Happy Birthday to you...Happy Birthday to you...Happy Birthday to you Kate !
Happy Birthday to you...Happy Birthday to you...Happy Birthday to you Tartelette !
Yes, Kate from Aaplemint and I are doing it again! Last year we found out through back and forth banters and emails that we shared the same birthday and decided to bake each other a surprise cake. I just checked Kate's site and she made me Apricot Financiers, and she did not even know they were among my favorites!! Yipee! We decided to make it tradition, which I hope we last as long as we are both blogging, and here we are again! So my dear Kajal/Kate, here is to you a delicious Lemon Meringue Ice Cream Cake.
The cake is composed of layer of meringue with a hint of lemon zest, lemon curd and homemade lemon ice cream inspired from one in my favorite all lemon book. I actually changed propotions, removed some ingredients, and used my usual curd recipe. I liked the idea not necessarily all of what she did. Except the ice cream....Just make that if you can!! You can make one large one or 4 (4 inches round) small ones like I did. It is best to start the meringue and the ice cream the day before you plan on serving it, assemble in the morning and keep frozen until you serve. We have had a serious bout of humidity this weekend so I made the meringue Friday night and left them to dry in the oven. I assembled the cakes about 4 hours before serving so they would still have a good crunch. I shared one with my mother in law Sunday for Mother's Day after many excuses for a cold snack these past couple of days, there is still one left for me later today....just me, hands off Mr.Tartelette! This cake is so lemon through and through that it finally satisfied the perfect lemon dessert I have been looking for these last few weeks. Yeah baby!! is what I say!!
Lemon Meringue Ice Cream Cake:
Serves 12 (instructions provided for a 8 inch round cake, I just used the same concept for 4 small cakes)
Printable Recipe
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 Tb cornstarch
2 tsp lemon zest
6 large egg whites
pinch of salt
Lemon Custard Ice Cream (recipe follows)
1 cup lemon curd (recipe follows)
For the Meringues:
Preheat the oven to 250F. Trace 2 8-inch circles on each 2 sheets of parchment paper. You need 4 circles total for the 4 meringue layers (you can do these free handed which I did since I knew I would have to trim them a bit before assembling). Invert the paper on the baking sheet.
Whisk 1/2 cup of sugar with the cornstarch and lemon zest and set aside. Beat the egg whites with the salt until they are foamy. Increase the speed and slowly add in the rest of the sugar, one tablespoon at a time until you get a firm and glossy meringue. Carefully fold in the sugar/cornstarch mixture.
With with the back of a spoon (or with a piping bag fitted with a plain tip and filled with the meringue), fill in the circles on the parchment paper. Smooth the tops. Bake the meringues for 1 hour. Turn the oven off and let them dry in the oven overnight.
For the Lemon Ice Cream:
2 cups heavy cream
2 cups half and half
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup finely grated lemon zest
6 large egg yolks
3/4 cup fresh lemon juice
In a heavy bottomed saucepan set over medium high heat, bring the cream, 1/2 cup of sugar, zest and the half and half almost to a boil.
In a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites ad the remaining sugar until they are pale and silky. Slowly add the hot cream mixture over the egg yolks, whisking as you do so to prevent the eggs from curdling. Return the mixture to the saucepan and cook, stirring constantly until the custard coats the back of a wooden spoon, as if you were making creme anglaise. Do not let it boil.
Pour the custard into a container and let cool to room temperature. Refrigerate until completely cold, stir in the lemon juice and freeze according to your ice cream machine instructions. If you do not have one, freeze until firm, whisk it with a hand held mixer or stand mixer and freeze again. Repeat a couple more times.
For the Lemon Curd:
grated zest of 1 lemon
1 cup strained lemon juice
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 Tb butter, at room temperature
Combine the zest, sugar, juice in a saucepan, and bring to a simmer.
In a small bowl, beat the eggs until light.
Beat some of the lemon mixture into the eggs to temper. Scrape the mixture back into the saucepan and cook stirring constantly until it thickens up, about 5 minutes.
Strain and refrigerate, covered with plastic wrap until ready to use.
Assemble the cake:
Remove the ice cream from the freezer 10 minutes before you start the assembly so it will be easier to spread on the meringue disks.
