When I’m in between summer fruits, I make sunshiny desserts with fresh lemons and limes. A lemon bundt cake is perfect by itself or topped with masticated strawberries or raspberries.   

The tang of a citrus pie is best balanced by a creamy meringue. The thing about lemons and limes is most everyone likes them. And a sweet, yet tart pie that makes your lips smack together is a wonderful finishing touch to a grill out. And it goes with anything, even that beach wear.

Not up for pie? Try this lemon bundt cake. You can add a drizzle of icing to the cooled cake if you want. This is an easy traveling cake making it great for an office treat.

Lemon Bundt Cake

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 3 cups sugar
• 6 eggs, room temp
• 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
• Zest of 1 lemon
• 1 cup sour cream
• 3 cups flour
• 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt

Preheat oven to 325 F.

Cream together butter and sugar. Add eggs, one at a time and beat well. Add lemon juice and zest, and sour cream. Add flour and mix until incorporated.

Grease Bundt pan. Bake cake until toothpick inserted near center comes out clean, about 1 hour 30 minutes.

Let cake cool in pan on rack 15 minutes.

Carefully turn cake right side up on rack and cool completely.

Lemon or Lime Meringue Pie

This pie is made simple by the use of sweetened condensed milk. I like it because you don’t have to let the pie cool before covering it with the meringue and finishing it off.

• 1 bottom crust of 9-inch pie shell, baked
• 1 can (15 oz.) sweetened condensed milk
• Zest from one lemon or lime
• 1/2 cup lemon or lime juice, fresh squeezed
• 1/4 tsp.salt
• 2 slightly beaten egg yolks (save from meringue)

Mix all ingredients together and whisk while cooking over medium heat. Stir and cook until mixture is thickened, like a loose pudding. Pour the mixture into the baked pie crust and cover with one recipe of meringue. Bake in a preheated 400 F oven until lightly browned, about 8 minutes. 

Meringue

• 6 egg whites
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 tsp cream of tartar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Place egg whites in mixer bowl and beat until foamy. Add vanilla extract and continue beating.  Gradually add the sugar and cream of tartar and beat until stiff peaks form.  Cover your pie  with the meringue and bake in a preheated 400 F oven until lightly browned. 

Tricks with meringue:

• Egg whites should be room temperature as they will beat up better.
• Make sure your mixer bowl and beaters are clean; any oil or butter will prevent the whites from beating up nice and tall.
• Superfine sugar works even better. 
• When covering your pie, prevent meringue from shrinking into itself by bringing the meringue all the way to the edge of the pie crust, so it will form a seal. 
• You can use meringue powder which is available in most grocery stores in the bakery aisle if you are concerned about fully cooking the egg whites. Follow the product directions, then      bake as described above.