Lemon meringue pie, a true classic that is incredibly delicious! It has a deliciously fresh lemon curd filling, a crispy pastry base and, of course, a delicious meringue topping. We highly recommend making this amazing treat.
Classic lemon meringue pie
If you’re not familiar with it, lemon meringue pie is a classic baked dessert consisting of a crust, lemon filling and Italian meringue (egg white foam). The pie is also known as tarte au citron.
Although it is considered a French classic, this combination of ingredients was first created by a Swiss baker in the 19th century. It was served to royalty and was a symbol of wealth and generosity. I thought that sounded like an excellent reason to make this cake yourself!
The perfect lemon meringue pie
Although it is not the easiest pie to make, it is certainly not difficult. The recipe provides clear, step-by-step instructions. First, you make the crust, then the lemon filling and finally the meringue.
The result is a wonderfully fresh tart with a creamy topping and a crisp base. The filling is similar to lemon curd and tastes deliciously fresh. It uses both lemon juice and lemon zest wich makes it bursting with zesty flavor. Perfect for summer time!
I love baking with citrus, another lovely and easy baking recipe with fresh citrus is my orange cake. A must try!
What you need to make lemon meringue pie
To make this lemon meringue pie, you will need a few ingredients. However, I’ll also suggest some alternatives if you don’t have them at home.
- Quiche pan: for this cake, it’s best to use a quiche pan with a removable base. You don’t need to grease it or line it with baking paper, which is ideal! Of course, you can use a different type of tin, but bear in mind that the result may differ.
- Ceramic baking beans – the crust is blind-baked in the oven. For this, you need ceramic baking beans. If you don’t have these, you can use uncooked rice, dried beans, lentils or chickpeas instead. Unlike baking beans, these can only be used once.
- For the Italian meringue, you make a sugar syrup that you add to the egg whites while hot. A thermometer is the most convenient tool for this, but if you don’t have one, you can estimate the temperature. As soon as the mixture starts to foam, add a small amount to a glass of water. If it forms a ball that doesn’t hold its shape when removed, the temperature is between 112 and 116 degrees – the ideal temperature for this recipe.
- Brûlée torch: to give the meringue a browned, crispy crust, you can use a brûlée torch. This method is quick and easy, but you can also place the cake briefly under a hot grill.
Best lemon meringue pie recipe
As well as providing you with some useful tools, I also have a few tips to help ensure that your lemon meringue pie is a big success. First, make the base. Make sure the dough is well chilled, then let it rest. This will give you the most delicious, crispy base with a ‘crunch’ inside.
The lemon filling is very easy to make. Simply heat the ingredients together until they thicken. It’s that easy! For the best flavour, use fresh lemon juice and zest for the perfect balance. This gives the best flavour and makes for a deliciously fresh tart.
For the topping, we make an Italian meringue. This is simply whipped egg whites with added sugar syrup. This makes the meringue firm yet deliciously creamy. It is also suitable for pregnant women and children because the egg whites are heated.
Lemon pie with meringue
As well as all these useful tips and tricks, I really want to tell you that this tart is incredibly tasty! It would make a perfect birthday cake or Easter treat, or you could simply enjoy it as a delicious, refreshing snack whenever you feel like it. Will you give it a try?
Ingredients
- 200 gram flour
- 50 gram icing sugar
- 100 gram butter (cold and in cubes)
- 1 egg
- 1 tbsp ice-cold water
- 4 eggs
- 4 egg yolks
- 200 gram granulated sugar
- 1 lemon (zest only)
- 150 ml lemon juice
- 150 ml milk
- 20 gram cornstarch
- 150 gram butter (in cubes)
- 4 egg whites
- 250 gram granulated sugar
- 100 ml water
Equipment
- Food processor
- Quiche pan
- Rolling Pin
- Ceramic baking beans
- Microplane fine grater
- Kitchen thermometer
- Brûlée torch
INSTRUCTIONS (how to make this recipe):
To make the dough:
- Mix the flour and icing sugar in a large bowl. Rub in the cubed butter with your fingers until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.
- Add the egg and ice-cold water. Knead the mixture quickly into a cohesive dough.
- Wrap the dough in cling film and leave to rest in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius / 356 Fahrenheit with the top and bottom heat.
- Roll out the dough on a floured surface until it is large enough to cover the base and sides of the pie dish.
- Place the dough in the pie dish and press it gently into place. Prick the base of the dough with a fork.
- Bake the dough blind (with parchment paper and baking beans) for 15 minutes. Remove the parchment paper and baking beans, then bake for a further 5 minutes or until the pastry is lightly golden brown.
- Leave the dough to cool before adding the lemon filling.
To make the filling:
- Heat the eggs, egg yolks, sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice and milk together in a saucepan, then add the cornflour and mix well with a whisk. Add the butter in pieces and mix until it has completely melted.
- Continue whisking until the mixture starts to thicken. Then pour the filling onto the cooled base.
- Leave the filling to set in the refrigerator for about 4 hours.
To make the meringue:
- Beat the egg whites in a clean, grease-free bowl until soft peaks form.
- Meanwhile, put the water and sugar in a saucepan.
- Bring the sugar mixture to the boil, then leave it to boil without stirring until it reaches 115°C. You can use a sugar thermometer to measure this.
- With the mixer running at a low speed, slowly pour the hot syrup into the bowl with the beaten egg whites in a thin stream.
- Increase the mixer speed to high and continue beating until the meringue is shiny, stiff and completely cooled. This takes about 5–7 minutes.
- Generously add the meringue as a topping to the cake. Brown the meringue with a blowtorch (or under the grill) and enjoy!
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