Few dessert flavors evoke summer freshness like lemon. To be fair, a lemon dessert is also a great break from winter spices and chocolate. Lucky for us, lemons are available year-round, so let’s embrace the lemon once again with a tangy dessert that’s full of surprises. Whether it’s summer, winter or any time in between, try this lemon pudding cake meringue pie.
What exactly is lemon pudding cake?
If I were to call this dessert one thing, then it’s a pie. There is a crust and a filling, so it is a pie. It just so happens that the filling is my recipe for the Insta-worthy and TikTok-friendly lemon pudding cake. If you haven’t had lemon pudding cake yet, you are in for a treat. It’s what I believe the British call a self-saucing pudding—meaning, a cake that provides its own decadent sauce of sorts, in this case a lemon pudding. To clarify, specifically with this recipe, it’s one thin batter that’s leavened with egg whites and it bakes into two layers. The egg white layer rises and bakes into a cake that floats on top of a pudding-like layer. In this case it’s more like a lemon curd. It’s divine, and you can make it pie.
How to flip it into a meringue pie
You could make lemon pudding cake as a large casserole, but here you get the addition of a lovely crust and fluffy toasted meringue topping. Besides, sometimes the occasion simply calls for pie.
Credit: Allie Chanthorn Reinmann
The procedure for making the lemon pudding-cake filling is the same as in the original recipe linked above; the only changes are blind-baking the crust and making a simple meringue topping. (If you need a refresher on blind-baking, check here.)
Note that after blind-baking the crust gets “sealed” with a light brush of egg white. That’s because the pudding layer is liquid before it cooks. Swiping on a layer of egg white while the crust is hot out of the oven will create a transparent wall of cooked egg white. This will help prevent a soggy crust. I tried a graham cracker crust, which, as you might know, is risky. The results were mixed: some spots were dry and others were gooey, as you can see in the picture. That didn’t stop me from thoroughly enjoying the pie, however if you’re going for clean lines, I’d recommend an old-fashioned pie crust from the freezer aisle.
The resulting pie is best served chilled so the pudding can set, but with a freshly toasted meringue topping. Personally, I prefer this version of lemon pie to the classic Jersey-diner-style lemon meringue pie any day. Instead of assaulting you with a mouthful of gluey pudding and quickly deflating meringue, this pie has that middle layer of cake to help firm up the textures. You can save any leftovers in the fridge, but know that the meringue won’t be quite the same—which means you have license to finish it on your own. You know, for the sake of the pie’s reputation.
Lemon Pudding Cake Meringue Pie Recipe
Ingredients:
For the pie:
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1 store-bought pie crust
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3 eggs, separated
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1 teaspoon lemon zest
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¼ cup fresh lemon juice
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1 tablespoon butter, melted
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¾ cup flour
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¼ cup sugar
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¼ teaspoon salt
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1 cup milk, room temperature
For the meringue topping:
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Blind bake the crust as needed depending on the crust you chose.
2. Meanwhile, separate your eggs for the filling, so you have three yolks in a large mixing bowl and three whites in another large bowl. Whisk the whites slightly just to break them up and put a teaspoon of the whites into a small bowl. Have a pastry brush ready to “seal” the crust.
3. When the hot crust comes out of the oven, immediately use the pastry brush to apply the teaspoon of egg white all around the bottom and walls of the pie crust. Pay attention to where the bottom meets the walls. Set the crust aside to cool.
4. Add the lemon zest, juice, and butter to the egg yolks and whisk them together thoroughly. In a smaller bowl, mix the sugar, flour, and salt together. Slowly pour in half of the dry mixture while whisking vigorously to break up any lumps. Alternate with half of the milk, and then finish by whisking in the rest of the dry mixture and the remaining milk. It will be very liquidy.
5. Set up your pie crust in a large baking dish or, like I did, in a larger pie plate. Put a kettle of water on to boil so you can make a water bath when you’re ready to bake.
6. Whisk the three egg whites in the bowl until you have soft peaks and gently fold the whites into the batter. Put the pie shell inside of the larger baking dish, and into the oven. Carefully pour the just-boiled water into the outer dish until it comes halfway up the side of the inner pie dish. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the top is evenly tinged with brown and it jiggles slightly in the center when you move it, but is not watery. Remove the pie from the dish and let it cool. Cool it overnight in the fridge if you’re not in a rush.
7. Make the meringue just before you’re ready to serve it. Whisk the egg whites in a large bowl until frothy. Then add the cream of tartar. Begin whisking again and slowly add the sugar and the vanilla. Beat the mixture until stiff peaks form but the meringue is still glossy. Slather it along the entire surface of the pie and toast it with a torch, or pop it into a 350°F for 10 to 15 minutes to toast the top. Serve immediately.
