Vegan Lemon Meringue Cake

Method (cakes)

1. Preheat your oven to 180°C fan and line three 8 inch loose base / push up cake tins with greaseproof paper. If you don’t have 3 cake tins you will have to bake the cakes separately. Just cover the unused batter with a damp tea towel until you’re ready to use it.
2. In a bowl, combine the dairy-free milk with the apple cider vinegar and whisk until fully combined. Set aside for 10 minutes to curdle. This creates a vegan ‘buttermilk’.
3. In a large mixing bowl, sift the flour, sugar, lemon zest, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda. Mix well to combine.
4. Add the oil into the ‘buttermilk’ and whisk to combine.
5. Add the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix.
6. Pour equal amounts of batter into the lined cake tins. Make sure to tap the tins on the worktop to remove any air bubbles.
7. Pop the cakes into the centre of the preheated oven and bake for around 25-30 minutes. You will know they are done when you put a knife or skewer in to the centre of the cake and it comes out clean and they are springy to the touch.
8. Place the cakes on a cooling rack and allow to cool slightly before removing them from the tins. Leave the cakes to cool fully on the cooling rack.  Once cool, pop them into a sealed container to keep them fresh before frosting.

Method (meringue)

1. Preheat your oven to 120°C and line a baking tray with grease proof paper.
2. Place the aquafaba and the cream of tartar into the bowl of your stand mixer. If you don’t have a stand mixer, use a bowl and an electric hand whisk. First whip on slow speed then turn up to high.
3. Whip on high speed for around 3 minutes until foamy, then gradually add in the sugar. Once all the sugar is in continuously whip on high speed for around 8 minutes or until glossy peaks form.
4. Transfer the meringue into a piping bag fitted with a large round tip nozzle. Pipe the meringue onto the lined tray (as we are going to be breaking up the meringue, any shape will do).
5. Place into the oven and bake for 45-50 minutes. After 50 minutes, turn the oven off and allow the meringues to sit in the oven for an extra 30 minutes before opening the door and allowing them to cool in the oven. If removed immediately, the meringues may collapse.
6. You’ll want to keep them crisp, so store in an air tight / sealed container at room temperature (overnight only). If you place them in the fridge, they will fill with moisture and loose their crispness.

Method (lemon curd)

1. In a small bowl, add in the corn flour and water. Stir together into thick paste.
2. Add the cornflour paste, dairy-free butter, sugar, lemon juice, lemon zest, condensed milk and a pinch of turmeric into a medium sized saucepan.
3. Place the saucepan on the hob and heat over low to medium, stirring constantly, preferably with a whisk. After around 5-8 minutes the lemon curd will thicken. If the curd isn’t thickening, turn up the heat and constantly whisk.
4. Pour curd into a heat proof jar or bowl, cover and place aside to cool down.
5. You can either put it in the fridge or keep it at room temperature to cool. Before you use it, give it a good stir as it will thicken. If it’s too thick, whip in some lemon juice to loosen.

Method (buttercream)

1. In a large mixing bowl, add in the dairy-free butter, whip until creamy. I use a stand mixer with a balloon whisk attachment, a hand mixer will work great too.
2. Sift in the icing sugar and add in the vanilla. Whip on high speed for around 5-8 minutes to incorporate it. Add a splash of dairy-free milk if needed. If the buttercream is too thick, add some more chunks of cold butter. if it’s too soft, add more icing sugar. You want it smooth, creamy and airy.
3. Place one of the cakes on a serving plate or cake stand. Dollop or pipe some of the buttercream on top and spread out until even using an off-set spatula or pallet knife.
4. Create a well in the middle of the buttercream and spoon in some lemon curd (not too much or the cake may slide around). Crumble some meringue over the lemon curd and buttercream layer, then place the second cake layer on top. Press it down gently so it sticks, repeat for the third cake. Coat the whole cake with a thin layer of buttercream. This creates a crumb coat.
5. Place the cake into the fridge to set for 15-20 minutes. You want the buttercream to be firm, this will make the final coat and applying the decorations easier.
6. Remove the cake from the fridge and apply a second/final coat, this time making it thicker, then using a cake scraper to make the edges of cake smooth.
7. Transfer any left over buttercream into a piping bag fitted with a medium sized star tip nozzle, pipe swirls around the top edge of the cake.
8. In the middle of the swirls, pour some lemon curd and crumble over meringue pieces.
9. Decorate the cake with some fresh lemon slices. Make sure the lemon slices are dried well otherwise they’ll make the buttercream moist and may slide down the sides of the cake. TIP: Dry the lemon slices with some kitchen paper then add some buttercream to the back of the lemons to help them stick the the cake. Watch the video for example! 
10. Use a sharp knife to cut the cake into slices, serve and enjoy!