My aunt Clara, my father’s older sister, was tall, thin and beautiful, with blue eyes and platinum blonde hair. She and her husband lived in Rabat. They never had their own children, but she was utterly devoted to his sisters, nieces and nephews. Whenever they would come visit us in Casablanca, she loved to spoil my brothers and me, as well.

She was an incredible baker and I will never forget the beautiful tarts she would so lovingly bake for us. I especially loved her lemon meringue tart. It was perfection. The crust was flaky and filled with a tart, tangy, sweet, rich lemon curd, then topped with snowy peaks of soft, fluffy, sweet meringue that was toasted on top.

Morocco is famous for its citron trees, with their purple-tinged flowers and serrated edge leaves and the fragrant etrog fruit. The Mediterranean sunshine guarantees abundant flavorful crops of lemons and oranges. I’m sure this contributed to the Sephardic love affair with citrus. From preserved lemon to orange blossom water, citrus lends flavor to so many of our recipes, in stews, in salads, in desserts. (Luckily for us, my family moved to California, where the citrus is plentiful and my mother could continue to cook and bake all our favorite dishes.)

The Mediterranean sunshine guarantees abundant flavorful crops of lemons and oranges. I’m sure this contributed to the Sephardic love affair with citrus. 

On my daily walks, I marvel at all the beautiful lemons, oranges and tangerines that hang on trees in so many front yards. It’s citrus season and I dreamed of making my aunt Clara’s lemon meringue tart. What a treat it is to be served a piece of lemon meringue pie or French lemon tart.

When lemon meringue pie is made right, it’s addictive. Alas, it’s kind of time consuming to bake. As a busy working mom and a doting, hands on grandmother, it’s a challenge to take on a recipe with lots of steps.

That’s why when I kept seeing lots of different recipes for lemon loaf, I was so excited to bake it and share this recipe with you. The result is a delightful citrusy lemon cake with that perfect crumb and luscious, creamy meringue.

After her husband passed away in Morocco, my aunt Clara moved to Paris to be with her nieces. She often traveled to Israel to be with her brothers and she would visit us in Los Angeles. Before she passed away, she bequeathed her precious recipe book to one of her nieces. One day, I hope to be able to meet up with her in Paris and transcribe some of those precious recipes from my childhood so I can pass them on to my family and share them with you.

Family recipes are memories and love that can’t be expressed in words.

—Rachel

Lemon Meringue Loaf Cake

3 ¾ sticks unsalted butter or vegan butter, room temperature

2 cups sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

Zest of 3 lemons (I used 2 lemons and 1 lime)

8 large eggs, room temperature

2 2/3 cups all purpose flour

1 Tbsp baking powder

Grease 2 9×5″ loaf pans with butter or spray. 

Preheat the oven to 350°F. 

In a large bowl, use a hand or stand mixer to cream the butter, sugar and vanilla. When the mixture is a pale yellow, add the eggs, one at a time, and beat until thoroughly combined. 

Sift the flour and baking powder together and slowly incorporate into the mixture, until the batter is smooth. Then use a spatula to fold in the lemon zest. 

Bake for 45 minutes (Insert a toothpick in the middle of the cake. A clean toothpick indicates the cake is fully baked.) 

Remove the cake from the oven and allow to cool. 

Syrup: 

1/3 cup sugar

1/3 cup lemon juice

1/3 cup water 

Place sugar, lemon juice and water in a saucepan and warm over medium heat. 

When the sugar has melted and the liquid begins to bubble, remove from heat. 

Pour syrup over the cooled cakes, then set aside while you prepare the meringue. 

Meringue: 

4 egg whites, room temperature 

1¼ cup sugar

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp white vinegar

2 Tbsp cornstarch

In a medium bowl, beat the egg whites at a low speed until they become frothy. Then gradually increase the speed. Add the salt, then slowly add the sugar. 

Beat at high speed and when the meringue is velvety white and forms stiff peaks, add the vinegar and cornstarch at lowest speed. 

Spoon the meringue on top of the cakes, forming small peaks.

Use a kitchen torch to brown the tops of peaks, or place under the broiler for a few minutes to brown. 

Note:

Cakes can be frozen. Simply defrost and prepare syrup and meringue when ready to serve.

Sharon Gomperts and Rachel Emquies Sheff have been friends since high school. The Sephardic Spice Girls project has grown from their collaboration on events for the Sephardic Educational Center in Jerusalem. Follow them
on Instagram @sephardicspicegirls and on Facebook at Sephardic Spice SEC Food. Website sephardicspicegirls.com/full-recipes.