Lemon Meringue Cake using a new cool kitchen tool!

Lemon, lemon, lemon! Here is the cake I made last week. I was just about to cut into it, but thought I needed to add some pizzazz! So on my way to a going away party, I stopped at a tool warehouse.

No frills warehouse

Harbor Freight Tools is NOT your typical hardware store, it’s a down ‘n dirty, musty, testosterone laden warehouse stocked with every socket wrench, molly bolt, and other must-have paraphernalia to be appreciated only by the tool masters!

It took less than five minutes of wandering though the warehouse before gizmo sensory overload kicked in, as well as my determination to complete my mission! I was searching for a tool that I could use to complete my cake creation. After walking through several aisles, looking all around for my new toy, I finally asked a sales guy, “Where are the blow torches?” He quickly responded, “keep going down two more aisles, and it’ll be on your right hand side!”

Really, he knew exactly where my next kitchen gadget was located?! Now I’m getting giddy with anticipation :)! I couldn’t wait to get my eyes on my pseudo culinary torch, one of the most powerful, and often neglected kitchen accoutrement, which I just so happen to be buying from a tool warehouse!

AND THERE IT WAS…

Not so fancy, but it burns baby!

It’s exactly what I wanted; an inexpensive small torch. It is a tad more devilish-looking than I had imagined, which made me wonder if I might be required to sign a permission slip or waiver releasing liability after purchasing this bad boy!

The neon orange color is just a bonus, right?! Haha! The truth is, it looks like the neglected cousin of the torch family, but for $8.99 it’s perfect for my cooking experiment! I suppose if I use it often, then I’ll treat myself to a handsome $40 Williams Sonoma model. Creme Brûlée anyone??

I wanted to use a torch for the final touches of the cake I baked for the Aspiring Bakers #18: Layers of Love (April 2012)!

Sam of Sweet Samsations is hosting this months layered cake challenge. Participates bake a cake of their choice, submit a photo to Sam, and then she’ll put all our pretties on her blog for some cake-gawking.

Oohing, aahing, and drooling are highly encouraged :).

I’ve been imagining what my creation would look like by adding some direct heat to the meringue frosting, so I could hardly wait to brown my Lemon Meringue Cake with my handy-dandy torching tool!

Pile up the meringue, then brown it as you wish!

Playing with the torch was the best part of making this cake!

You can accomplish the same browning technique by broiling it in the oven, but using a hand torch is so much fun!

The meringue can catch on fire, so be careful because this stuff can burn, baby, burn!

Lemon Meringue Cake, The Foodie Affair

The cake recipe is from three different sources. The batter is an Epicurious recipe, the filling is the lemon curd recipe I used for my brunch menu, and the meringue is a Martha Stewart recipe, which was the only recipe I modified by using five egg whites instead of four.

This is not a heavy or overly sweet cake, perfect for my taste!

Delicious! Next time I’ll be braver and toast it even more!

This recipe would make great cupcakes too! Pipe in the lemon curd into the middle of each cupcake, then top with meringue, and have lots of fun toasting each cupcake like a roasted marshmallow on a s’more 🙂

Grab a glass of milk and head on over to cake heaven at Sweet Samsations on May 1st. Get inspired, and take a peek at all the different cakes that were submitted. Then, head to your nearest tool warehouse 😉