My girls love to have tea parties and I thought it would be fun to make a special treat for a Mother’s Day tea party with my girls. These Lemon Meringue Strawberry Cream Cakes are light airy lemon meringue “cakes” stacked and filled with fresh strawberry whipped cream and will melt in your mouth!
Lemon Meringue Cakes
Makes 20- 3″ round layers, 5- 4 layer cakes
3 egg whites
3/4c sugar
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
1/2 tsp pure lemon extract
yellow food color gel
Strawberry Whipped Cream Filling
3c heavy whipping cream (used Horizon Organic Heavy Whipping Cream)
3 TBSP confectioners’ sugar
1 1/2c fresh strawberry quarters (or you can try using strawberry preserves or extract of any flavor you wish)
5 small fresh strawberries, or if making shorter cakes you will need one strawberry per cake
Start by tracing 3 inch circles on parchment paper, leaving space between (you will need 2 baking sheets and 2 sheets of parchment paper) each place paper writing side down on baking sheets.
Preheat oven to 175 degrees. Combine egg whites and sugar in a metal mixing bowl set over a pot of simmering water; stir until sugar dissolves and mixture is warm. Remove from heat, add cream of tartar and beat with a mixer on medium-high speed until stiff, glossy peaks form and meringue is mostly cooled, about 7 minutes. Fold in lemon extract and gel color.
Spoon meringue into a piping bag fitted with 1M tip. Pipe circles, starting on the inside working your way around onto the circle marked parchment papers as your guide. Bake meringues until crisp on the outside but still soft inside, approximately 2 hours. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely. Meringues can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature up to 1 day.*
To make the Fresh Strawberry Whipped Cream pour heavy cream and confectioners’ sugar into a chilled bowl. With a mixer (used Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer) on low whip cream until it starts to thicken, approximately 2 minutes. Whip on high until stiff peaks form. While cream is whipping puree strawberries in a small food processor or blender. If strawberries are really watery try to drain. When heavy cream has reached stiff peaks fold in strawberries. Chill cream until ready to use.
To assemble your cakes spoon Fresh Strawberry Whipped Cream into a pastry bag, I used the same 1M tip. Place a Lemon Meringue circle on a plate and pipe Fresh Strawberry Whipped Cream onto the layer, stack another Meringue on top and continue until you have 4 layers or desired height. Pipe a little cream on the top and add a fresh strawberry for garnish. Serve immediately, if cakes sit the meringue layers will soak up the cream and will not stay crispy, however some like them after they sit in the refrigerator a bit but the lemon meringues will get mushy. Enjoy!
*According to Martha Stewart.