Remove the meringues from the parchment paper and set aside the least attractive one for the garnish. Put a large piece of plastic wrap at the bottom (going also up the sides) of an 8 inch round springform pan. Fit one meringue disk at the bottom, cover it with about 1 1/2 cups of Lemon Ice Cream, top with about 1/3 cup of Lemon Curd. Top with another meringue, another 1 1/2 cup of ice cream, another 1/3 cup of lemon curd. Repeat one more time. Crumble the reserved meringue disk and sprinkle it on top of the cake. Wrap the cake and freeze for at least 4 hours or overnight.
Let the cake soften in the fridge 15 minutes before you serve it.
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I leave you with a picture of my mom and me taken in 1977. I was already trying to make people eat and my first client was my stuffed rabbit Pipou (which now sit on my dresser...yep...still).
Thank you mom for not giving up on me 30 something years ago on May 13th (the delivery story is rather a long one, not so fit for a food blog) . I love you!
Finally, I got an early birthday present from Barbara this morning when she posted the round ups to her Taste of Yellow event, click on One and Two to get there. Thank you Barbara for such an amazing job!
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Birthday Girls: Sharing A Lemon Meringue Ice Cream Cake
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92 comments:
happy birthday Helen! What a great way to celebrate your birthday and Kate's! My birthday is in the middle of summer, I think I will make myself an ice cream cake too.
This is...I love it!
And the happiest birthday to you!
I guess I should have congratulated you on Mother's Day too...you DID adopt me after all;)
Happy birthday, dear Helen! :)
Happy Birthday, Helen! Happy Birthday to both of you :) I hope you are enjoying your day with as much sweetness as you bring to the rest of us. I love that picture of you feeding the bunny. Some things never change, no? :) xxoo Here's to many many more.
I'm so fan of lemon ...I find so delicious recipes in your blog .As a french cooking lover , I discover new places !! It's beautiful !
Looks delicious. Have a wonderful day!
Oh yum! HAPPY BIRTHDAY HELEN!
Happy Birthday, Helen! That cake looks yummy....you'll have to eat it quick!
Happy Birthday. What a great cake...and it is citrus. :)
Happy Birthday! Have a wonderful day!
That "Meringue Ice Cream Cake" looks fabulously delicious!
Cheers,
Rosa
Happy Birthday Helen! You are both so lucky to have reciprocally yummy treats :) You know I've never had lemon ice cream before? There's no such thing here! Good thing I have an ice cream maker and your recipe! :)
I just realized you could also freeze the ice cream in two lined 8" cake pans so you can just pop them out and layer them as is on the springform :)
Happy B-day Helen and have a day as fabulous as your desserts :)
I'm so in love with your birthday cake - what a absolutely fantastic idea!! Happy Happy Birthday! and how cool you still have your Pipou!
Gorgeous cake. Hope you have had a wonderful day.
A very happy b'day to you and Kate, dear Helen...hope you have a fabulous day :-)
...loved the cake and your cute photo :-)
happy happy birthday to you helen!! wishing you more delicious gastronomic adventures in and out your kitchen!! the cake is so lovely!!
btw, thanks for sharing your experience on the death of your aunt, while i was reading it i was truly touched..;thank you again!!
Happy b-day! The cake looks amazing and I hope you have an amazing day to match it. :) And you're adorable in that picture...
Hi Helen ...Happy Birthday again ...
and thanks ,that meringue cake looks wonderful. How i wish i could eat it.
U know i have to try this recipe for sure.Hope u have a wonderful day. Cheers, and yes i'll always be a tradition as long as i'm blogging :D
Happy birthday Helen! What a sweet tradition you two have started... I love it.
Pretty cake! Have a great birthday!
I don't know much about astrology but it's funny how birthdays cluster. My former boss and I have the same birthday and I know three other food professionals born on that day (albeit different years), too.
Feliz Cumpleaños a ti! I hope you day is extra special since you are extra special! Beautiful cake, sounds like something I would *love*!
Happy birthday to both of you! What a wonderful tradition you've started.
Happy Birthday Helen! My birthday is on the 15th and I've been contemplating my cake. I have a bumper crop of rhubarb this spring, so it may have to include that.
Eileen
www.livingtastefully.com
Happy Birthday Helen!
The cake looks too good!
Great way to honor each other, you and Kate! Love the picture with your mom---so sweet; you don't think the spoon was a bit too 'small' for that teacup? :)))
Have a fun, wonderful day!
ah! Happy Birthday!!
Happy Birthday!!!!!! I hope it is an amazing birthday as you do deserve it.
That cake WILL be made in this house...soon.
