Shilpa Shetty celebrated her 45th birthday on June 8. (Source: theshilpashetty/Instagram)

Shilpa Shetty turned 45 on June 8 and on the occasion of her birthday, husband Raj Kundra baked her “favourite” cake. The Dhadkan actor gave a sneak peek into her birthday celebration on Instagram and wrote, “My favourite vanilla meringue cake freshly baked by the bestest hubby in the world, Raj Kundra, family by my side (the rest on a video call) and all the love, wishes and blessings pouring in from all over the world…Feeling a surge of love and gratitude.”

Meringue is typically associated with Italian, Swiss and French cuisine and is made by whipping egg whites and sugar, sometimes with an acidic ingredient like lemon, vinegar or cream of tartar. If you are planning on baking an extravagant cake for your special one, try this recipe from thekitchykitchen.com by food blogger Claire Thomas.

Vanilla meringue cake

Ingredients

Cake

1 1/3 cups – Cake flour, sifted then measured
1 1/2 cups – Sugar
1/2 tsp – Salt
6 – Eggs, separated
1 tsp – Cream of tartar
1 tsp – Vanilla
1 tbsp – Fresh lemon juice
1 tsp – Lemon zest, grated and packed
1/4 cup – Water

Meringue

2 cups – Sugar
8 – Egg whites
3 – Lemons, juiced

Pastry cream

1 – Vanilla bean
2 cups – Milk
1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp – Sugar
6 – Egg yolks
2 tbsp – Flour (preferably rice flour for lightness)
2 tbsp – Cornstarch
2 tsp – Unsalted butter
2 cups – Heavy cream, softly whipped

Method

Cake

*Preheat the oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

*Grease or spray two nonstick pans and line the bottom with wax paper. Grease the paper as well.

*Sift flour, half of the sugar, and salt into a bowl. Keep it aside.

*Whisk the egg whites in a separate bowl until frothy. Add cream of tartar and whisk. Add 3/4 cups of sugar and whisk until thicker. Add vanilla, lemon juice and lemon zest and whisk. Scoop whites in a bowl and set aside.

*In this bowl, beat egg yolks with the remaining sugar until it is thick. Add water and beat until thickened. Pour the yolk mixture over whites and gently fold together with a rubber spatula.

*Sprinkle one-third of the flour mixture over the egg mixture and fold. Now pour the batter into the pans and level the top.

*Bake for about 20-25 mins. Take it out of the pan once it is baked and let it cool.

Meringue

*In a bowl, combine sugar, egg whites and lemon juice. Whisk until the sugar is dissolved.

Read| Tired of baking? This no-bake cake recipe will be your new favourite

Pastry Cream

* Scrape seeds from the vanilla bean or use vanilla extract. In a pan, combine milk, vanilla and 1/2 cup sugar. Scald the mixture and remove from heat immediately.

* Beat egg yolks with the remaining 2 tbsp of sugar until thick. Sprinkle some flour and cornstarch and beat until mixed thoroughly.

* Pour half of the hot milk into the yolk mixture and beat well. Pour back into the remaining hot milk and bring to a boil quickly, whisking very fast to prevent scorching.

* Remove from heat and strain into a bowl to cool. Stir in butter. Cover with plastic wrap, pressing directly on the surface of the pastry cream to prevent a skin from forming. Transfer to the refrigerator to chill completely.

*Immediately before using, gently fold in softly whipped cream with a spatula.