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Baked Lemon Meringue Pudding

Baked Lemon Meringue Pudding

by | Aug 29, 2021 | 0 comments

lemon meringue pudding

This magical lemon meringue pudding has a filling that splits into two layers – a luscious tangy curd at the bottom and a light, fluffy sponge at the top. Coupled with the crisp meringue topping and buttery coconut biscuits at the bottom, it’s a warm version of our favourite lemon meringue pie for a chilly night!

lemon meringue pudding

LEMON MERINGUE PUDDING

Originally created for Essentials Magazine

Serves 6

 

100g Tennis biscuits, crushed

220g + 110g Natura Sugars Golden Caster Sugar

finely grated zest of 1 large lemon

6 eggs, separated

90g butter, melted

70g cake flour

1 tsp baking powder

300ml coconut milk

125ml freshly squeezed lemon juice

 

Preheat the oven to 180C conventional or 160C fan-forced. Butter a 25cm pudding bowl or casserole dish with butter. Sprinkle the crushed Tennis biscuits in the bottom. In a mixing bowl, rub 220g of the sugar and the lemon zest together with your fingertips to release the oils from the zest – it should be very fragrant. Add the egg yolks and beat with an electric whisk until light and creamy. Add the melted butter, sifted cake flour and baking powder to form a batter then mix in the coconut milk and lemon juice. Whip the egg whites until soft peaks form then gradually add the remaining 110g caster sugar to form a glossy meringue. Place half the meringue into a piping bag fitted with a star nozzle. Divide the rest of the meringue into two – whisk half into the lemon curd mixture then fold the rest in gently. Pour into the prepared dish, pipe the meringue on top in rosettes and place inside a larger roasting tin. Fill the roasting tin with boiling water so it comes halfway up the sides of the dish then bake in the oven for 20 minutes until the top just sets – it should wiggle slightly. Remove from the oven, allow to cool slightly then serve warm.

lemon meringue pudding

 

 

Christmas Mince Pie Hertzoggies

Christmas Mince Pie Hertzoggies

by | Nov 12, 2018 | 0 comments

A buttery shortcrust pastry filled with homemade fruit mince and topped with a chewy coconut meringue – introducing the South African Mince Pie Hertzoggie!

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South African Christmas Desserts

Mince pie hertzoggies are the mince pies we should’ve had here in South Africa. At least that’s what I think! Every Christmas I take it as my duty to put a South African spin on some very European traditions that we’ve adopted. I’ve made this No-Bake Christmas Pudding which is actually a fridge cake in disguise, these Gingerbread Beach Huts which look like the colourful Muizenberg huts and this Milk Tart Eclair Trifle with Pinotage Jelly and Naartjie Caramel. 

Christmas isn’t Christmas without a Christmas pudding, a gingerbread house, trifle or mince pies. But at least we can make it our own, right?! 

 

Hertzoggies

If you don’t know what a hertzoggie is, it’s a local South African tart filled with jam (usually apricot) and finished with a chewy coconut meringue topping. They are sweet, buttery and incredibly moreish! So instead of the usual jam filling, I filled my mince pie hertzoggies with fruit mince. But not just any fruit mince. 

Homemade Fruit Mince

I used Food Lover’s Market’s Luxury Festive Cake Mix as the base of my very own homemade fruit mince. It’s so easy to make you’ll wonder why you’ve been buying the horrid bottled stuff all along. If you’re not a fruit mince fan, then it’s only because you probably haven’t tasted the good stuff. It’s so easy to make and delicious – especially if you use a really excellent quality fruit cake mix. The Red Bucket has been around for 23 years for a reason. It is loaded with dried fruit and has nuts and chopped glazed fruit already in it so it’s packed with flavour and half the work has already been done. At R69.99 for 1kg it’s also really affordable. 

If you’re more of a Christmas cake person, check out the indulgent Chocolate Mousse Fruit Cake I made for Food Lover’s Market last year that was a total hit! 

