Caxton magazines staff“Only the chicken breast main has to be finished after your guests arrive, everything else can be prepped in advance,” says caterer Chanel Inggs of In Good Taste ([email protected])about her delicious menu
INGREDIENTS
For the biscuit bases:
- 125ml butter
- 125ml caster sugar
- 1 egg
- 5ml vanilla essence
- 500ml flour
- pinch of salt
- 10ml baking powder
For the lemon filling:
- 3 x 397g cans condensed milk
- 375ml lemon juice
- 6 egg yolks
For the meringue topping:
- 6 egg whites
- pinch of salt
- 500ml caster sugar
To serve:
- berry coulis
- mixed berries
- fresh mint
METHOD
To make the biscuit bases:
1. Preheat the oven to 180°C.
2. Cream the butter and caster sugar together until light and fluffy, add the egg and vanilla essence and beat well.
3. Sift the flour, salt and baking powder and add to the creamed butter mixture. Mix until just combined.
4. Press the biscuit mixture into 3 inverted, well-greased layer-cake pans, each 28cm in diameter. Bake for about 10–15 minutes until cooked.
To make the lemon filling:
1. Combine the condensed milk and lemon juice and mix well. Mix in the egg yolks. Set aside.
To make the meringue topping:
1. Whisk the egg whites with the salt until stiff. Add the caster sugar and gradually whisk on a high speed. Beat the whites until thick and shiny.
To assemble the gateau:
1. Place a biscuit layer into the bottom of a well-greased 28cm spring form tin. Top with half the lemon mixture. Add the next layer of biscuit and the rest of the lemon mixture. Add the final biscuit layer and lastly pile the meringue on the top and tease to form peaks.
2. Bake at 160°C for 20 minutes until golden brown.
3. Cool, then serve each slice of cake with berry coulis, a few mixed berries and a sprig of fresh mint.
This recipe makes a layered 28cm cake that serves 12.
