Lemon Poppy Seed Meringue Cake

Here is a recipe that I hope you will like 🙂 The “classic” version of the lemon poppy seed cake is already a great success, so I dare to hope that this more original reinterpretation will satisfy you just as much 🙂

I had in mind to mix two recipes from my blog: the lemon meringue tart and the traditional lemon cake, and also to use my famous cake mold with an insert tube that I adore!

So, I started with a lemon poppy seed cake base filled in the center with lemon curd, coated with a light lemon glaze, covered with a blow-torched Italian meringue, and decorated with a two-lemon confit and yellow lemon zest. So yes, if you hate lemon, walk away, but for the lovers of this citrus fruit, you are going to love it!

Finally, one might think the recipe is complex to make, but not at all! You just need to spread out a few preparations, but everything can also be done on the same day without difficulty. Personally, I made my lemon curd and the two-lemon confit the day before, and the cake and meringue on D-Day.

For the mold, it is once again a cake mold with an insert tube from the brand Matfer 20x8cm. Since my darling gave me this mold for my birthday, I am rediscovering the pleasure of making more original cakes. Adding an insert clearly brings gourmet appeal to the cake, and the possibilities are endless!

So yes, with the addition of the insert and the meringue, the cake will tend to keep less well (and must be kept in the fridge), but I would bet my hand that the cake won’t last more than two days 🙂

I leave you the recipe with my schedule. Do not hesitate once again to give me your feedback here in the comments or even on Instagram 😉 I can’t wait to see your creations!

Ingredients for a 6/8 serving cake

(Matfer 20x8cm loaf pan with insert tube)

The Lime Creamy (Curd)

(To be made the day before)

38g lime juice
1 egg
38g caster sugar
38g softened butter
0.9g gelatin powder (or sheet)
5.4g water (to hydrate the gelatin powder)

1- In a mixing bowl, whisk the eggs with the caster sugar and add the lime juice. Mix properly.

2- Cook everything over low heat while stirring constantly until it reaches 83°C (the mixture should have thickened).

3- Off the heat, add the gelatin mass (gelatin powder hydrated in water) or the gelatin sheets previously squeezed of excess water. Mix and transfer to a clean bowl.

4- Add the softened butter, whisk vigorously, and blend using an immersion blender. Cover with plastic wrap directly touching the surface and set aside in the refrigerator.

The Two-Lemon Confit

(Based on a recipe by Aurélien Cohen – to be made the day before)

50g lime suprêmes (segments)
50g yellow lemon suprêmes (segments)
25g sugar (1)
14g sugar (2)
2.7g Pectin NH

1- Cut the lemon segments (suprêmes) and place them in a small saucepan. Add sugar (1).

2- Boil over medium heat for 4-5 minutes, mixing regularly with a whisk so that the preparation reduces a little.

3- Add the Pectin NH and sugar (2) which have been previously mixed together.

4- Whisk and let boil for about ten seconds.

5- Off the heat, blend using an immersion blender. Transfer to a small container. Cover with plastic wrap touching the surface and let cool.

The Cake Batter

(To be made on the day)

50g butter
3 eggs
135g sugar
172g T55 flour (all-purpose flour)
4g baking powder
1 pinch of salt
Juice and zest of 1.5 yellow lemons
90g heavy cream (whole liquid cream)
15g poppy seeds

1- Melt the butter and let it cool down until lukewarm.

2- Mix the sugar with the lemon zest and leave the mixture for about ten minutes so the zest flavor infuses the sugar.

3- In the bowl of your mixer, whisk the eggs with the sugar and zest until the mixture becomes frothy.

4- Add the sifted flour, baking powder, and pinch of salt. Mix again.

5- Add the lemon juice, melted butter, and finally the heavy cream. Mix.

6- Finish by adding the poppy seeds.

7- Pour the batter into a greased and floured cake mold (you can optionally line it with parchment paper to facilitate unmolding) making sure you have inserted the tube. The batter should fill a little more than 3/4 of the mold (if you have any left, make small cupcakes). Close with the lid.

8- Bake for 55 minutes at 160°C (320°F). Check for doneness with a knife blade; it should come out dry.

9- Let cool for a few minutes before unmolding. The cake must be completely cooled before it can be glazed.

The Glaze

(Optional)

Juice of half a lemon
Between 70g and 100g icing sugar
QS (Quantity Sufficient) of poppy seeds

1- Mix the lemon juice and the sifted icing sugar until you obtain a glaze consistency that is liquid but not too thin. Add a pinch of poppy seeds.

2- Pour the glaze evenly over the cooled cake. Use a spatula to coat the entire cake.

3- Let the glaze set until it hardens.

The Italian Meringue

(To be made on the same day)

58g egg whites
95g caster sugar
37g water

1- Bring the water and sugar to a boil. When the syrup reaches 110°C, start whipping the egg whites.

2- Once 118°C is reached, pour the syrup in a thin stream against the sides of the bowl, while continuing to whisk the egg whites vigorously.

3- Whisk at max speed for a good 2 minutes, then slightly lower the speed and continue whisking until the bowl completely cools down (about ten minutes).

4- Pour the meringue into a piping bag fitted with a Saint-Honoré nozzle and set aside.

Assembly and Finishing

QS (Quantity Sufficient) of lemon zest

1- Whisk the lemon creamy (curd) to soften it. Pour it into a piping bag and fill the center of the cake, ensuring it protrudes from both sides. Scrape off the excess.

2- Pipe your Italian meringue evenly on top of the cake using your piping bag fitted with a Saint-Honoré nozzle.

3- Burn (torch) using a blowtorch.