This super moist lemon meringue loaf cake is so delicious and so easy to make. A zesty lemon drizzle cake is topped with a silky Swiss meringue, blowtorched to perfection. It tastes like Summer in a cake!

Did you know lemon meringue pie is one of my very favourite desserts? Well, it is! Something about the tart zing of the lemon paired with the silky smooth meringue does something to me. It’s just heavenly. The only downside of a lemon meringue pie is it’s a bit of an ordeal to make, a lot of steps and a lot of time, something I find myself short of these days. That’s where this cake comes in, all the flavours of my favourite pie in an easy to make cake. There’s still a few steps to make this cake but I promise it’s all very easy and totally worth the finished result.

Here’s what you’re going to need:

Unsalted Butter – Unsalted butter is exactly that, butter with no added salt. Using unsalted butter in your baking as you can always add a pinch of salt to bring out the flavours but you’re not in control of the content if you used salted butter. Always best to stick with unsalted.
Caster Sugar – Caster sugar is a finely ground granulated sugar which is often used in baking. The finer grains allow to dissolve quicker when creaming your sugars and fats. Normal granulated sugar will result in a grainy texture.
Eggs – Always large, always free range.
Self Raising Flour – Self Raising Flour is a flour with added leavening agent which gives our cakes a bit of a rise.
Lemons – Unwaxed lemons are best as we’re using the zest.
Vanilla Extract – I like to use a vanilla bean paste as I find it has the best flavour but just use the best quality you can afford.
Cream of Tartar – This helps stabilise the egg whites, essential for making meringue.

TIPS FOR MAKING SWISS MERINGUE:

Separate your eggs – Separate your yolk from the whites while the eggs are cold as it’s much easier than when the egg is at room temperature. Which brings us to the next tip.
Make sure your egg whites are at room temperature – Room temperature egg whites whip up much quicker than fridge cold whites.Keep your egg whites in a clean bowl covered with cling film and allow to come to room temperature before you start making the meringue. I like to do this step as the loaf cake is baking.
Make sure your tools are sparkling clean – Egg whites will not whip up if there’s even a speck of grease present in your bowl or on your beaters. Take extra care to make sure they’re as clean as possible. This is also true of any yolk present in the whites.
Flavouring your meringue – If you want to flavour your meringue use powdered flavouring. This wont effect the consistency of your meringue like a liquid flavouring will.

TIPS FOR MAKING LEMON MERINGUE LOAF CAKE:

Bake time – This cake can take anywhere from 45 minutes to and hour to fully bake depending on your oven. Mine was done in 50 minutes but start checking it with a cake skewer from 45 minutes, every 5 minutes until ready. If the cake is starting to brown too much, cover the top with a loose sheet of tin foil.
Measurements – I’m forever getting asked to give cup measures for my recipes and I’m always reluctant to do it. My biggest baking tip is to buy yourself a digital scale, you can get them relatively cheaply and they’re much more precise than cup measures.
Citrus – The lemon is interchangeable in this recipe, you can use any citrus fruit you have available. Lime, orange and grapefruit are all great options. Or go St Clements and use lemon, lime and orange together.
Tin – I’m constantly getting messages asking if it’s ok to bake cakes in a different sized tin and I’ll always advise against it. I’ve only tested this recipe in a 2lb loaf tin so I have no idea how it would react in a round tin or as cupcakes. Always try to stick to the correct tin to avoid disappointment.
Freezing – As usual you can freeze the un-iced cake for up to 3 months. Just wrap in a double layer of cling film. Defrost at room temperature for a few hours.
Toasting the meringue – I use a cooks blowtorch to toast the meringue, it’s such a handy tool. I use it for all sorts of kitchen tasks, even melting cheese! If you don’t have one, you can pop the cake under the grill (or broiler if you’re in America) for a few moments but make sure to keep a close eye on it as it can burn very easily.

How to store Lemon Meringue Loaf Cake:

This cake is best eaten on the day it’s made but if you somehow find yourself with leftovers you can pop it in an airtight container and store it in the fridge for up to 3 days. If you don’t have an airtight container large enough for the cake you can wrap it in cling film but it will spoil the decoration slightly. It will still taste delicious though.

Can I freeze this cake?:

You can freeze the un-iced cake for up to three months. Simply wrap it in a double layer of cling film and pop in the freezer. Allow to come up to room temperature before topping with the Swiss meringue.

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