 

Mince Pie Hertzoggies
Yields 14
The South African jam tart topped with coconut meringue gets a festive Christmas spin and is filled with a homemade fruit mince.
Print
Prep Time
40 min
Cook Time
1 hr
Total Time
1 hr 40 min
Prep Time
40 min
Cook Time
1 hr
Total Time
1 hr 40 min
6530 calories
942 g
538 g
289 g
63 g
173 g
1815 g
3605 g
563 g
8 g
98 g
Nutrition Facts
Serving Size
1815g
Yields
14
Amount Per Serving
Calories 6530
Calories from Fat 2506
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 289g
445%
Saturated Fat 173g
866%
Trans Fat 8g
Polyunsaturated Fat 21g
Monounsaturated Fat 77g
Cholesterol 538mg
179%
Sodium 3605mg
150%
Total Carbohydrates 942g
314%
Dietary Fiber 35g
138%
Sugars 563g
Protein 63g
Vitamin A
139%
Vitamin C
84%
Calcium
51%
Iron
120%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your Daily Values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
Does this look wrong?
Ingredients
  1. PASTRY
  2. 210g cake flour
  3. 90g cornstarch/cornflour
  4. 100g icing sugar
  5. pinch salt
  6. 250g salted butter, softened
  7. HOMEMADE FRUIT MINCE
  8. zest and juice of 1 small orange
  9. 60g dark muscovado sugar
  10. 250g Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and grated
  11. 1/2 tsp mixed spice
  12. ½ tsp ground cinnamon
  13. 200g Food Lovers Market Luxury Fruit Cake Mix
  14. 2 tbsp (25g) mixed peel or chopped crystallized fruit
  15. 30g cherries
  16. ¼ cup (55g) pecan nuts, toasted
  17. 1 tbsp brandy
  18. COCONUT MERINGUE TOPPING
  19. 4 egg whites
  20. 1 cup (230g) castor sugar
  21. 2 cups (155g) desiccated coconut
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 150 degrees celsius with a large metal baking tray on the middle rack. Grease 2 x 12-hole muffin tins.
  2. To make the fruit mince, heat the orange juice and brown sugar until dissolved.
  3. Add all ingredients except the brandy and cook for 40 minutes until the liquid has been absorbed. Stir in the brandy and allow to cool.
  4. To make the pastry, combine dry ingredients in a mixer and gradually add the butter until the shortbread comes together. Dust a surface with flour and roll the pastry out to 5mm thick.
  5. Cut out rounds big enough to line your muffin tin.
  6. Place a spoonful of the fruit mince into each pastry cup.
  7. Whisk the egg whites until soft peak stage then beat in the castor sugar until thick and glossy. Fold in the coconut. Place in a piping bag and pipe meringue to cover the top of the fruit mince.
  8. Bake in the preheated oven on top of the preheated baking tray for 20 minutes or until golden brown. Allow to cool in the tin before removing and dusting with icing sugar.
  9. Pile the hertzoggies high on a cake stand and decorate with spun sugar and sparklers.
Notes
  1. Roll out the leftover pastry and cut out stars. Bake them and use to decorate your tower of mince pies.
beta
calories
6530
fat
289g
protein
63g
carbs
942g
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The Kate Tin https://thekatetin.com/
Pineapple Coconut Macaroon Tart with Pineapple Blossoms

Pineapple Coconut Macaroon Tart with Pineapple Blossoms

by | Jan 7, 2018 | 0 comments

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Pineapple Coconut Macaroon tart with Pineapple Blossoms

This Pineapple Coconut Macaroon Tart has a fragrant, tropical filling and a clever base made of coconut macaroon mix means you can line the tart without blind baking or rolling out pastry! The pineapple blossoms are easier to make than you think!

Pineapple Macaroon Tart with Pineapple Blossoms

Pineapple Tart reminds me of my summer. Of hot sunny days spent playing outside before being yelled at by my mother to come inside ‘before you get burnt to a crisp’. It wasn’t the UV rays that convinced me though – it was what was waiting on a side plate on the kitchen counter. A slice of, what in our house was dubbed, ‘Summer Pie’. The ‘pie’, which was more like a fridge tart really, consisted of whipped cream, condensed milk, pineapple jelly, crushed tinned pineapple all layered with coconut tea biscuits. Served ice cold, it tasted of sunshine and school holidays – bliss!

Pineapple

The moment my friends over at Natura Sugars asked me to create a recipe inspired by their beautiful Natura Sugars Golden Caster Sugar, one look at the bright yellow bag instantly reminded me of my mom’s pineapple tart (Summer Pie). So I’ve made a slightly more sophisticated, grown-up version with a clever shortcut instead of the usual pastry tart case: coconut macaroons!

