Lemon Meringue Chiffon Cake

5 from 1 vote

Lemon Meringue Chiffon Cake features fresh lemon cake with tart lemon curd filling and sweet and fluffy meringue frosting. Perfect for Easter!

Prep Time50

Cook Time1

Cooling Time2

Total Time3 50

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Universal

Keyword: 7 minute frosting, boiled icing, bundt, bundt cake, cake, dairy free cake, dairy free frosting, dairy free icing, dessert, lemon, lemon cake, lemon curd, meringue, spring

Servings:

Calories: 536kcal

Author: Carissa Serink

Equipment

Ingredients

Lemon Curd

5 large eggs
3 lemons
⅔ cup granulated sugar
⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
6 Tablespoons unsalted butter softened and cut into 6 pieces (replace with dairy-free butter alternative to make this cake dairy-free)

Lemon Chiffon Cake

3 large lemons
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 ½ cups granulated sugar
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
7 large eggs separated, ensuring no yolk gets into any of the egg whites
water
½ cup canola oil or other neutral flavored oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon cream of tartar

Meringue Frosting

5 large egg whites (saved from lemon curd recipe, above)
½ teaspoon cream of tartar
1 ⅔ cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

Lemon Curd (make first as it takes a couple of hours to chill/set)

Carefully separate the egg yolks from the whites, making sure not to get any yolk in the whites. Put the egg whites in a small airtight container and put them in the fridge. You will use them later to make the frosting.
Zest the lemons with a microplane. Measure out 1 Tablespoon of the zest and set it aside. Juice the lemons, straining out any seeds and measure out ⅓ cup. Set it aside. Save the remaining zest and juice for another use, or discard it.
Prepare a double boiler, or set a glass or stainless steel bowl over a small saucepan. Add about an inch or two of water to the saucepan, ensuring that the water doesn't touch the bottom of the bowl. Bring the water to a boil, then reduce to a simmer.
In the bowl of the double boiler, whisk together the egg yolks, lemon zest, lemon juice, sugar, and salt. Continue cooking it in the double boiler, whisking constantly to prevent curdling, until it becomes thick enough to coat a spoon, about 10 minutes. If it still doesn't thicken, turn up the heat slightly and continue whisking.
Remove the bowl from the double boiler, and stir in the butter until it's melted and incorporated. Place a piece of plastic wrap directly on the lemon curd, and refrigerate until completely chilled, about 2 hours (note that the curd will continue to thicken as it chills).

Lemon Chiffon Cake

Move oven rack to the bottom position. Heat oven to 325°F.
Using a microplane, zest the lemons. You should end up with about 1 ½ Tablespoons. Set the zest aside. Now juice the lemons into a measuring cup, straining out any seeds. Add enough water to the juice to make ¾ cup. Set aside.
Whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. In a separate smaller bowl, whisk together the lemon zest, lemon juice-water mixture, egg yolks, oil, and vanilla. Fold the liquid ingredient into the dry ingredients, and stir until the mixture is combined and smooth.
Pour the egg whites and cream of tartar into a large glass or metal bowl, or the bowl of a stand mixer. Whisk the eggs until frothy. Beat the eggs on high (if using a hand mixer) or medium-high (if using a stand mixer) with a whisk attachment until stiff peaks form.
Gently fold the egg whites into the cake batter using a spatula until no more streaks of white remain. Pour the batter into an ungreased angel food cake tube pan.
Bake on the lowest rack for 50 minutes, or until the top is golden at set, and springs back when gently pressed.
Invert the pan by using the feet on the bottom of the pan or by fitting the center hole of the pan over a tall bottle. Cool for at least an hour.
Gently run a knife around the sides and center of the cake pan to remove the cake. Place the cake on a platter or cake board.

Meringue Frosting (make only once the cake is cooled and ready for frosting)

Add the egg whites and cream of tartar to the bowl of a stand mixer (or a large glass or stainless steel bowl). Whisk until frothy. Add the sugar to the bowl and whisk until combined.
Set up a double boiler with a saucepan that's the right size to fit the bowl you're using to mix your frosting - it doesn't need to be perfect, but avoid having the bowl touch the water. Place the bowl over simmering water and whisk constantly until the sugar dissolves and the mixture reads 160°F on an instant-read thermometer (2-3 minutes).
Fit the bowl onto your stand mixer (or move to the countertop) and mix on medium-high speed with the whisk attachment (with a stand mixer) or high speed (with a hand mixer) until stiff peaks form (5-7 minutes). Add the vanilla and mix until incorporated.

Cake Assembly

Use a small serrated knife and or a spoon to make a small trough (approximately 1 inch wide and 1 inch deep) on the top of the cake. Fill the trough with the chilled lemon curd.
Use a spatula or the back of a spoon to spread the meringue frosting all over the cake, and into the center hole, creating "peaks" with the back of a spoon. Serve immediatley after frosting, as this type of frosting doesn't hold well.
If desired, the frosting can be "toasted" with a torch. Make sure to keep the torch moving to avoid any burnt spots. Toasting the frosting will allow it to hold a little longer, so the cake will be okay for a couple of hours before serving.

Nutrition