Lemon Rosemary Meringue Cake

A delicious, savoury twist on a classic dessert. This Lemon Rosemary Meringue Cake is a winning combination.

Last week we went for dinner at a new restaurant in town that I have been super excited to try. They are known for their small sharing plates and delicious cocktails - two of my favourite things. The meal was delicious - it started with a cheese board and ended with a lemon rosemary dessert that came in a jar. As soon as I had my first bite of dessert, I knew that I wanted to recreate something similar. I decided to use the same flavours - the lemon, the rosemary and a meringue but change up the actual dessert and create a cake instead. 

I love the combination of the lemon with the rosemary. The rosemary brings a fresh unexpected twist to these otherwise classic flavours. I think its fun to use something typically savoury and turn it into a dessert. It adds a level of complexity to the flavours. 

We have to talk about the lemon curd filling. I considered making it its own post because its just that good. I could go on and on and on about it. But I will keep it short. Make it. Put it on everything (or eat it with a spoon). You can thank me later.  It has the perfect amount of sweetness to balance out the tart of the lemon and the egg yolks give it a beautiful yellow hue. Not only is it delicious but helps to keep this cake super moist.   

The meringue frosting is quick and easy to make. It whips up to a beautiful glossy shine and browns up nicely under a boiler (or you can use a kitchen torch - which I really need to invest in!). To brown the top of my cake using the oven, I preheated my oven to the broiler setting. I filled, stacked and frosted the cake on a piece of parchment paper and transferred the cake to a clean baking tray. The meringue will brown quickly in the oven, so be sure to keep a close eye on it! It will only take a minute or two for the meringue to brown.

Lemon Rosemary Meringue Cake

Makes: One 6 inch cake

For the Cake 

1 c sugar
Zest, from 1 lemon
2-3 sprigs of rosemary
1 ½ c cake flour
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
½  c butter, at room temperature
2 eggs
½  c milk

For the Lemon Curd

3 egg yolks
¾  c sugar
¼ c water
¼ lemon juice (juice from 1 lemon)
Zest from lemon
¼ c butter, cut into cubes

For the Frosting

3 egg whites
1 c sugar

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease and flour a 6 inch round baking pan, set aside. In a food processor, pulse together the sugar, lemon zest and rosemary, until just combined and the rosemary is broken down into smaller pieces. In a medium bowl sift together flour, baking powder and salt.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with a paddle attachment, on medium-high speed cream together butter and sugar mixture until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs until incorporated, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Slowly alternate adding in the milk and flour mixture, ending with the dry. Mix until just incorporated.

Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake for 45 minutes - 1 hour or until toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean. Allow cake to cool for 5-10 minutes in the pan before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

To make the Lemond Curd - In a saucepan combine egg yolks, sugar, water, lemon juice and zest. Simmer over medium heat, stir constantly until mixture starts to thicken and boil. Allow mixture to boil for 2-3 minutes then stir in butter. Boil for an additional 1-2 minutes then remove from heat. Allow to cool completely

To make the frosting - Over a double boiler heat together the egg white and sugar for 5 -7 minutes, whisking constantly. Transfer mixture to a clean kitchenaid mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Whisk on high for 5 - 7 minutes or until stiff glossy peaks form.

To assemble the cake - Torte cake into three even layers. Place your bottom layer on parchment paper. Spread a thin layer of meringue followed by a generous layer of lemon curd.  Top with your second layer of cake, repeat filling process and top with your final layer of cake. Using an off set spatula, frost cake with an even layer of meringue. If desired, brown meringue using a kitchen torch or oven broiler. If using the broiler, transfer your cake to a baking tray. Place in oven for 1-2 minutes or until meringue is lightly browned. 

Vanilla Cupcakes with Milk Chocolate Frosting

These vanilla cupcakes with milk chocolate frosting are the perfect birthday (or everyday) treat. They are simple, classic and delicious! 

