Lemon and White Chocolate Meringue Cake

I needed to make a dessert the other weekend and knew I needed something that wouldn't be too sickly and most importantly would be easy as it was a weekend of drinking. Hangovers and complicated anything do not mix.

I decided to go for meringue as it can be made the night before and assembled on the day of feasting. Of course it needed to be more than just a meringue so it became a three-tiered meringue tower.

The flavours are bright, sweet and tart making this perfect to end a big three course meal. I used lemon curd, vanilla cream and white chocolate shavings so there is still vibrancy but everything a sweet-tooth would need.

Now I made the meringue when tipsy and assembled it all when VERY hungover so I guarantee this is the easiest cake to make. It is meant to look messy; ready to dig in and destroy so have fun throwing your toppings on - quite literally! Mix it up by using your favourite flavours or even throw in some sparklers or flowers to make this a real showstopper.

Serves 8
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
Assembly Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:

• 6 egg whites
• 300g caster sugar
• 300ml whipping cream
• Capful of vanilla extract
• 100g icing sugar
• Jar of lemon curd
• Large bar of good quality white chocolate

Method:

Preheat oven to 150C. You will need three baking trays, lined with greaseproof paper.

Tip: you can stick the paper to the trays using a little of the meringue mixture in each corner.

In a large and very, very clean bowl whisk the egg whites until they form stiff peaks. Then, one dessert spoon at a time, add the sugar and continue to whisk. Whisk for a few minutes before adding the next spoonful of sugar. Keep whisking until the mixture is smooth and glossy.

Tip: to find out if the mixture is smooth, take a small amount between your finger and thumb and rub together. If you still feel granules then you need to keep on whisking.

You need to make three separate meringues: one large, one medium and one small. Use half the mixture to make the largest and gently spoon it onto one of the baking trays, Make each one 1-2 inches thick and keep the tops smooth so its easy to top them later. You can add some texture to the edges if you like. On the other trays make one meringue slightly smaller than the largest and then a smaller one with the rest of the mixture.

Pop them in the oven and then immediately turn the temperature down to 140C. Cook for 1 hour 20 minutes for marshmallow-y meringue. Cook for 15 minutes longer for crunchier meringue. Once the time is up, turn the oven off but leave the meringues in there until they are completely cool.

Assembly: whisk the cream and vanilla until just before you reach the soft peak stage. Then sift in the icing sugar and whisk again until a little stiffer but easily spreadable.

Place the largest meringue at the bottom. Add a large dollop of cream and spread out until about an inch from the edge. Then add a dollop of lemon curd and spread over the cream. It's okay if they mix together. Add the medium sized meringue on top and top again with cream and lemon curd. Add the smallest meringue to the top and top with cream. Then go Jackson Pollock with the lemon curd all over the meringue.

Lay the chocolate flat on the surface and using a sharp knife scrape the surface of the chocolate to create chocolate shavings. Make as many as you like a flutter them all over the 'cake'. Add extra at the top if you like.

James thought this looked a little bit like a cheese meringue because of the white chocolate shavings but don't worry, it definitely didn't taste cheesy and its quite pleasurable showering chocolate everywhere from a height.

Add extra fruit or other bits if you so wish but know that you can keep this dessert as simple as can be and it will still be utterly delightful. Perfect for when the sunshine shows itself again. Let me know if you give this cheat dessert a go and I hope you get to enjoy it in the summer sun soon.

Love, Rachael x

P.S. Here's a little behind-the-scenes and very-hungover-don't-drop-the-meringue action for you too...