Lemon Meringue Cake and Tina's B-day Party

Lemon Meringue Pie.  Who doesn't love a refreshing slice of that during a sweltering Summer soiree'? Now you can have your pie, cake and eat it too! This isn't the best pic because the cake had been sitting out awhile in the heat and the meringue got sweaty.  Yeah they have that problem too!  I made this cake for Tina's birthday party at the beach.  Perfect summer birthday cake!  And easy too!

I modified the wonderful white wedding cake recipe I always use.  Remember those cupcakes?


This is a MOIST delicious cake that has a white cake as a base. GASP! Yes die-hard bakers can even add a little somethin somethin to a box cake to bring it into it's glory!  The recipe for the cupcakes is here! 
I altered the recipe to make it lemony so here it is: 

Ingredients:

1 (18.25 ounce) box white cake mix Duncan Hines Recommended 
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup granulated white sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/3 cups water
2 Tablespoons vegetable or canola oil
1 1/2  teaspoon lemon extract
1 cup sour cream (Can use lemon Chobani yogurt)
4 large egg whites

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 335°F. Spray 3 8' cake pans with a baking spray.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together cake mix, flour, sugar and salt. Add remaining ingredients and beat with hand mixer or stand mixer for 2 minutes, or until well blended.

3. Pour even portions into the three pans and pake at 335 until the cake pulls away from the pan and the a knife in the center comes out clean.  Sorry I don't have an exact time, I forgot to  write it down!! Ditz! 

This is a beautiful dense white cake with a lovely lemon flavor, yum!

For the filing, this is a major cheat.  Sure you can be a goodie goodie and make your HOMEMADE lemon curd. Be all Martha about it and all.  And THE Martha Stewart has a delightful recipe for it.  But you know what?  I found something just as good. IN. A. JAR. Who doesn't love the convenience of that!!! Here it is...

After the cakes are cooled, you stir the lemon curd in the jar and then put a nice layer of it on two layers of the cake.  Assembel the cake and then stand back and bask in it's uncovered glorious glory.  Okay, time to get back to work. You still have to make the Swiss Meringue frosting. There is NO fat in this frosting...YAY!!! Here's the recipe for that...

Joy the Baker's Swiss Meringue Frosting

YIELD: ENOUGH FROSTING FOR 24 CUPCAKES

COOK TIME: 15 MIN.

Recipe from JoytheBaker.com

ingredients:

•  4 large egg whites
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup light corn syrup
• large pinch of salt
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

directions:

1.  In a large pot, bring about 2 inches of water to a simmer.
2. In a large, heat-proof bowl, whisk together egg whites, sugar, corn syrup and salt.  The mixture will be grainy, because of the sugar.
3. Place bowl over simmering water and whisk as it heats.  The sugar will dissolve after about 5 minutes.  Keep and eye on the mixture, it shouldn’t get warm enough to cook the eggs.  Yucky.
4. Transfer the egg white and sugar mixture to the bowl of an electric stand mixer.  With a whisk attachment, beat the egg whites, on high, until stiff peaks form (about 5 minutes)  The mixture will be fluffy and glossy and look like melted marshmallows.  It’ll be sticky too.  Beat in the vanilla extract last.   Cover, and set aside until ready to frost cupcakes or cakes (my note make sure you have a STIFF peak for this recipe, very important! 

Then it's time to FROST glorious FROST! Ok, so I get a little dramatic about frosting but I LOVE frosting cakes especially with billowy frosting like this! 

I start at the top and go around to the sides.  When you are done pop the whole thing in a 450 degree oven for about 3-5 minutes to set the frosting.  

I recomemmend serving this cake within about an hour of frosting.

 This is the little festive area we set up to surprise her.  I brought the milk glass, candy and straws with me from home as well as the fabric and pennent from This Sweet Shoppe Party.

Me and Tina about to cut the cake!