Pineapple blossoms with Natura Sugars Golden Caster Sugar

The Natura Sugars Golden Caster Sugar is perfect for the pineapple coconut macaroon tart filling – not only because the fine crystals dissolve easily, but it’s crafted in tropical Mauritius (how fitting!) I’ve also used it in the coconut crust as it lends a lovely subtle caramel flavour. Serve this pineapple tart straight out the fridge, ice cold with a scoop of ice cream and you’ll have absolutely no doubt why it’s called Summer Pie!

PINEAPPLE COCONUT MACAROON TART WITH PINEAPPLE BLOSSOMS

Serves 8-10

 

COCONUT MACAROON CRUST

2 cups (160g) desiccated coconut

2 egg whites

1/4 cup (55g) Natura Sugars Golden Caster Sugar

 

PINEAPPLE FILLING

1 small pineapple, peeled

1 cup (250ml) cream (you could use coconut cream, if you like)

2 eggs

3 egg yolks

½ cup (110g) Natura Sugars Golden Caster Sugar

½ cup (125ml) pineapple juice

zest and juice of 1 lime

few drops yellow food colouring

 

MERINGUE TOPPING

1 egg white

1/4 cup (60ml) Natura Sugars Golden Caster Sugar

 

To make the pineapple coconut macaroon tart, preheat oven to 140°C (120°C fan-forced). Grease 1 large loose-bottomed 25cm tart tin. Place the coconut, egg whites and sugar in a bowl and stir to combine. Press mixture firmly into the base and sides of the tart tin. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until just golden. Thinly slice the pineapple and set aside on a lined baking sheet. Place the pineapple slices in an oven preheated to 100°C (80°C fan-forced) for 1 hour or until dried. While still warm, press the pineapple blossoms into a muffin tray for form flower shapes. Allow to cool completely. To make the filling, whisk the cream, eggs, sugar, pineapple juice and colouring together. Strain the mixture into a clean bowl and carefully pour the filling into the baked tart shell. Bake for 30–35 minutes or until just set. Allow to cool at room temperature before refrigerating until completely set. To make the topping, whisk the egg white unti soft peak stage then gradually add the sugar to form a glossy meringue. Pile on top of the set tart and toast with a blowtorch (or preheat our oven’s grill to it’s highest setting). Decorate the tart with the pineapple blossoms.

Watch the video below for the full instructions:

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/kHklX-iSYB4" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Meringue Christmas Tree

Meringue Christmas Tree

by | Dec 2, 2017 | 0 comments

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The best kind of Christmas tree? The one you can eat, of course! Imagine not having to worry about table decorations for Christmas this year? Imagine that the table decorations ARE the dessert! I came up with the idea for this Meringue Christmas Tree when I was dreaming up desserts that guests can have fun with and assemble themselves. They’ll have more fun, and more importantly, it’s less stressful for you! One giant meringue christmas tree in the middle of the table then becomes the pavlova at the end of the meal! Simply put bowls of ice cream, whipped cream, custard, fresh fruit and maybe a bottle or two of liqueur and everyone breaks off shards of meringue to create their own masterpiece!

Meringue Christmas Tree

Because this is quite a structure, you’re going to need to make sure you make a really good meringue! Here are my tips:

  1. Use room temperature egg whites
  2. Make sure your bowl and whisks are sparkling clean – any grease or fat will stop the whites from frothing
  3. There shouldn’t be any egg yolk in sight.
  4. Use a really good-quality sugar, I love the Natura Sugars Golden Caster Sugar because it’s unrefined which means it’s not just sweet, it has a light caramel flavour which adds so much extra flavour oomph to the merinuge! The fine texture is also important so it can dissolve and form a crisp shell.
  5. Beat the egg whites until soft peaks form before you start adding the sugar, and then add it gradually – not all at once.
  6. Whip the meringue until the Natura Sugars Golden Caster Sugar is completely dissolved.

 The meringue stars can be made up to a week before serving which means the only thing you need to worry about on Christmas day is stacking them, adorning the ‘tree’ with gold balls, glitter and a generous dusting of Natura Sugars Demerara Icing Sugar.

