Tropical cake with kisses of meringue and coconut

Today I bring you a modern take on the traditional lemon meringue pie . This delicious dessert will take you to the Caribbean! (and also to heaven, because it is a true delight). It is a pie that is full of exotic flavors, including coconut (in the dough and in the filling), passion fruit and mango.

This is a cake that takes on a special appearance because we bake it directly in the Le Creuset Skillet cast iron pan . The new meringue colour, a beautiful creamy white, looks gorgeous with the toasted colours of cakes and sponge cakes.

The tender texture of the toasted meringue topping is a real pleasure. Kisses on the mouth, no more, no less. You will surprise all your guests, it is a real delight. What do you say, are you ready to enter the world of tropical flavor? Let's go!

Ingredients

For the tropical curd filling:

• 6 egg yolks
• 100 g icing sugar
• 400 ml of passion fruit, mango and orange juice
• 45 g butter
• The juice and zest of a lime
• 35 g corn flour

For the coconut shortcrust pastry*:

• 200 g of wheat flour
• 45 g dehydrated coconut
• 100 g butter
• 1 tablespoon of icing sugar
• 2-3 tablespoons of water

*If you want to make a quick version of the cake, avoid making the shortcrust pastry and use a refrigerated one... Although we encourage you to make this coconut-flavored version, it is delicious and rounds out the whole recipe.

For the meringue:

• 2 egg whites
• 100 g icing sugar

To serve:

• The zest of a lime
• 20 g toasted coconut flakes

Le Creuset tall skillet pan in the new meringue colour

Elaboration

1. First we are going to make the filling, the lime curd. Put all the ingredients to make the curd in a saucepan . Whisk slowly over low heat until the mixture thickens. This can take 8 to 10 minutes on low heat.
2. While stirring, make sure that the mixture never sticks to the bottom of the pan or comes to a boil.
3. Once the curd is quite thick, pour the mixture into a bowl and cover with cling film. Put the mixture in the fridge to cool completely.
4. Now we are going to make the dough. Preheat the oven to 200ºC. If you have a fan-assisted oven, preheat it to 180ºC.
5. Place the flour, butter, icing sugar and desiccated coconut in the food processor and blend until it has the texture of bread crumbs.
6. Add 2 to 3 tablespoons of water to the mixture to form a stiff dough.
7. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes.
8. When cold, roll out the dough on a floured surface and then place it in the skillet on high, letting a little dough ooze out around the edges.
9. Prick the base of the dough with a fork and place the ceramic baking balls on top of the dough so that the dough does not rise and keeps its shape. Bake for 10 minutes.
10. Remove the ceramic baking balls and bake for another 8 minutes.
11. Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly.
12. When the lime filling has cooled completely, pour it over the skillet and set aside while you make the meringue.
13. In a bowl , beat the egg whites until stiff and fluffy. Use a spoon to slowly add the icing sugar while whisking slowly.
14. Once the sugar is fully incorporated, continue beating until firm, glossy peaks form (this whole process is really quick with a KitchenAid mixer ).
15. Place the meringue in a piping bag or De Buyer piping gun and pipe it on top of the curd.
16. Sprinkle coconut flakes over the top of the cake. Bake for another 15 minutes.
17. Remove the cake from the oven and top it off with the lime zest. You can now enjoy this delicious cake!

Grades

• Ideally, you should prepare the curd the night before, as this allows it to cool slowly, making it set much better and easier to cut.
• If you have leftover egg whites, you can put them in an airtight container and freeze them. That way, you'll have them ready for next time. They keep beautifully!