This spicy Zesty Lime Cake with Italian Chilli Meringue Frostings is a show-stopping sponge that will surprise and delight your tastebuds.
Zesty Lime Cake with Italian Chilli Meringue Frosting Recipe
Serves 10-12
Ingredients:
Lime Cake
250g unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup caster sugar
1½ tbsp lime zest
4 large eggs
2 tsp vanilla bean paste
3 cups self-raising flour
1 cup buttermilk
¼ cup lime juice
Lime Syrup
¾ cup lime juice
¾ cup caster sugar
Italian Meringue
1½ cups caster sugar
¼ cup water
3 bird’s-eye chillies, halved
4 egg whites, at room temperature
Pinch cream of tartar
Method:
To make cake, preheat oven to 160˚C. Grease and line base and sides of a 20cm round cake tin. With an electric beater, beat butter, sugar and zest until pale and creamy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
Beat in vanilla. Transfer to a bowl. Fold in sifted flour and combined buttermilk and lime juice in 3 batches. Spoon into prepared tin. Cook in preheated oven for 1 hour 15 minutes, or until a skewer comes out clean.
Meanwhile, to make syrup, place juice and sugar in a small saucepan. Stir over low heat until sugar dissolves. Bring to boil. Gentle boil for 10 to 15 minutes, or until slightly thickened.
Pierce hot cake all over with a skewer. Spoon over syrup. Cool completely in tin then turn onto a serving plate.
To make meringue, stir sugar, water and chillies in a small saucepan over a low heat until sugar dissolves. Increase heat to medium-high. Cook, without stirring, for 7 to 8 minutes or until mixture reaches 120˚C, brushing sides of pan with a wet pastry brush to avoid crystals forming. Remove chillies.
Meanwhile, beat egg whites and cream of tartar in a large bowl until soft peaks form. Gradually add hot syrup to egg whites, beating on a medium speed. Increase speed and beat for 10 to 15 minutes or until thick and glossy. Spread meringue over cake.
Smart Tip:
A blow torch can be used to caramelise meringue.