Meringue Christmas Tree

Watch how to make the Meringue Christmas Tree below:

 

Print
Meringue Christmas Tree

Ingredients

  • Serves 6-8
  • 10 large egg whites
  • 550g Natura Golden Caster Sugar
  • 150ml cornstarch
  • 1 tsp drop vanilla extract
  • ¼ cup Natura Demerara Icing Sugar, for dusting
  • Decorate with gold leaf, chocolate stars or any other desired decorations.
  • Whipped cream and berries, to serve

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 100 ?C and line two to three large baking sheets with non-stick baking paper. Trace star shapes onto one side of the baking paper, ranging from 25cm wide to 5 cm wide then flip the paper over onto a baking tray. Place the egg whites in the bowl of an electric mixer and whip to stiff peaks. Combine the cornflour and caster sugar together then gradually start adding the mix, little by little, continuing to whip, until the meringue is very thick and glossy. Whisk in the vanilla then place the mixture in a piping bag fitted with a star nozzle. Pipe the meringue into star shapes on the templates created. Place in the preheated oven to dry (wedge a wooden spoon between the oven and the oven door to keep it ajar) until the meringues are crisp but still soft in the middle, 1 – 2 hours. Take out and allow to cool completely.Once all the meringue stars have dried out and cooled, stack the stars on top of each other. Twisting each star so the points don’t all face the same way. Decorate with desired decorations and dust generously with icing sugar. Serve the Meringue Christmas tree with whipped cream and berries.
https://thekatetin.com/meringue-christmas-tree/

What will you be making for Christmas dessert this year? Let me know in the comments below! And if you don’t already know, here are a few more ideas:

 

Lemon Raspberry Wedding Cake with Vanilla Buttercream

Lemon Raspberry Wedding Cake with Vanilla Buttercream

by | May 23, 2017 | 11 comments

‘Who is making your wedding cake?!’ was the question I was asked a gajillion times a week during the run-up to the big day. I suppose when a cake-obsessed, dessert guzzler like myself marries an ex-pastry chef turned chocolate maker, well, then people think about these kinds of things! The answer? Well, duh we’re making our own wedding cake!
Some brides stress about the dress. Others agonize over the decor or stationery. Not me – I was all about the cake! So there are a few reasons we decided to make it ourselves: One, I was NOT going to have one of those piece-of-art, Pinterest-worthy cakes that look incredible but taste like cardboard. There is nothing more disappointing in life than dry cake and I was not about to start married life with one – oh hell no.

Secondly, why do we have to wait until right at the end of the day to cut the cake? Life’s too short… So we ate the cake first. Jip, straight after the ceremony, the bubbly flowed and we all scoffed ourselves silly on cake. And thirdly, I wanted the first thing we did as husband and wife to be special, and there is nothing we enjoy more than baking which is how we decided to assemble our wedding cake, live, right there in front of our guests. Eeeek!

The cake itself, was the first recipe Chocolate Maker and I baked together. Raspberry is my favourite flavour, while lemon is his and the buttercream is scented with vanilla and spiced rum we brought back from our recent trip to Mauritius. The lemons may or may not have come from my neighbours lemon tree (this is not a confession!). Obviously we couldn’t make the wedding cake on the day of the wedding (we made it the day before), so to keep it super moist, we soaked each layer in a tangy lemon syrup – it’s a secret baking weapon that makes all the difference!
I decorated it with olive branches to bring in a bit of Italy (since I am now, half-Italian afterall!), lemon branches and pomegranates from the Riebeek Kasteel area. The cake was perfect – fragrant, moist, not too sweet and was the perfect pairing for the Ayama MCC (my favourite bubbly!).

It was a seriously delicious cake and the perfect way to start a marriage – on a sweet note, with lots and lots of butter! ?

LEMON AND RASPBERRY WEDDING CAKE WITH VANILLA BUTTERCREAM

This recipe makes a standard 4-layer, 24cm cake. To make my two-tiered wedding cake, I doubled the recipe below (cake and buttercream) which made an extra 24cm cake plus 2 x 18cm cakes for the top tier. The final cake easily served 70 hungry guests.

