Lemon Meringue Cake + Father’s Day Food Recipe

This Lemon Meringue Cake is bursting with a summery lemon flavor topped with toasty marshmallow meringue.

A moist cake bursting with a summery lemon flavor topped with a toasty marshmallow meringue. That's what's on our Father's day menu! 

Looking for Father’s Day Food ideas?! You’ve come to the right place.

Summertime is a lot of fun in our house. We have four birthdays, Father’s Day, and an anniversary all within June and July, so we do A LOT of celebrating during these summer months! And I totally love it all. Any excuse to spoil the people I love with food, gifts, and greeting cards (I get so geeked out over greeting cards ????).

My favorite part of any celebration is planning the food. With Father’s Day right around the corner, I thought I’d share some of our favorite breakfasts in bed ideas. PLUS– what we’re grilling and eating for dessert for Father’s Day in the Swank house this year!

Starting with breakfast.

My husband says he wants one of these recipes for breakfast in bed:

Last but not least, dessert: Lemon Meringue Cake.

My husband is a total pie guy, so that’s what we usually make for Father’s day. But this year I wanted to try something a little different and decided to make a variation of his second favorite pie (his first favorite is strawberry rhubarb) in cake form!

I took a super simple lemon Jell-O poke cake and topped it with marshmallow meringue. I was seriously blown away by how easy it was to make and how closely it resembles lemon meringue pie.

A moist cake bursting with a summery lemon flavor topped with a toasty marshmallow meringue. That's what's on our Father's day menu! 

A moist cake bursting with a summery lemon flavor topped with a toasty marshmallow meringue. That's what's on our Father's day menu! 

Talk to me about that meringue.

I mean, just look at that toasty, fluffy goodness!!

I’ve never been much of a meringue fan, much to my husband’s dismay. It’s just always tasted too eggy to me, and I really can’t get past that. I made a marshmallow meringue here with marshmallow cream and whipped cream that I like a lot. But I think today’s marshmallow meringue blows that one out of the water.

For one, it’s made out of egg whites and sugar. Just like regular meringue. I feel like that gives it some street cred as a meringue. ????

And for two, you can toast it! Just stick it under the broiler for a few minutes, and you’ve got a gorgeous brown crisp on the top.

A moist cake bursting with a summery lemon flavor topped with a toasty marshmallow meringue. That's what's on our Father's day menu! 

A moist cake bursting with a summery lemon flavor topped with a toasty marshmallow meringue. That's what's on our Father's day menu! 

Enjoy the recipe, and Happy Father’s Day!

Lemon Meringue Cake

Lemon Meringue Cake

Yield: 16
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 35 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes

This Lemon Meringue Cake is bursting with a summery lemon flavor topped with toasty marshmallow meringue.

Ingredients

FOR THE CAKE

  • Lemon Supreme Cake mix + ingredients on the box
  • 3.4 ounces lemon Jell-O mix
  • 1 cup hot water
  • ½ cup cold water

FOR THE MERINGUE

  • 6 egg whites
  • 1 cup + 2 tbsp sugar

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Grease a 10-inch springform pan with nonstick cooking spray.

Make the lemon cake batter according to the recipe and directions on the box. Bake for about 35 minutes in the prepared springform pan, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Use a fork to poke lots of holes on top of the warm cake.

Mix the hot water with the Jell-O mix until the mix has dissolved. Mix in the cold water. IMMEDIATELY pour the mixture over the cake, aiming to fill the holes as much as possible.

Chill completely before topping with the meringue.

THE MERINGUE

Preheat the broiler. Fill a large saucepan or pot about halfway with water and bring to a boil.

Place a heat-safe bowl on top of the pot of boiling water (you want it to rest on the top of the pot without letting the bottom of the bowl touch the water). I used my stand mixer bowl, which makes things easier in the next couple of steps.

Whisk the egg whites and sugar constantly for 5-7 minutes, or until a candy thermometer registers 140ºF. If you don't have a thermometer, whisk for 6 minutes exactly and call it good.

Immediately transfer the egg mixture to a stand mixer bowl and whisk on high for 5-7 minutes until stiff peaks form (alternately, use an electric hand mixer in the bowl the mixture is already in).

Spread the meringue over the chilled cake (still in the springform pan). Place the cake directly underneath the broiler and rotate as needed for even browning. Remove once the meringue is sufficiently brown on top.

It's ready to remove from the springform pan to serve or chill. Meringue will hold up for 3 days (maybe more?) in the refrigerator.

Lemon Meringue Cake

Looking for more lemon?

Here are some more of my favorite LEMON recipes!

Quick & Easy Lemon Jell-O Cake

Lemon Jell-O Cake

Ina’s Lemon Cake

Ina's Lemon Cake

White Chocolate Lemon Streusel Bars

White Chocolate Lemon Streusel Bars

INA’S LEMON CAKE

THICK AND CHEWY SNICKERDOODLES

FUNFETTI TRIPLE CHOCOLATE COOKIE BARS

ALMOND JOY MUDDY BUDDIES

SNICKERDOODLE CRUMBLE DONUTS

COOKIES & CREAM SUNDAE SAUCE

CHOCOLATE BREAD PUDDING WITH BUTTERSCOTCH GANACHE

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