This April weather has seriously got me down. We had a huge ice storm here this weekend. If you looked outside you would have sworn it was January and not almost May! We were stuck inside all day on Sunday, since the car was completely frozen over. I made a huge pot of tomato sauce for dinner and decided that we needed something classic and comforting for dessert.  The vanilla cupcakes are delicious and moist. They have a great crumb and nice bite to them. The real star here however, is this whipped milk chocolate frosting. It is light, fluffy and oh so delicious.  The frosting on its own reminds me of a big glass of chocolate milk. The sweetness of the milk chocolate makes the frosting lighter than your traditional chocolate frosting made with either cocoa powder or semi sweet chocolate. 

I decided to keep the cupcakes fairly casual. I didn't use my usual cupcake decorating technique but instead I used an off set spatula to quickly frost these cupcakes. I couldn't wait to dig into them and I love the more relaxed look this frosting technique gives. There is something nostalgic about it. Of course I had to add sprinkles! They brightened up the cupcakes (and the grey weather that we have been having). 

Vanilla Cupcakes With Milk Chocolate Frosting

Makes: 1 Dozen

For the Cupcakes 

½ c butter, at room temp

1 c sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

1 ½  tsp baking powder

1 ½ c flour

½ tsp salt

½ c milk

For the Frosting

1 c butter, at room temp

3 c powdered sugar

100 g milk chocolate, melted

Directions

Preheat oven to 350F. Line a cupcake pan with cupcake liners and set aside. 

In the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with a paddle attachment, over medium speed cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one a time, scraping down the side of the bowl after each addition. Mix until just incorporated. Add in the vanilla. 

In a medium size bowl, whisk together the flour, salt and baking powder. On a low speed, add half of the flour mixture to the wet ingredients. Add the milk, followed by the remaining flour mixture. Mix until just combined. Do not over mix. 

Fill cupcake liners 1/2 to 2/3s of the way full. Bake for 15-18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean. Transfer cupcakes to wire rack to cool completely. 

For the frosting: In the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with a paddle attachment, over medium-high speed cream together butter and powdered sugar until light and fluffy.  Switch to a whisk attachment, over medium speed, mix in melted chocolate. Whisk on medium - high speed for an additional 2-3 minutes or until frosting is light and fluffy.  Once cupcakes are fully cooled, frost as desired.

Lemon Blueberry Scones

These lemon blueberry scones are bursting with flavour while being light and moist! The juicy sweet blueberries pair perfectly with the bright tartness of the lemon! Enjoy with cup of tea or coffee!

 The combination of lemon blueberry reminds me of spring and I am hoping that these scones inspire some spring weather! I am so over winter and all the snow. I am ready for some warmer days and pretty spring flowers.  

I love that scones are so quick and easy to make! They only take a few minutes to mix together and they only take around 15 minutes in the oven. All in all, you can have a fresh batch of scones in a half hour! Which is particularly awesome, if like me, you decide you HAVE to make scones at 10:30PM on a Monday evening. 

These lemon blueberry scones are full of flavour! The lemon brightens these scones and brings a delicious fresh flavour to them. While the blueberries add sweetness. The scones are deliciously buttery and have the perfect crumb. They make for a delicious breakfast or afternoon snack. I love them with a warm mug of tea (or coffee!).  

Lemon Blueberry Scones 

Makes 8 Scones

Ingredients

1 ½ c flour

¼ c sugar

2 tsp baking powder

½ tsp salt

Zest, from 1 lemon

½ c butter, grated

½ c heavy cream

1 egg

1 c blueberries

Directions

Preheat oven to 400F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and lemon zest. Using either a pastry cutter, a fork or your hands, cut cold butter into flour mixture. Course crumbs should form, almost like a wet sand.

In a small bowl, beat together egg and cream. Add liquid ingredients to flour and butter mixture. Mix until just combined. Add in the blueberries . Mix until incorporated.

Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead until combined. Shape dough into a large circular shape, about 1 inch thick. Cut into 8 equal triangular pieces. Spaced evenly apart, place scones onto prepared baking sheet. Brush tops with extra cream.

Bake for 14-16 minutes or until edges are golden brown. Allow scones to cool on baking sheet before transferring to serving platter. Store in airtight container.