Lemon meringue loaf cake

Super most and delicious Lemon meringue loaf cake recipe with a Lemon drizzle cake base and an extra layer of silky meringue on top for a fun look and more complex texture and flavour. Amazing harmony of sweet and tangy flavors can be found in this homemade citrusy Pound cake, you will love it! This Lemon meringue cake recipe is also super quick and easy to make, a dream come true for lemon dessert lovers!

Do you know Lemon drizzle cake? It's zesty, moist, vibrant and FULL of flavours due to the generous amount of lemony syrup that soaked into the sponge. The trick is to pour the drizzle over when both the cake as well as the syrup is warm - this allows the sponge to soak up all that tangy lemony syrup keeping the loaf fresh and moist for days.

Well, if you like Lemon drizzle cake, you will love this Lemon meringue loaf cake recipe with an extra meringue topping!

My Top 5 Baking Tips for home bakers

1. Read the recipe carefully including my tips and recommendations on how to avoid and fix typical issues during baking this easy Lemon meringue loaf cake recipe. A short recipe alone not able to call out all the details that you need to pay attention to while baking therefore most of my recipes contain important information about ingredients and technique
2. Avoid using substitutes and changing the recipe unless you are aware of how to fully reformulate the recipe in order to keep the balance in texture as well as flavour. In general, replacing egg, using gluten-free flour, skipping certain ingredients etc. will all have an impact on your Lemon meringue loaf cake, and sadly I am not able to provide substitutes for all sort of allergies and dietary requirements
3. For consistent, happy baking experience always measure your ingredients with the help of a Digital scale. Cup measurement is provided as an indicative figure only and might be used for less complex and large batch recipes however it is not an appropriate method if you want consistent results
4. Did you know that most home ovens can significantly under or oven run? Also, oven temperature hugely drops when opening the oven door therefore it is recommended to always pre-heat the oven above the required baking temperature.
5. Temperature is so important when it comes to baking and accurate oven temperature is key, can make or break any recipe. Make sure you invest into an inexpensive Digital oven thermometer to avoid under baked, burnt, sad looking cakes

Some important notes regarding the INGREDIENTS of this moist Lemon meringue loaf cake recipe

For the Lemon Pound cake

1. Butter: This Lemon meringue loaf cake recipe is a butter based cake. Use always unsalted as you want to be in control of the quantity of the salt. I am using 82% fat content butter in all my recipes. In this recipe butter needs to be at room temperature which technically means soft enough to be able to cream but not too soft or runny so avoid last minute microwaving
2. Granulated sugar: For all my Pound cakes I use simple, white granulated sugar, nothing fancy or expensive. If you want to learn about the different types of sugar and how to use them in baking, please read my article in here
3. Egg: Room temperature as always
4. Flour: You can also use self raising flour, pastry flour or even AP flour, they are so called “soft flour” which are low on protein resulting in delicate, tender texture. If you want to be a Pro when it comes to deciding what type of flour to use in your baking, please read my article in here
5. Baking powder: If you are using self raising flour, then no baking powder is needed however with AP and pastry flour use baking powder according to the recipe
6. Zest of lemon: Using lemon zest is my favourite flavouring to spice up my lemon desserts, it makes them wonderfully flavourful and aromatic. Make sure you use organic lemon (or one which has no chemicals on the skin) and only grate the green part of the skin, but not the white

For the Lemony soaking syrup

1. Lemon juice: Simply squeeze the juice out of the lemon you previously took the zest off
2. Granulated sugar: White granulated sugar is completely fine for this soaking syrup recipe

For the Swiss meringue

1. Egg white: Egg white is the base of meringue for decorating this Lemon Pound cake. Make sure you use room temperature egg white that are absolutely free from any sort of fat (e.g. egg yolk). If you get some egg yolk into the egg white, start again. Believe me, you can’t make a successful meringue with that batch unfortunately
2. Sugar: Use white granulated or superfine sugar (which dissolves quicker) while heating it up with egg white. See tips below
3. Lemon juice (optional): 1-2 teaspoon of freshly squeezed lemon juice helps whipping the meringue up

4 tips regarding the TECHNIQUE of making this Lemon meringue Loaf cake

1. How to make moist Lemon Pound cake

I am using my go to Pound cake recipe to make this Lemon meringue loaf cake. It is very moist cake with velvety crumb and extremely delicious! According to the Books Pound cake is made of equal amount of sugar, butter, flour and egg however I usually reduce the sugar slightly especially when the Loaf is glazed, like this Lemon meringue loaf cake

• Grease your loaf tin, mine is 10x20cm, adjust the recipe according to the size of your tin or it might overflow/will stay tiny
• Baking temp will be 175 C / 347 F but preheat oven +20C / 68F as oven temp will drops when you open the door and place the baking tins in
• Use Digital oven thermometer to understand your real oven temp
• Ingredients must be all measures with a Digital scale
• All ingredients must be on room temperature, they won´t properly emulsify if eg. butter too cold, the batter might even break
• Cream room temp butter and sugar with an Electric hand mixer for 5 minutes until creamy and pale
• Add in egg, one at a time, mix with a hand whisk after each addition
• Sift in dry ingredients: flour, baking powder and salt
• Fold mixture with a rubber spatula just until fully combined, do not over mix. Mixture should stay fluffy and nicely whipped up
• Fold in lemon zest
• Pour batter into your prepared tin
• On top of the cake apply a very thin butter line – this will help the Loaf cake to open up nicely and evenly instead of breaking in a random way
• Bake for 40-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean. Each oven is different, please focus on the the texture of the cake that the middle is well baked instead of the time
• Once loaf is ready baked, prick the top with a toothpick or skewer and pour the warm syrup over, this is the drizzle stage. The syrup will sink in. Let the cake properly cool in the tin.

