Lemon Meringue Traybake

I love the tang of lemon. Citrus fruit is so very yummy and lemons are one of my favourite ingredient to bake and cook with. I do love a good lemon meringue pie, but the time between embarking upon the bake and finally getting to sample it often puts me off baking it with the kids. Enter this Lemon Meringue Traybake; a yummy, tangy moist lemon cake with loads of smashed meringue covering its top. It is completely yummy and quick to make. It also involves smashing meringues which my kids think is amazing. I think it must be that I am giving them something to destroy on purpose!

We took this traybake to a picnic with friends and not only did it travel well, but Seb managed to polish off 3 pieces. He tried to get away with stealing a fourth, but was stopped! This is certainly a sign of good cake!

Ingredients

• 4 ready made meringue nests
• 3tbsp ready made lemon curd
• 300g caster sugar
• 3 large eggs (separated – I did this bit for the kids)
• 225g Greek style natural yoghurt
• grated rind of 2 lemons
• 175g self raising flour

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 160°c fan and grease and line a brownie pan.
2. Beat the sugar, butter and egg yolks together.
3. Add the yoghurt and lemon zest and mix together.
4. Sift in the flour and fold it into the mixture.
5. With electric mixers, whisk the egg whites until soft peaks form and then gently fold into the other mixture.
6. Pour into the brownie pan.
7. If your lemon curd is quite thick, you may need to loosen it in the microwave for a couple of seconds. Take small amounts of the lemon curd and dollop onto the traybake in random places.
8. With a toothpick, gently swirl the curd in a squiggle to create a pretty pattern.
9. Crush the meringues, but make sure there are some slightly larger pieces in there too.
10. Sprinkle the crushed meringue all over the traybake.
11. Cover with foil, ensuring that it doesn’t touch the mixture.
12. Place in the oven for 35-45 minutes (oven dependent – in my mum’s oven it only takes 35, but in mine it needs closer to 40). The cake is cooked when it is springy and a skewer inserted comes out clean.
13. Leave to cool completely in the tin before removing and cutting into squares or slices.
14. Enjoy with friends or refuse to share!

This traybake is delicious, but to prevent the meringue going too soft it is best eaten on the day it made or the following day. It will keep for up to a week in the fridge, but if you want the meringue to retain a crispier texture, it is best to eat it sooner!