Recipe: Orange Meringue Cake

Not only is this moist and refreshing cake stunning to look at, it's also a delicious treat with a lovely meringue topping. Recipe by Louise, genèveetmoi

Ingredients:

Shortcrust pastry

• 200 g spelt flour
• 50 g blanched, ground almonds (or ground cashews)
• 125 g butter
• 1 pinch of salt
• 1 egg
• 60 g sugar

Orange cream

• 3 egg yolks
• 60 g cane sugar
• 20 g cornflour
• 250 ml orange juice (juice from around 5 smallish oranges)
• 40 g cold butter, cut into cubes

Meringue

• 3 egg whites
• 1 pinch of salt
• 50 g cane sugar

Instructions:

1. In a large bowl, combine the spelt flour and the ground almonds.
2. Add the cubed butter and salt. Blend with your fingertips until the mixture becomes crumbly. Add the egg and the sugar. Combine the ingredients by hand.
3. Shape the dough into a ball, flatten it slightly, wrap it in cling film and allow it to rest in the refrigerator for at least two hours.
4. In another bowl, combine the egg yolks and cane sugar and mix well until it has a smooth consistency. Add the cornflour and mix well.
5. Add the freshly squeezed orange juice and pour the mixture into a pot.
6. Cook on medium heat for 4 to 6 minutes until the mixture becomes thick and creamy.
7. Remove the pot from the heat, add the butter and stir well.
8. Cover the mixture and let it cool, then refrigerate it for at least two hours.
9. Carefully beat the egg whites with a pinch of salt until they form stiff peaks.
10. Add the sugar, folding it in gently. The meringue should look smooth and shiny.
11. Roll out the shortcrust pastry, place it in a pie dish and press it up against the sides of the mould. Blind bake the pastry for 25 minutes in the oven preheated to 180°C. To do this, cover the pastry baking paper and fill with dried beans to weigh it down before baking. Remove from the oven and allow to cool. Remove the dried beans.
12. Fill the shortcrust pastry shell with the orange cream.
13. Use a pastry bag to pipe the meringue onto the cake. Return the cake to the oven preheated to 240°C on the grill setting for 2 minutes until the meringue topping is golden brown.