Lemon Angel Pie

Lemon angel pie is a heavenly lemon dessert featuring a baked meringue crust filled with fresh lemon curd infused mousse, and fresh whipped cream. Like a lemon pavlova, this easy gluten-free dessert is an upside down lemon meringue pie.

Why You'll Love this Recipe

Top Reasons You'll Love this Pie

• Refreshing dessert for spring or summer.
• Light and airy. Lemon mousse, whipped cream and meringue crust all have light texture.
• Bright flavored.
• Special. This is the show-stopper kind of dessert that you make for a special occasion.
• Timeless. Desserts like this have been popular for more than 50 years!

Like a taste of heaven, lemon angel pie is a dreamy looking and tasting lemon meringue tart. It's is sweet, tangy, fresh, and creamy with a crisp melt-in-your-mouth meringue crust.

This lemon meringue tart has been known by many names over the years: “Lemon on a Cloud,” “Lemon Cloud Pie,” “Upside Down Lemon Meringue Pie,” "Lemon Angel Pie," and “Lemon Pavlova.” This dessert is a great finish to your meal any time of year.

Ingredient Notes

Meringue Shell

• Egg Whites. Egg whites provide structure for the meringue shell. Whipping the eggs whites creates air and gives them volume.
• Cream of Tartar. Cream of tartar is an acid which helps the egg whites stabilize and remain stiff.
• Salt. Salt enhances the flavor of the meringue shell.
• Sugar. Sugar gives the meringue shell its sweet flavor.

Lemon Mousse

• Eggs. Eggs give structure to the lemon curd. Whipping the eggs creates air and gives them volume. They thicken the curd as it is heated.
• Egg Yolks. Egg yolks give yellow color to the lemon curd. They also thicken the curd as they are heated.
• Sugar. Sugar sweetens the lemon curd.
• Cornstarch. Cornstarch is a thickening agent and helps give the curd its pudding-like texture.
• Salt. Salt enhances the flavor of the lemon curd.
• Fresh Lemon Juice. Fresh squeezed lemon juice gives the fresh, sour lemon flavor to the curd.
• Water. Water adds volume to the curd and dilutes it to give the desired consistency.
• Lemon Zest. Lemon zest is grated off the lemon. It gives the signature real lemon flavor to the lemon tart filling.
• Butter. Butter adds rich flavor and smooth texture to the lemon curd.
• Whipping Cream. Heavy whipping cream is best. We whip the cream then divide it in half. Half is mixed with lemon curd to form the mousse-like filling for the lemon tart. The second half is placed atop the curd as a garnish.  
• Powdered Sugar. Powdered sugar is mixed into the whipped cream to give it sweet flavor.

How to Make this Recipe

Meringue Shell

1. Preheat oven to 275 degrees. You need a few simple ingredients for the meringue shell – egg whites, sugar, cream of tartar and a pinch of salt. The egg whites whip best at room temperature. You can speed up this process by setting the eggs in a bowl of warm water for a few minutes.
2. In a large mixing bowl, beat egg whites at medium speed until foamy (about 2 minutes.)
3. Add cream of tartar and salt. Beat egg white mixture on high speed until they hold their shape. Scrape bowl occasionally.
4. Gradually add sugar while continuing to beat egg whites 3-5 minutes more until they are light, fluffy, glossy and stiff peaks form.

5. Draw a 10-inch circle on a piece of parchment paper or part of a brown paper bag. Pile meringue in the circle.
6. Form the meringue shell with the back of a spoon by creating a well in the center.
7. Continue shaping the shell by widening the meringue valley with the back of a spoon. Try to create high sides to hold the filling.
8. Bake at 275 degrees for one hour. Don’t open the oven door. Let the meringue crust dry in the oven without opening the door for 1-2 hours or overnight. You want the meringue as dry as possible.

Lemon Mousse

9. While the meringue shell is baking, make the lemon curd/ lemon mousse filling. Start by whisking together eggs and egg yolks.
10. Beat the eggs and sugar for 2 minutes until the mixture is pale yellow.
11. Add cornstarch and salt, then beat, making sure there are no lumps.
12. Add lemon juice, water, lemon zest, and melted butter and beat until fully incorporated and mixture is fluffy.

13. Pour mixture into a saucepan and place over medium heat.
14. Whisk mixture continuously for 5-7 minutes, scraping down the sides every 30 seconds. The mixture should deepen in color and become very thick.
15. You should be able to trace your finger on back of the spoon or rubber scraper. Remove from heat and whisk for 1 minute more. Pour in bowl, wrap in plastic wrap and chill in fridge for at least one hour.

16. In a large bowl beat 2 cups cream and powdered sugar until soft peaks form. Divide in half (half for mousse and half for topping).

17. Place cooled lemon curd in bowl with half whipped cream.
18. Gently fold lemon curd into (half of) whipping cream to create a lemon mousse.

To Assemble

19. Remove cooled meringue shell from oven.
20. Fill cooled meringue shell with lemon mousse.

21. Spread lemon mousse evenly in crisp meringue shell.
22. Top lemon mousse with reserved (half) whipping cream. Pile in middle of pie and gently spread, leaving a 2-inch border of mousse showing for angel pie.
23. Garnish with lemon slices if desired. Refrigerate at least two hours before serving.

Alternative Method for Meringue Crust

Using a pastry bag, an alternative way to form the meringue shell is to pipe puffs of meringue along line of the drawn circle to create outer border as seen in the video. Squeeze remaining meringue into center and gently spread to the border; form the shell by shaping it with the back of a spoon.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Serving and Storage Tips

• Use a sharp knife. To cut slices, use a thin, sharp knife with a long blade. Wipe knife off between slices to get clean cuts.
• Serve pie within 24 hours. Lemon angel pie looks it’s best if served within 24 hours. After that, whipping cream on top could begin to separate and meringue will start to soften.
• Store without cream. To keep whole pie longer in refrigerator, wait and add whipping cream garnish just before serving. The lemon tart will keep well up to 48 hours in fridge without cream topping.
• Store leftover pie in refrigerator. Leftover angel pie will keep up to three days in fridge. It will not look as good as it did at the beginning, but it will still taste delicious!
• Don’t freeze. Lemon angel pie does not freeze well.

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