Lemon Meringue Cake

Asked by StokeyBaker. Answered on 1st April 2014

Full question

I'd love to make the Lemon Meringue Cake but don't have a food processor. Will it work if I use an electric hand whisk in exactly the same way, or will I need to break the mixing down into separate steps?

Our answer

It is possible to make Nigella's Lemon Meringue Cake (from Feast and on the Nigella website) with an electric hand mixer, though more difficult if you are trying to use an immersion (hand) blender with a whisk attachment.

To make the cake using an electric hand mixer, we suggest that you start with the meringue part first. This will save having to wash the beaters of the mixer in between the mixing stages. After you have made the meringue with the egg whites and sugar, scrape as much meringue off the beaters as possible and set the bowl of meringue to one side.

Make the sponge by beating the butter and sugar together in a separate bowl for 1 to 2 minutes, until combined. Add the yolks, flour, cornflour (cornstarch), bicarb (baking soda) and lemon zest and beat until just combined. Add the lemon juice and milk and mix briefly then transfer the cake batter to the prepared cake tins. Top with the meringue mixture and bake following the recipe instructions.

If you are using a hand blender with a whisk attachment then it would be best to mix the cake batter using a wooden spoon (following the method above) and make the meringue with the whisk.