Again, Happy Birthday :)
Carrie
Joyeux Anniversaire! I hope I said that right :-p Great way to celebrate your birthday with that delicious looking cake. I hope you have a great birthday and all your wishes come true. :) Feliz cumpleaños!
great cake, i would love to eat it!
happy birthday
Bonne Année, Helen. Wish you a fabulous birthday! that cake looks so delish
Joyeux Anniversaire Helen! Hope you have a wonderful day, and all the cake you can eat! :)
Happy birthday to you and Kate! May your day (and your year) be filled with joy, love, and cake.
A lemon merengue Ice cream cake...I did not know this existed! How absolutely wonderful..wowser.
Happy Birthday, Helen. Your birthday cake is perfect. I hope your day is filled with joy!
Happy, Happy Birthday to you, my dear friend!
I LOVE the idea of making surprise cakes for each other - so fun!! Your Lemon Meringue Ice Cream Cake is definitely a delicious surprise :0)
Wishing you a VERY happy birthday, Helen, with many more birthdays to come :0)
Happy birthday Helen!
I have a question for you. I'm looking for a french pastry recipe and can't find it anywhere. I've just returned from Tokyo, where they have the best French bakeries and in one of those little gems I had this lemon curd (or lemon custard, I'm not sure) filled puff pastry. The pastry tasted sort of like the palmier(???), with lots of sugar on it, almost caramelized. It was shaped like a bell and it was really lemony. Being that it's all about citrus righ now, I thought you might be able to help.
Thank you so much!
Love your blog!
Kate
oh that's so sweet! happy birthday tartelette :) love that cake. ice cream sounds wicked and it's so pretty too..
happy bday to aaplemint too..u girls are so cute celebrating it on food blogs. i love it!
Gosh, I love lemon! Happy birthday!!!
Oh! Happy Birthday! Now I'm extra glad I sent you that little extra surprise! Your cake looks fabulous! Incidentally, both of my boys were born on the 13th (July & Oct). It's one of my favorite days!
Happy birthday to both of you! Mine is also today.:)
Happy Birthday to you both! :]
Such a lovely cake!
Oh what a lovely cake, and I say that as a former PROFESSIONAL PASTRY CHEF here in Clearwater Florida (before I got fired).
Anyway, when my BF (I am 50 years old, but I still have boyfriends) Big Bear has his next Bday, I am making him your cake because he loves lemon. And I do anything to keep his Big Bearness happy (see his beautiful photo here:
http://www.blogger.com/profile/06969188088059280636
Bonne Anniversaire Helene! What a wonderful birthday cake, for one of the sweetest gals around! Hope all your wishes come true!
Happy Birthday!! I think your tradition with Kate is super sweet. Almost as sweet as your cake!
Happy Birthday!!! That looks wonderful, I also have LLD and have been eyeballing this cake..your pictures are solidifying the deal. I gotta make it soon.
Happy Birthday ! That looks so good !
Happy Birthday Helen and also to Kate.
Such a wonderful cake and nice tradition. I like the idea ^-^
Will try to make lemon ice-cream soon.
P.S nice pic.... good memory. :)
Happy Birthday, Helen! What a DOLL you were in that pic! And I'll have a slice of that cake, too, please. Yum.
Happy birthday!
That sounds like a wonderfully lemony cake!
Happy bithday Helene!!! Hope you have a wonderful day and you're spoiled rotten!!!
And nothing could be more delicious than a lemonylicious ice cream cake!!!
Oh boy does this take me back to the frozen Pepperidge Farm coconut ice cream cakes of my childhood birthdays!
I have finally found the one food I could eat every day of my life!
Oops, I’m sorry, I meant to say Happy Birthday first!
Happy Birthday (first) lol.
Happy Birthday - what a delicious looking cake to enjoy. Many happy returns.
Aww...happy day!!! lovely gesture & delicious cake... what more could you ask for :)
between yours and mine only 1 day different ;)
Happy Birthday Tratlette! I hope you have a blessed and inspired year.
Happy Birthday!!! Happy Birthday!!! Happy Birthday!!! Happy Birthday!!! Happy Birthday!!! Happy Birthday!!!
I shouldn't have wish it to you last night when we spoke! hmmmmm.....sorry!
Happy belated Birthday, Helen! That picture of you as a child is just precious. :)
happy birthday! what a lovely tradition you have going with kate!
Happy Birthday! What a beautiful cake!
what a special way to celebrate, kate is lucky to have you as a friend! joyeux anniversaire and many more!