SERVES 10-12

 

For the cake:

500g butter, softened

500g castor sugar

400g whole eggs (about 9 large)

400g cake flour

80g cornstarch or corn flour

100g buttermilk

1 tsp baking powder

finely grated zest of 2 lemons

 

For the buttercream:

300g egg whites

450g castor sugar

1020g unsalted butter, cut into blocks, softened (see tip)

1 juicy vanilla pod, seeds scraped

juice of 1/2 lemon

 

For the lemon syrup:

120g white sugar

120ml water

zest and juice of 2 lemons

 

Good-quality raspberry jam, for assembling

Olive branches, pomegranates and lemon branches, to decorate

 

Start by making the sponge layers. Preheat the oven to 150 degrees Celcius (fan-forced, or 170 degrees Celcius convenional). Grease and line 2 x 24cm springform cake tins. Cream the butter and sugar in a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment for 8-10 minutes. The mixture should be very white and very fluffy. Next, add the eggs in one by one, beating well after each addition. Sift the dry ingredients together. Remove the bowl from the mixer and using a spatula, fold in the dry ingredients alternatively with the buttermilk, adding the lemon zest last. Divide the batter between the cake tins and bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes then turn the oven up by 10 degrees for the remaining 10 minutes. Test the cake with a skewer inserted into the middle. If it comes out clean, it is baked. Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the tin for 10 minutes before unmoulding. Level each cake off using a knife then slice each cake in half horizontally so you have 4 layers.

To make the buttercream, place the egg whites and sugar in a bowl that fits over one of your saucepans. Fill the bottom of the saucepan with water and bring it to a gentle simmer. Place the bowl with the egg and sugar over the hot water and stir gently with a whisk (don’t whisk to aerate the mixture). Keep stirring until the mixture reaches 60 degrees Celcius on a thermometer or until the egg is hot to the touch. Transfer the hot mixture to the bowl of a standmixer and using the whisk attachment, whip the mixture on high until light and fluffy. Continue whipping for a good 10 minutes or until the meringue is cool to the touch. Slowly add the butter one block at a time. Scrape in the vanilla seeds and squeeze in the lemon juice, to taste. Cover and set aside at room temperature until ready to frost the cake.

To make the syrup, place the sugar, water, lemon zest and juice in a saucepan and bring to the boil for 1 minute. Allow to cool completely.

To assemble the cake, place the first cake layer on a cake stand and brush well with the syrup. Spread with a thin layer of raspberry jam and top with a layer of vanilla buttercream. Continue layering the cake, syrup, raspberry jam and buttercream until all the layers are assembled. Cover the top and sides of the cake with the remaining buttercream and smooth with a palette knife (using a cake decorating turn table really helps). Place in the refrigerator to set. Decorate with olive branches, lemon branches and cracked pomegranates just before serving.

 

TIP Never make a buttercream using salted butter – I know it’s tempting because of the ridiculous price of unsalted butter – but the amount of butter used means that you’ll be left with an extremely salty buttercream. Don’t do it.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY GUNTHER SCHUBERT OF VORSPRUNG STUDIO
Lemon Meringue Baked Cheesecake

Lemon Meringue Baked Cheesecake

by | Jan 18, 2017 | 11 comments

I have a serious soft spot for lemon meringue pie but not because of the coconutty crust or the velvety smooth filling (made with condensed milk please!) or even the puffs of crispy-marshmallowy meringue that adorn the top. Nope, it’s not because of any of those things. In fact it doesn’t even have anything to do with the pie. It’s because it’s my dad’s ultimate favourite dessert and that makes it special in our family.

This version, made with a baked lemon cheesecake filling, combines the best of both pie and cheesecake worlds and the layer of tangy lemon curd that oozes out the bottom when you cut it, adds an extra heavenly dimension. And if you’d like to go to a little extra effort, I think cute little mini versions of this (made in ring moulds or even clean tins!) would make a memorable dessert!

Lemon Meringue Cheesecake

Serves 10-12

 

400g biscuits, crushed

100g butter, melted

540g full fat cream cheese, softened

150g castor sugar

3 eggs

20ml double cream

1 tsp vanilla extract

juice and finely grated zest of 1 lemon

½ cup store-bought lemon curd (optional)

4 egg whites

120g castor sugar

 

Preheat the oven to 160C. Grease and line a 22cm springform cake tin with baking paper. Combine biscuits and butter and press into the bottom and up the sides of the tin to form a crust. Beat the cream cheese until soft and smooth then add the castor sugar, eggs, double cream, vanilla, juice and lemon zest. Spread a thin layer of lemon curd over the crust then pour in the cheesecake filling. Whip the egg whites until soft peak stage then add the castor sugar gradually until the meringue is glossy and the sugar is dissolved. Top the cheesecake with the meringue mixture, using a spoon to create soft peaks. Bake for 1 hour then leave the door slightly ajar (or place a wooden spoon in the oven door to keep it open), switch the oven off and allow the cheesecake to cool completely. Refrigerate until set then serve.