6-8 servings             

Bake Time: 30-32 minutes              

Pan: 6 to 8 teacups or ramekins (4 to 6 ounces each), greased with about 2 tablespoons of soft butter, plus a roasting pan large enough to hold all the cups

Cake:

¼ cup (2 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 ⅓ cups (9 ½ ounces) sugar *{can be reduced to 1-½ cup}

2 tablespoons grated lemon zest (from approximately 2 lemons)

4 eggs, separated

½ cup lemon juice (from approximately 3 lemons)
¾ cup (3 ¾ ounces) all-purpose flour

1 ¼ cups whole milk

¼ teaspoon fine sea salt

Meringue Topping:

4 egg whites

1 cup (7 ounces sugar) *{note: this number cannot be reduced}

⅛ teaspoon fine sea salt

Directions:

Center an oven rack and preheat the oven to 350 F

Butter the teacups and place them in a roasting pan.

To make the cake, in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, sugar, and lemon zest on medium speed until well combined. Add the egg yolks, two at a time, and blend on medium-high speed until the batter is creamy. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl often to keep the mixture uniform. Stop the mixer and use a rubber spatula to stir in the lemon juice by hand, followed by the flour, mixing until evenly incorporated. Finish the batter by stirring in the milk. The mixture should be thin.

In a clean bowl, whisk the egg whites and salt until medium peaks form. Gently fold the egg whites into the lemon mixture until all of the ingredients are evenly incorporated. Distribute the batter among the buttered teacups, filling them to just below the rim. Place the roasting pan in the oven and carefully add enough hot water to the pan to come about one-third of the way up the sides of the cups. Bake the cakes until the tops of the cups are firm and appear folden in spots with little cracks beginning to form, 30 to 32 minutes. (The bottoms of the cakes will stay a pudding-like consistency, so don’t try to test for doneness using a wooden skewer.) Carefully remove the teacups from the pan and place them on a wire rack to cool

Once the cakes have cooled, prepare the meringue topping. In the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk by hand the egg whites, sugar, and salt Place the bowl over (not in) a saucepan of simmering water. Continue to gently whisk the mixture by hand until it reaches 160 F. (Use a thermometer; if you don’t have one, proceed carefully by feel: the whites need to get extremely hot, too hot to touch!) Move the bowl to the stand mixer and using the whisk attachment, whip the whites on medium-high speed until they have tripled in volume, hold stiff peaks, and look thick and glossy. Quickly distribute the meringue evenly atop the cakes, spreading the meringue over each to completely hide the lemon cake beneath. Using a metal spatula or the back of a metal spoon, sculpt the top of meringue into peaks and valleys.

Use a kitchen torch to toast the meringue to a golden brown hue (alternatively, place the cups on a baking tray and slide the tray into the middle of the oven preheated to broil, watching vigilantly and turning the tray as necessary to toast the meringue tops).

Because the egg whites the meringue cooked to 160 F, these cakes can sit at room temperature for up to 2 days. That being said, this dessert tastes best on the day its made!