39gSaturated Fat: 12gPolyunsaturated Fat: 5gMonounsaturated Fat: 20gTrans Fat: 0.2gCholesterol: 108mgSodium: 281mgPotassium: 114mgFiber: 1gSugar: 27gVitamin A: 311IUVitamin C: 4mgCalcium: 30mgIron: 2mg
