Vanilla Meringue Cake

Indulge in this deliciously decadent vanilla meringue cake. Made with a soft Italian sponge, pillowy vanilla cream, and topped with a light sweet meringue, this is guaranteed to impress you and your guests.

What could be more lovely than a cake topped with fluffy meringue? This one is pretty tops.

It is an impressive-looking layer cake with a simple name and an inspiration from classic Cipriani vanilla meringue cake.

The top layer is covered with sweet meringue, while in between each section, you will find soft sponge layers with whipped cream to match!

When you bite into your first piece of this sweet treat, it feels like biting into the air - literally.

Honestly, this vanilla bean meringue cake is amazingly delicious. All you want is to eat it with a spoon!

I am totally in love with this cake. I say that this cake is a must-make for anyone who wants to make something special for their family and friends.

Jump to:

• Why you should try this recipe
• Ingredients
• How to make vanilla meringue cake
• Recipe variations
• Storage instructions
• Expert tips
• Frequently asked questions
• Love meringues? Try these next!
• Need to adjust your baking pan size?
• Recipe card
• Comments

Why you should try this recipe

This vanilla meringue cake is made with simple ingredients carried by grocery stores.

Yes, a vanilla bean is a game-changer, but you can always replace it with vanilla extract.

The meringue cake is always a crowd-pleasing treat. It's light and sweet… just perfect for any occasion!

You can not go wrong with this one - it will be loved by all of your guests, no matter what their taste buds want to enjoy on Christmas morning or after dinner during Thanksgiving Eve festivities.

This cake is made with the amazing sponge cake (a readers' favorite), vanilla cream, and topped with the toasted marshmallow meringue.

The sponge cake can be prepared in advance and assembled on the day with the meringue.

Ingredients

Here is a quick overview of what ingredients you will need. Follow the full recipe below for exact amounts and instructions. I recommend making the recipe as written for the best results.

Italian sponge cake: follow the recipe to make an 8-inch/20 cm cake.

Milk: the recipe calls for whole milk. Replace it with low-fat milk if desired.

Vanilla bean: scraped seeds of a real vanilla bean makes a difference in the flavor of the cake. You can substitute it with one teaspoon of vanilla extract if desired. It is not the same as using a real vanilla bean, but it works.

Eggs: use large eggs at room temperature. Separate the egg whites from the yolks using an egg separator while eggs are chilled.

To make the French meringue frosting, use ONLY pasteurized eggs. Salmonella is generally found in egg yolks, but egg whites are not considered safe. Therefore, eggs must be pasteurized to be safe to eat.

Alternatively, you can make Italian meringue instead of French meringue.

Sugar: use granulated sugar or caster sugar to make the cake.

Corn starch: it is used as a thickener to make pastry cream.

Flour: use all-purpose flour to make the sponge cake and pastry cream.

Butter: the recipe calls for unsalted butter, still chilled in the fridge and cut into cubes.

Whipping cream: use at least 30% fat content whipping cream. Or replace it with heavy cream with over 30% fat content.

Lemon juice: you will need freshly-squeezed lemon juice to make the meringue.

How to make vanilla meringue cake

Follow the sponge cake recipe to make an 8-inch/20 cm sponge cake.

Remove it from the baking pan and let it cool completely on a wire rack. Then using a cake slicer, cut the cake into three layers crossways.

To make the vanilla cream, prepare the pastry cream (crème pâtissière in French) first.

Use a small sharp knife to split the vanilla bean in half lengthways. Then with the tip of the blade, scrape out the seeds.

Bring milk and vanilla seeds to a boil in a small saucepan. In a separate bowl, whisk egg yolks, sugar, all-purpose flour, and corn starch with a hand whisk.

Pour the hot milk into the egg mixture while continuing whisking. Bring the mixture back to the saucepan and cook over medium-low heat for a few minutes (constantly whisking) until the cream thickens.

Add cold butter, cut into cubes, and mix. Transfer the pastry cream to a shallow dish, cover it with plastic film in contact, and let it cool at room temperature (no need to chill it!).

Pour whipped cream into the bowl of a stand mixer, or using a hand mixer, and whip cream.

Slowly, one tablespoon at a time, add the pastry cream, and beat until firm.

To assemble the cake, place the first sponge layer on a serving plate, and top with half of the vanilla cream.

Then add the second cake layer, spread the remaining cream, and press down gently. Finally, finish the cake with the third sponge layer.

To make the meringue, place egg whites (at room temperature), granulated sugar, and lemon juice in the clean mixer bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment.

Or place ingredients in a large bowl and use an electric mixer.

Whisk the meringue at medium-high speed (mixer speed) until sugar dissolves and stiff peaks form.

Cover the entire cake (the top and sides) with the meringue, using a dough scraper, an offset spatula, or the back of a spoon.

Next, pick up the meringue on top of the cake to create little peaks.

Torch the top and edges of the cake with a blow torch. Serve right away.

If making ahead of time, chill the cake. Cover it with the meringue and torch it just before serving.

Recipe variations

This vanilla meringue cake is already so GOOD! But what if you want to make it more flavorful?

You can add a teaspoon of vanilla extract or ½ teaspoon of fresh lemon zest to the sponge cake batter. It makes it taste just delicious.

If you are a meringue lover, increase the amount of the meringue by 0.3 to 0.5 to make the meringue decoration richer and thicker. Well, can you ever have too much meringue icing?! I doubt.

As for the cake decoration, you can make the Cipriani signature meringue peaks (watch the video) or form swirly-looking waves in the meringue with the back of a spoon.

Finally, you can transform this cake into lemon meringue cake. To do so, slice the sponge into two layers of cake. Omit the vanilla cream.

Spread the lemon curd over the first cake layer and top with the second one. Then cover the cake with the meringue and brown it with a kitchen torch.

Storage instructions

You can keep baked, and cooled sponge cake well wrapped in the fridge for a couple of days or freeze it for up to one month. 

Store the vanilla meringue cake without the meringue layer in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours.

Make the meringue, decorate the cake with the meringue icing when ready to serve.

I wouldn't recommend freezing this cake. The meringue would lose its shape and texture when thawed.

Expert tips

1. Make ahead option: make sponge cake one day in advance, cover it with plastic wrap, and refrigerate. The next day, slice the sponge into layers and finish the cake.
2. Use ONLY pasteurized eggs to make the French meringue frosting. If you desire, you can make Italian meringue made with heated sugar syrup and is considered safe to eat.
3. The meringue icing should be spread over the cake no longer than one hour before serving.
4. If you don't have a kitchen torch, brown the meringue in the oven. Place the oven shelf to the upper position, one below the top, and preheat the broiler. Bring the cake to the oven, broil the meringue until browned, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Attention: watch out closely to avoid burning!
5. Don't discard the empty vanilla pod: place it in a container with white sugar to flavor it.

Frequently asked questions

Love meringues? Try these next!

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The nutritional information has been calculated using an online recipe nutrition calculator such as Verywellfit.com and is intended for informational purposes only. These figures should be used as a general guideline and not be construed as a guarantee.