Oh Happy birthday!!! What a great idea to share this event. I missed you by a day, otherwise I would have loved to join next year.
Anyway, enjoy this day and all the wishes.
Thanks for sharing so many gorgeous posts with all of us (and I am still contemplating with the mason jars, Thank you very much for that very generous offer too!).
All the best,
Alexandra
Happy birthday! That cake looks amazing!
I wish you all the best, Helen.
Happy Birthday!
Late but from heart: Happy Birthday dear Helen and all the best for you!
Well, I sure missed and blew past this one. However late, my warmest wishes for a wonderful birthday and year!!
The cake just says you to me, gorgeous and multi-layer filled with flavors.
A wonderful fun photo of you and your mom.
Happy Birthday to heart even if late...cake is beautiful.
Anna
Bon anniversaire ma grande fille chérie, à toi et à "pipou". Je t'aime d'amour.Bravo pour ton blog et les superbes recettes sans oublier les splendides photos. Continue !!!!
Happy birthday!
The cake looks lovely!
Happy birthday, my dear, sweet, talented and generous friend!
xoxo
Happy Birthday!!!!!!! And Many Many Many More!
Natalie @ Gluten a Go Go
Happy Birthday! This looks so delicious. I'm in love with lemon, too, and have an especially hard time resisting anything that's both lemony and creamy. I have to ask around and see if anyone's having a birthday around my way so I have an excuse to make this!
-Cait
What a lovely little cake :)
Hope you had a WONDERFUL day filled with happy things!
Happy Birthday Helen! Hope you have a blessed day.
Happy B-Day, Helen! What a great idea making cakes for each other! I love your ice cream cake. And your pic with your mama is cute:)
Happy Birthday, Helen! Yummy sweets, too. I finally bought four rings so I can begin to experiment with "small" thanks to you.
Happy Birthday! My goodness...I'm not a huge fan of citrus desserts but this cake could make me change my mind. How lovely!
Oh I hope I'm not late to the party!
My birthday is in 3 days (trying not to think about it) but It's so nice to know you're a Taurean too.
And the idea of a lemon Meringue "cake" is utterly divine and perfect.
Tres Bonne Anniversaire Helene!!!
Happy belated birthday, dear Helen! I hope you had a lovely day - may all your wishes come true. :)
And that's an adorable cake to share with dearest Kate!
Hi There
I just stumbled upon your blog and think it is an excellent read for foodies and especially like the photos and design of the blog.I started off as a blogger myself and realise the importance of a good clean design like you have here. I have now bookmarked it for myself to read and have added you to our new list of "all the food blogs in the world" on www.ifoods.tv which we have been compiling for the last month! Hopefully it will send you some traffic in the long run. Looking forward to reading your thoughts on food so keep up the good work and talk soon. Cheers
HAPPY BIRTHDAY! And many more...
Taurus,a good sign, totally fits you. At least as far as I know.
Happy birthday to you Tartelette! And to you Kate! How jealous am I of your lemon meringue ICE CREAM cake!!! Yum!
Enjoy.
Oh yea, we're also having a contest on our blog where you could win a package from Lou Malnati's. Check it out!
Happy birthday dear Helen! That ice cream cake looks extra special. :) I hope you had a wonderful day and a great year to come. <3
happy birthday Helen!
I have a present for you in my blog (first post) and please do not forget the yummy blog award that is also for you
Happy day-belated birthday! That cake looks soooo good!
Bon anniversaire!
May this year bring more wonderful joy and delicious happiness to you!
biz -
OK, I'm going to have to buy this book now!
Happy belated birthday! I hope it was a great one!
Happy birthday, Helen! What a delicious cake with which to celebrate!
Happy (belated) birthday to my Tarteletty! You make my baking world go round!!!
Happy belated birthday Tartelette. With a fantastic cake like this one I am sure it was only good!!!! And such a sweet photo of a very young you! We're all very grateful to your Mom for not giving up on you :) Hugs from Colleen xx
Well, I'm sure it was a happy birthday with a great looking dessert like this!
Again, I've come late to the comments box. I read this post the day it came up, and thought, "I *will* make that!" Trouble is, I'm too spontaneous for my own good... I fudged the assembly, since I decided to make this five hours before the party I was going to, in broiling heat and high humidity - no meringues for me... I made pate brisee discs, made your lemon ice cream, and used some good jarred curd. While I still want to do your version properly - know that you inspired a pretty yummy throw together dessert with that wonderful ice cream!
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