TIP: I am making this Lemon meringue loaf cake in a Loaf tin however the cake can be also made in a Bundt tin or Cake tin. Make sure you adjust the quantity of the ingredients to the size of tin you have.

2. How to make the syrup for this Lemon Pound cake

The lemony syrup is what makes this Lemon meringue loaf cake wonderfully flavourful, sweet & tangy and super aromatic! The syrup also makes the Pound cake super moist for days! Making the syrup literally takes less than 5 minutes and could not be easier!

Boil sugar and lemon juice for 3-5 minutes until syrup slightly thickens. Please pay attention to the consistency (it should get syrupy) instead of focusing on the time as each stove is different. What is important is that you use the syrup immediately: pour warm syrup all over the warm cake, then syrup will sink in. Make sure you prick the cake all over on the top, it will help the syrup to sink in. You have to let the cake cool in the tin as it is very fragile while warm and wet from the syrup. It will stabilize as it cools and you can easily remove it from the tin in a few hours.

Note regarding the amount of syrup: The amount of syrup in this recipe makes the this Lemon Pound cake very nice and moist however might find that not all the syrup will sink in at first. I recommend that you pour half of the syrup over the cake then wait a minute or two then pour the rest of the syrup over once the previous amount already sank in.

3. How to make Swiss meringue

Double boiler is a common method for melting chocolate without burning it and also for making meringue without ending up with scrambled egg. All you need is a saucepan and a glass bowl that rests on the rim. You might have to play around with combinations of pans and bowls to find the perfect fit but it works perfectly fine.

Making Swiss meringue will be a two stages process, but don´t worry, it´s very simple.

1. Get your double boiler and heat egg white and sugar mixture up until sugar fully dissolves and mixture reaches  80 C / 176 F. I recommend to invest into a thermometer (I have this one: Infrared thermometer gun that I also use for tempering chocolate too) If you do not own a kitchen thermometer, take some meringue mixture between your fingers, and the meringue is ready when it does not feel greasy and sugar totally dissolved. Make sure you whisk the mixture to avoid eggs cooking.
2. Now whip the meringue up in your Stand mixer on medium-high speed. It is ready when stiff peaks form and the meringue is very shiny and smooth - it might take between 5-8 minutes. You can add 1-2 teaspoons of freshly squeezed lemon juice after whipping for about 1-2 minutes. Lemon juice helps to stabilise the meringue and also somewhat balances the sweetness of it

Tip No1.: When heating egg white with sugar over double boiler, make sure that 1. the water below is boiling but not crazy boiling. Too much heat too quickly can cause the egg white and sugar mixture to break 2. Do not leave the mixture over the double boiler and walk away. Make sure you whisk it constantly 3. Be patient , don´t remove the egg white sugar mixture from double boiler before it reaches the temp mentioned above or you might find it difficult to whip it up later

Tip No2.: While whipping the meringue monitor the consistency. It should whip up stiff and shiny however once the desired consistency reached, stop whisking or the meringue might break later

Tip No3.: Make the Swiss meringue when your Loaf cake comes to room temp as you will need to use the meringue immediately

4. How to decorate this Lemon meringue loaf cake

Decorating with Swiss meringue is the most fun part of this recipe and you are only 5 minutes away from here to taste the cake!

1. Make sure that the Pound came to room temp. Do not place the meringue on warm cake
2. Prepare the meringue as per instructions in the recipe
3. Once meringue is ready, place it on top of the Loaf cake all over. Use the back of a spoon, press down lightly into the frosting and swoop it up. You can’t really go wrong with this method, if you don’t like it, just keep doing until you are happy with the result.
4. Decorate with lemon zest

Your Lemon meringue Loaf is ready, it´s time to taste it! The cake tastes best when eaten fresh. It can be stored in the fridge for a couple of days however before serving, bring it to room temp for about 30 minutes so the sponge part will moisten (it will harden slightly in the fridge due to butter).

Some more Pound cake recipe ideas for your to try

Poached Pear Pound cake - Cinnamon and orange zest infused poached pears in a simply yet super delicious loaf cake that is packed with vanilla and cardamon. The ultimate, easy fall recipe you need: Poached pear pound cake! Recipe in here

Marble Loaf cake - My "Better than Starbucks Marble Pound cake" consists of fluffy and delicious swirl of Vanilla and Chocolate cake covered with a 3 ingredients crunchy chocolate hazelnut glaze! Recipe in here

Pumpkin bread with cream cheese frosting - Fluffy Pumpkin Loaf infused with aromatic Fall spices you love and frosted with an easy, 3 ingredients cream cheese icing that is very well balanced in sweetness (also made without butter!). Recipe in here

Surprise inside heart Red velvet Pound cake - This Surprise inside Red velvet loaf cake is the ultimate Valentine´s day cake you can surprise your loved one this year! An easy red velvet pound cake with mild chocolate flavour, melt in your mouth buttery crumb and exceptionally silky creamy cheese frosting. And! A hidden heart in each slice, how beautiful is that? Recipe in here

Surprise inside Bunny Carrot Pound cake - This Surprise inside Easter carrot cake is the ultimate Easter cake with a hidden bunny in each slice! Incredible moist loaf cake packed with spices and walnut. The ultra creamy cream cheese frosting is adding a lovely freshness to the loaf balancing its sweetness. Recipe in here

Mojito Loaf cake - Moist vanilla Pound cake with aromatic lime zest, drizzled with a super delicious lime, mint and rum syrup and decorated with crunchy white chocolate. Recipe in here