New Zealand Louise Cake
by Jay Wadams
Made from crumbly, buttery shortcake topped with a layer of tart berry jam and crispy coconut meringue. Louise cake is one of New Zealand's favourite sweet treats!
Ingredients
for the shortcake:
- 100 g unsalted butter at room temperature
- 50 g white sugar
- 3 large egg yolks
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 250 g plain or all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp salt
- 150 g raspberry jam
- 2 Tbsp lemon juice
for the coconut meringue:
- 3 large egg whites
- 1 tsp cornflour / cornstarch
- 150 g white sugar
- 100 g desiccated coconut
optional:
- icing/confectioners sugar to dust
Scan the QR Code to view the online recipe with detailed instructions, photos, hints, tips and more at daysofjay.com
Instructions
- PREPARE: Heat oven to 180°C / 350° F / Gas 4. Line a 20 x 30 cm (8 x 12 in.) baking pan with baking paper and lightly grease.
- MAKE SHORTCAKE: Beat butter and sugar together until pale and creamy. Add the egg yolks, one at a time, beating well between each addition. Add the vanilla extract and stir well. Whisk the flour, baking powder and salt together, then stir through the butter mixture until you have a soft, pliable dough. Press the dough evenly into the prepared pan.
- ADD JAM: Mix the jam and lemon juice together, then spread evenly over the base.
- MAKE MERINGUE: Clean your mixing bowl with hot water, wipe it out with a little vinegar to remove any oils, then add the egg whites and cornflour / cornstarch to the bowl. Whisk using an electric mixer until soft peaks form, then add the sugar 1 tablespoon at a time, beating all the while, until the mixture is thick and glossy.
- ADD COCONUT AND BAKE: Fold through the coconut, then spoon the meringue evenly over the base. Bake in the bottom third of the preheated oven for 30 minutes, until the meringue is lightly golden.
- COOL AND SERVE: Allow to cool in the tin before lifting out, slicing into 12 and serving. If you like, dust with icing sugar.
Notes
As this is a fairly sweet cake I’d recommend using a very tart jam. Raspberry is the classic, and even then I would still mix it with 2 Tbsp of lemon juice to contrast the sweetness a little.
This is the classic way to make Louise cake and results in a very moist, crumbly shortcake base. If you would like the base to be crunchier, you’ll need to bake the base and let it cool before topping with jam and the meringue mixture. Make sure to prick it all over with a fork, bake for 20 minutes, allow to cool and then proceed as per the recipe.
Nutrition
Serving: 1 slice | Calories: 310kcal | Carbohydrates: 44g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 67mg | Sodium: 108mg | Potassium: 100mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 24g | Vitamin A: 274IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 36mg | Iron: 1mg