This Lemon Mousse Cake with Toasted Meringue is the ultimate celebration cake. The original take on the classic lemon meringue pie will be a real crowd-pleasing dessert to serve to your guest at your next party!
Seperate the Egg Yolks and Whites. Keep the Egg Whites for another recipe.Whisk the Egg Yolks and Sugar until foamy. Add the cubed Butter at room temperature and stir until combined, using a silicone spatula to rub the butter into the batter (see note 1).
Add the Flour and Baking Powder, and whisk until combined.Gently press the pastry on the bottom of a round springform pan to get a uniform base. You may want to use the bottom of a cup to make sure the pastry is evenly flat.
Place in the fridge while your oven is preheating on 180'C/350'F.Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the pastry starts to turn golden-brown.Set aside to cool down completely before continuing the rest of the recipe.
Lemon Mousse (Lemon Bavarois Cream)
Seperate the Egg Yolks and Whites. Place the Egg Whites in the fridge for later.
Heat up the Lemon Juice in a small pot. In the meantime, whisk the Egg Yolks, Caster Sugar and Cornstarch. As soon as the Lemon Juice starts to boil, remove from the heat and slowly pour over the egg yolks while continuously whisking. Stir to combine, then transfer the egg and lemon cream back in the pot.
On low heat, whisk the liquid until it starts to thicken. Once it starts to boil, add the Agar Agar Powder, whisk for another minute and remove from the stove. Transfer into a clean bowl and set aside. (See note 2 to use Gelatine Powder instead of Agar).
In a seperate bowl, whip the Heavy Cream until you get a very stiff whipped cream. Gently fold in the Lemon Cream without over mixing it. Pour over the pre-baked Crust and place in the fridge to set for at least 2 to 3 hours.
Toasted Meringue
Remove the Egg Whites from the fridge. Whip the Egg Whites with the Cream of Tartare until it starts to thicken. While continuously whipping, gradually add the Caster Sugar. Increase the speed of your mixer and whip until you get very stiff peaks.
If you are not going to serve straight away, keep the meringue in the fridge until ready to serve.Place the Meringue in a piping bag with your choice of nozzle (see note 3). Fully cover the cold Lemon Bavarois Cream with the Meringue.
Place the cake under the grill/broiler of your oven, set on high. Leave for 30 seconds to 2 minutes, or until the meringue is toasted. Make sure to keep an eye on it to avoid burning it. Do not leave it for too long or the lemon mousse could start melting.
Leave to cool for 5 to 10 minutes, then serve straight away.
Notes
This is better done with a stand mixer
If you prefer to use Gelatine Powder instead of Agar, follow the same steps up until the cream starts to thicken. Then, transfer into a clean bowl et leave to cool down. When cold, stir in the soaked Gelatine Powder (or gelatine sheets) then continue with the other steps.
You can also simply drip the meringue over the lemon mousse and use a spatula to cover it.