Lemon Cloud Pie
Tangy, creamy, smooth, and silky with overtones and undertones of sweet and tartness. This easy to make pie is the perfect dessert for people who love lemons. Lemon cloud pie is basically a lemon meringue, mixed with cream cheese, and heavy cream. It has a few moving parts, including the 6-8 hour setting time, but is so worth it!
Equipment
- 1 Medium saucepan
- 1 Balloon whisk
- 1 Spatula
- 1 Zester or microplane zester
- 1 Juicer
Ingredients
- 9 inch deep dish pie crust fully cooked
- 1 cup sugar
- 3 tbsp cornstarch
- 1 cup water
- 1/3 cup lemon juice freshly squeezed 2-3 average size lemons
- 2 egg yolks lightly beaten
- 4 oz cream cheese
- 1 tsp grated lemon zest
- 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
Decorating & Garnish
- 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream for topping
- 2 tsp superfine or castor sugar
- 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 3-4 slices lemon cut in half (thinly sliced)
Instructions
Prepping
- Fully cook a 9” deep dish pie crust. Set aside and allow to cool.
- Zest lemon before squeezing the juice
- Squeeze the juice from lemons to equal 1/3 cup.
Making The Filling
- In a medium saucepan, whisk to combine sugar and cornstarch to remove any lumps. To the saucepan add the water, lemon juice and lightly beaten egg yolks. Using a spatula or spoon, mix everything together so it is well incorporated.
- While constantly stirring, cook the lemon mixture over medium heat, until it thickens, and then begins to boil. Stirring constantly, allow the mixture to boil for 1 minute.
- Then remove from heat and immediately add the cream cheese and lemon zest. Stir until the cream cheese has melted and the mixture is smooth and creamy looking. Cover and allow to cool to room temperature.
Adding The Cloud
- In a medium size bowl, beat 1/2 cup of heavy whipping cream until it forms soft peaks. Then, using a spatula fold the whipped cream into the cooled lemon mixture. Gently fold until everything is combined and there are no streaks of whipping cream left.
- Spoon the filling evenly into the cooled baked pie crust. Cover the entire surface of the pie with plastic wrap.
- Refrigerate for 6-8 hours or overnight. Note: The plastic wrap prevents a skin forming over the pie while it is setting up.
Decorating The Lemon Cloud Pie
- Once the pie has set, whip the remaining 1/2 cup of heavy cream with 2 tsp sugar, and vanilla extract until it forms stiff peaks. Transfer Chantilly cream to a piping bag with a tip of your choice.
- Remove the plastic wrap, and decorate the top of the pie. Garnish with the lemon slices.
Notes
Substitutions
This is a citrus based dessert, which means you can substitute the lemon with any citrus of your choice, including passion fruit.
Pie Crust
The fully baked pie crust can be substituted with a shortbread, graham cracker, oreo, digestive crust etc.
Setup Time
This pie requires at least 6-8 hours setup time in the refrigerator.
Lemons
Only fresh lemon juice will do for this recipe. Lemon juice from a bottle or plastic squeeze bottle will not work well. It will give you substandard results. Note: 1/3 cup of freshly squeeze lemon juice is approximately 2-2.5 average size “juicy” lemons. And always zest before you squeeze.
Nutrition
Serving: 8ServingsCalories: 1471kcalCarbohydrates: 150gProtein: 17gFat: 90gSaturated Fat: 31gPolyunsaturated Fat: 10gMonounsaturated Fat: 41gCholesterol: 97mgSodium: 954mgPotassium: 299mgFiber: 4gSugar: 28gVitamin A: 694IUVitamin C: 6mgCalcium: 93mgIron: 6mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
