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Lemon tart with meringue in vegan? Yep, you read completely right! Today I share with you a tarte au citron recipe that, unlike the classic, is complete without animal products. How does it work? You’ll find out in the following lines. Are you ready to try the experiment? You definitely won’t regret it, because this lemon tart with meringue topping is a sticky-sweet temptation. Prepared with Demeter lemons of the best quality.
vegan tarte au citron with meringue
What a tempting name for a cake don’t you think? So tempting that the idea for this lemon tart recipe has been following me since last summer. Inspired by the typical American Lemon Meringue Pie, I made the decision to try it myself. More difficult than I thought! Two failed attempts later I threw in the towel. It was not to be.
Wait – it was not supposed to be! But as the song from the cartoon “Feivel the mouse walker” already said; “Never say never”! When I got the opportunity to create a recipe with Demeter lemons in collaboration with Migros, I just had to give the lemon tart with meringue another change.
Vegan lemon tart with meringue
The classic lemon tart consists of a layer of dough, usually shortbread. Although I have actually seen variants with ground cookies. On the crispy dough comes lemon curd, followed by a layer of meringue. With the former, from my point of view; the sourer the better. And with the latter, if you ask my son; the sweeter the better.
Well you probably guessed it already, here a lot of butter and an almost even larger amount of eggs are used. But no problemo! Because as is well known, very much can be veganized. So also this lemon tart.
How to make the vegan lemon tart
If you have read this far carefully, then you know. This recipe took several attempts. With that in mind, I dare say that the lemon tart with meringue topping is not one of the easiest recipes on the blog. Quite doable, but a wee bit of experience and practice with vegan cooking will be beneficial. What there is to consider when baking this tart, I’ll tell you in a moment.
- If you want to enjoy a really full-flavored and tangy lemon tart, please use fresh lemons for this recipe. No lemon juice concentrate or store-bought lemon juice. Also, I would encourage you to buy high quality lemons. Here I can highly recommend the Demeter lemons from Migros. Then you can also be sure that your lemon was not treated with pesticides.
- The most difficult part of this recipe is the vegan meringue topping. This you conjure up with aquafaba, the liquid from the chickpea can or jar. This step actually took me several tries and is not without its difficulties. Honestly, you could write a separate blog post on this. The important thing is that you whip the chickpea water really stiff. Which can take up to 20 minutes. And add the sugar step by step. Also, aquafaba doesn’t like hot temperatures or high humidity. So make sure you’re working on a dry day. The oven should be completely cooled down from the previous baking before you bake the aquafaba at a low temperature. Your utensils should continue to be completely clean and oil-free, as this can also affect the results. If you want to read more about vegan iced snow, I can recommend this post.
- As with most baking recipes, I would urge you to really follow the instructions & quantities in the recipe. Other important notes can be found under the recipe itself.
- Also, I recommend that you blind bake the shortbread for the lemon tart.
What does Demeter stand for and what is it?
The term Demeter is completely new territory for you or you can not imagine anything about it? No problem in an earlier post I have already gone into this topic. I also go into the difference between Demeter and Bio-Suisse in this blogpost.
An important question that is often asked in connection with a vegan diet is whether vegans are allowed to consume Demeter products. A very exciting article on the subject, which also reflects my view, can be found here
Where can I find Demeter products?
A question that I am asked from time to time by the community. Demeter products can be bought directly from the farm. You can find a list of all Demeter farms here. In addition, Migros is constantly expanding its Demeter assortment. Especially the assortment of fresh fruits and vegetables, such as Demeter bananas, lemons, cucumbers or zucchini, is continuously increasing. The best place to find out more is here in your local Migros.
Less waste tips
As always, here are a few smart tips to help prevent waste:
- You can buy the dry ingredients, like sugar and flour, package-free at an unpackaged store
- The Demeter lemons from Migros are available per se unpackaged and are sold without a net.
- You may also find turmeric and starch at a well-stocked unpackaged store.
- By the way, you can easily make your own coconut milk from grated coconut and water.
- Instead of the chickpea water from the can/jar, you can also use the one from dry and soaked chickpeas. This is simply the water in which you have cooked the chickpeas. Be careful not to use the soaking water! If necessary, you must boil down the cooking water, then still something. I myself have never made aquafaba, because I always take aquafaba from the jar. But I know a colleague who makes it so with self-soaked chickpeas.
Alternatives to the products used
Of course, you can also omit some ingredients from this recipe or replace them with others. However, as soon as you change something in the quantities or ingredients, the result may be different. When baking, it therefore makes sense to stick to the ingredient and quantity specifications.
Do you get shivers down your spine just thinking about meringue? Whether it’s because you’re afraid to make it yourself or because it’s just too sweet and doesn’t taste good. No problem! Of course you can simply leave out the meringue. The lemon tart tastes just as good!
Do you give up sugar or butter? Maybe you even eat a gluten-free diet? You can of course use sugar alternatives for the dough base. I have also tested it with birch sugar and it works perfectly. For the meringue, I would personally use real sugar. With birch sugar it did not work for me. You can replace the butter with coconut oil. Is of course then less sustainable. You can also make the dough completely gluten-free. Simply use a vegan and gluten-free shortbread recipe. Note, however, that the blind baking time may change.
