Aunt Tootsies Lemon Cake Recipes

AUNT TOOTSIE'S LEMON MERINGUE PIE RECIPE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425°F. Place crust in 9-inch pie plate.
• Partially blind bake the crust: poke holes in the bottom of the crust with a fork. Line the crust with parchment paper and fill with dried beans or pie weights (dried rice and lentils work too). If you're using my pie crust recipe, bake about 20 minutes, checking that the crust is browned (but the bottom won't be completely done yet, that's ok). If you're using a Pillsbury crust, it'll only take about 10 minutes to partially bake. Carefully remove parchment and pie weights.
• Lower oven temperature to 300°F.
• Whisk water, sugar, cornstarch, salt, lemon juice, and lemon zest in a medium saucepan. Place over medium-low heat and cook, stirring often, until it's thick and bubbly.
• Place egg yolks into a medium sized bowl. Whisk them gently. Once the lemon mixture is thick and bubbly, carefully pour about half the lemon mixture into the egg yolks, whisking constantly, then place the egg mixture back into the pan with the remaining lemon mixture, continuing to whisk. You want to avoid scrambling the eggs. Bring to a gentle boil, then cook for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the butter until melted.
• Strain the mixture to remove any bits of egg. Pour mixture into the prepared pie crust. Cover with plastic wrap while you prepare the meringue and keep it hot (the meringue needs to go onto hot filling).
• Place egg whites, cream of tartar, and vanilla in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment (or you can use a large bowl with a hand mixer). Beat on high speed until soft peaks form (if you remove the beaters the tips curl slightly) and then continue mixing while gradually adding the granulated sugar. Continue mixing until stiff peaks form (they'll be glossy and stand straight).
• Spread the meringue on the top of the lemon mixture in decorative peaks, being sure that the meringue touches the crust and no lemon shows through. Bake about 30 minutes or until the meringue is browned. Cool at room temperature for one hour, then chill at least 5 hours before slicing.
• The pie will last a day or two in the refrigerator but tastes better day one.

AUNT TC'S LEMON-LIME SODA CAKE

Steps:

• For the cake: Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Generously grease and flour a fluted 10- to 12-cup Bundt pan.
• Beat the granulated sugar and butter together in a bowl with an electric mixer until creamy and smooth, about 2 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Stir in the flour 1 cup at a time, blending well after each addition, until the batter is smooth; stir in the lemon extract. Mix the lemon-lime soda into the batter and pour into the prepared pan. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean, about 1 hour 15 minutes.
• For the glaze: Beat the confectioners' sugar, milk, lemon-lime soda and extracts together in a bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed until the glaze is smooth.
• Pierce holes in the cake with a skewer. Pour 1/4 cup glaze over the cake. Flip the cake onto a serving plate to remove from the pan, then pour the remaining glaze on top. The cake can be served immediately, but tastes even better the longer it sits.