Rhubarb, strawberry & kaffir lime louise cake – fragrant, tropical and tart, and topped with a cloud of meringue. Jump to Recipe
We survived! Exams happened, and I’m somehow out the other side. Possibly a little anti-climatic – all that build-up, stress and study is suddenly over, caput, finito, never to be seen again (at least for a few years – let’s not think about specialty exams just yet). The kitchen table became the place where I spent most of the day, surrounded by bits of refill paper scrawled with blue and purple notes, stacks of flashcards, a ticking pomodoro timer (have you tried it?), and my phone as far away from me as possible – way too tempting to have an old instagram scroll if it was in the same room. Usually an empty bowl, formerly filled with peanut butter smeared apple, because studying (or boredom? both?) makes me constantly hungry.
Following the blurred week of exams and another week spent packing up and moving out of my flat in Melbourne, I’m now back in Auckland for the summer. Considering I moved to Melbourne four years ago with 2 suitcases, I seem to have accumulated a scary amount of “stuff” – channeling Marie Kondo in a wardrobe cull was surprisingly satisfying. Plus half of my (very overweight) baggage on the way back was made up of cookbooks, props, ceramics and camera equipment…so I’ll just blame it on this blog.
This strawberry, rhubarb, and kaffir lime Louise cake was one of the first things I baked after exams. I was given Ottolenghi’s Sweet for my 21st birthday by the girls I live with during exam period (actually had an exam ON my birthday this year…ugh), and had been intermittently flicking through while firmly reminding/convincing myself I was not allowed to bake until exams were over. This cake jumped out immediately (if you’ve got a copy of Sweet, you’ll know what I mean). Louise cake originates in New Zealand – albeit a much flatter, less impressive version – and I’ve grown up making it myself and seeing it in cafes at home. The original is a classic ‘fill the baking tins’ kind of slice, with a buttery shortbread-like base topped with raspberry jam and a thinner coconut laced meringue topping.
I made a few changes to adapt the cake to our Southern hemisphere spring. The called-for plums are not currently in season, and I’d been hanging out to combine fresh strawberries with the fragrance of kaffir lime for a while. The kaffir lime leaves are finely chopped and folded through the cake base, topped with tender, tart rhubarb and strawberries before a final cloud of meringue. It’s easier than it looks, and would make for an impressive contribution to an afternoon tea party. In a few short months, I’ll be changing up the fruit – peaches and blackberries, apricots and saffron, cherries and pistachios. Enjoy!
Rhubarb, Strawberry & Kaffir Lime Louise Cake
Adapted from Sweet by Ottolenghi and Helen Goh.
Ingredients
Cake
- 125gunsalted butter, room temperature
- 100gcaster sugar
- finely grated zest of 1 lime
- 1kaffir lime leaf, very finely chopped
- 3large egg yolks
- 1teaspoonvanilla
- 125gplain flour
- 1 1/2teaspoonbaking powder
- 1/4teaspoonssalt
- 20gdesiccated coconut
- 80mlwhole milk
Filling
- 450gmix of strawberries and rhubarb
- 1tablespoonof caster sugar
- 1kaffir lime leaf, very finely chopped
- juice of 1 lime
Meringue
- 60gflaked almonds
- 140gegg whites(3-4 eggs)
- 1/8teaspoonsalt
- 185gcaster sugar
- 1teaspoonwhite wine vinegar
- 1teaspoonvanilla
- 1teaspooncorn flour
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 185°C/165° fan. On a baking tray, spread out the flaked almonds and toast until lightly golden, approx 7-8 minutes - watch carefully. Set aside to cool.
Grease and line a high sided 20cm square baking tin, ideally one with a removable bottom. If you don’t have this, a regular 20cm square tin can be used with acetate sheets or cardboard to increase the height of the sides. If you don’t have a removable base, make sure to have 2 single pieces of baking paper running across the bottom and high up each side of the tin, so that when the cake is cool, you can very (very) carefully lift it out - you may need two people and a spatula underneath, but it is doable! You can also use a 23cm round cake tin with high sides and a removable base.
In an electric mixer with the paddle attachment, cream the butter, sugar, lime zest and finely chopped kaffir lime leaf until pale and light. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
Add the egg yolks one at a time and beat until well combined. Add the vanilla.
In a bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt and coconut.
With the mixer on very low speed, alternate adding the dry ingredients and milk until just combined.
Scrape into the lined baking tin, smooth the surface and bake for 25 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out just clean.
Meanwhile, make the fruit filling by chopping the strawberries (halves if small, quarters if big) and the rhubarb into approx 1cm pieces (smaller if very thick stalks). Toss together with finely chopped kaffir lime leaf, lime juice and sugar. Set aside.
Next, make the meringue. In a spotlessly clean, absolutely grease-free electric mixing bowl with whisk attachment, beat the egg white and salt on medium-high until soft peaks form (about 1minute).
Gradually add the sugar, a tablespoon at a time, and continue to whisk on high until the mix is stiff and glossy. Add the vinegar, corn flour and vanilla and gently whisk to just combine. Fold in the cooled toasted flaked almonds.
When the cake is cooked, remove from the oven and turn the temperature up to 200°C (180°C fan). Gently lay the fruit mix over the top of the cake. Scrape the meringue onto the fruit and spread out evenly. Swirl the top into waves and peaks.
Place in the oven, and immediately lower the oven temperature to 180°C (160°C fan) and bake for 35 minutes, or until the meringue has formed a hard crust and is just beginning to brown. Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the tin for at least 30 minutes before removing to serve.
Best on the day it’s made, but can be kept up to 2 days in an airtight container in the fridge (The fruit makes the top of the cake a little bit soggy after the first day and the meringue goes a bit soft, but it still tastes really good!)
Recipe Notes
- Cake tin: best in a high sided 20cm square baking tin, ideally with a removable bottom. If you don’t have this, a regular 20cm square tin can be used with acetate sheets or cardboard to increase the height of the sides. If you don’t have a removable base, make sure to have 2 single pieces of baking paper running across the bottom and high up each side of the tin, so that when the cake is cool, you can very (very) carefully lift it out - you may need two people and a spatula underneath, but it is doable! You can also use a 23cm round cake tin with high sides and a removable base.
Best on the day it’s made, but can be kept up to 2 days in an airtight container in the fridge (The fruit makes the top of the cake a little bit soggy after the first day and the meringue goes a bit soft, but it still tastes really good!)
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