You can also omit the turmeric in the filling. It is only added for the yellow color. The coconut milk can also be replaced with more sustainable plant milks. Alternatively, you can also use oat milk or oat cream. Corn, potato, and tapioca starches all work for the recipe. Just use what you have at home. Guar gum could also be used. However, you’ll need to adjust the amount here.
Meal prep tips
The final result of this vegan lemon tart with meringue is for immediate consumption. Sorry for the bad news! In addition, I also do not recommend you to put the finished cake in the refrigerator, because the aquafaba meringue can liquefy or simply become mushy. Also, storing it or leaving it in the sun for too long is not recommended. The meringue topping should really go on the lemon tart right before eating.
However, you can easily prepare the shortcrust pastry in advance. This should still be refrigerated anyway. Yes, you can even freeze it. The lemon filling I would not make in advance. As soon as it thickens, it should be poured immediately onto the pastry base. Later – after it has thickened – it won’t work because the icing will be too firm. However, you can prepare the vegan lemon tart up to and with lemon filling in advance. Yes even freeze should be possible. On the day of consumption, you then simply make the meringue topping.
Why you should try this vegan lemon tart with meringue:
It is:
- vegan
- dairy-free
- with Demeter lemons of the highest quality
- a sour sweet seduction
- the perfect dessert for summer evenings
- tastes great and small
More tangy lemon recipes:
If you try this vegan lemon tart with meringue, I would love to hear your feedback here in the comments. If you share your creation of this recipe on Instagram, please don’t forget to link @velvetandvinegar and use the hashtag #velvetandvinegar. That way, my community and I are guaranteed not to miss your post.
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See you soon Your Sarah
Vegan lemon tart with meringue
Equipment
- Kuchenblech 28cm Durchmesser
- parchment paper
- Kichererbsen zum Blinbacken*
- Zitruspresse
- Küchenmaschine
Ingredients
Dough
- 200 g Wheat flour or spelt flour organic
- 70 g Sugar* organic
- 1 pinch of salt organic
- 100 g vegan butter* organic
- 3-5 tbsp water
Filling
- 1 Lemon, grated peel Demeter
- 3 Lemons, juice Demeter, corresponds to approx. 170ml juice
- 200 ml Coconut milk
- ½ tsp Turmeric, ground organic
- 50 g Starch* organic
- 2 tbsp Maple syrup* Organic, optional
Meringue
- 1 Glass Chickpeas, liquid thereof Organic, equivalent to approx. 100ml aquafaba
- 150 g Sugar organic
- 1 tsp Lemon juice* organic
- 1 tsp Cream of tartar baking powder* organic
Instructions
Dough
- Place all the ingredients for the dough up to and including the butter in a bowl. Rub between your fingers until the butter is evenly mixed with the rest.
- Add a spoonful of water and knead the dough lightly. Stop kneading as soon as the dough is compact. The dough should not be kneaded too vigorously. It is also best not to use a food processor, but to do it by hand.
- Place the dough in the fridge for approx. 30 minutes.
- In the meantime, preheat the oven to 180° Celsius (top and bottom heat) and grease the baking tray with a little vegan butter and sprinkle with a little flour.
- Roll out the dough on a floured, smooth surface and place in the cake tin. Press the edges lightly. But in such a way that the tart can still be lifted out of the tray. Cut off the excess dough, if any.
- Place baking paper on the tart base, sprinkle with chickpeas. Bake the tart on the bottom shelf of the oven for 25-30 minutes * Remove the tart and leave to cool for approx. 30 minutes. Then remove the baking paper and chickpeas.
Filling
- Wash the lemons under hot water and pat dry.
- Grate the zest of one lemon. Squeeze the lemons. Pour the juice through a sieve into a pan. Add the zest.
- Dissolve the starch in a little coconut milk.
- Add all the ingredients to the pan and bring to the boil briefly over a medium heat. Stir constantly so that nothing clumps together. Remove the pan from the heat and continue stirring. As soon as the mixture starts to thicken, immediately pour it onto the tart base.
- Leave the tart with the filling to cool completely in the oven for approx. 1 hour.
Meringue
- Preheat the oven to 100° Celsius. Attention: The oven should be completely cooled down from the previous baking!
- Drain the chickpeas and collect the water * Weigh out the remaining ingredients and set aside. Pour the chickpea water (=aquafaba) into a pan and bring to the boil. Reduce to half the weighed weight and leave to cool.
- Place the aquafaba in a clean, oil-free bowl. To be on the safe side, rub the bowl with a little lemon juice if necessary. Beat with a food processor until frothy. This can take up to 5 minutes. Then add the lemon juice and cream of tartar baking powder. Whisk again briefly for another 1 minute.
- Now add a spoonful of sugar. Take your time for this step. It can take up to 15 minutes. The aquafaba is ready when it is very stiff, shiny and stiff peaks form that do not collapse. There should also be no more bubbles.
- Spread the aquafaba over the cooled lemon filling. Depending on the brand, you may have too much aquafaba. Use the rest to bake pavlovas or small meringues, which you can then use for other desserts.
- Bake the lemon tart in the middle of the oven for approx. 40 minutes. If you like the meringue softer, then 20-30 minutes is enough. For a nicely browned top, you can place the tart on the top shelf of the oven for the last 5-10 minutes and set the grill function. However, be careful not to burn the meringue.