Easter Meringue Nests with Lemon Custard Cream

These adorable Meringue Nests filled with a lemon custard cream filling are the perfect Easter treat that both kids and adults will love. The meringues are filled with a light layer of chocolate and hazelnuts, next you can add either a lemon custard cream mix, or a tangy lemon custard with a separate layer of double cream or whipped cream, finished with chocolate mini eggs and chocolate shavings.

Receta en Español

Ingredient Notes:

• Meringue Nests: You can use store bough meringue nests if they’re easy to find. You can also make them from scratch, I recommend making them at least the day before in that case. If you have been saving those extra egg whites in the freezer, this is the perfect way to use them up – you will also have a couple of egg whites left from the lemon custard preparation.
• Lemon Custard: For the homemade lemon custard, you will need cornstarch, water, brown sugar, salt, egg yolks, lemon juice and unsalted butter.
• Double Cream: For the custard cream or as a separate topping, double cream has 48%-50% fat content and is sometimes hard to find, you can also use heavy whipping cream (36%-40% fat content) if you can’t find double cream.

• Chocolate: For melting and using as the first layer of the nests. I used milk chocolate, but you can also use semi-sweet chocolate if you prefer.
• Chopped Hazelnuts: To add a nutty flavor, as well as some texture to the filling. You can replace them with a different type nut or omit them if you prefer.
• Chocolate Shavings: Use a peeler to make easy homemade chocolate shavings or use store-bought ones, also called chocolate flakes.
• Speckled Chocolate Mini-Eggs: Any type of chocolate eggs or candy mini-eggs will work.

Variations of these Easter Meringue Nests

You can make the meringue nests for this dessert from scratch, or you can simplify and use store-bought ones, they are also called mini-pavlovas in some supermarkets.  I highly recommend making the lemon custard filling from scratch, but to make it even easier you could substitute it with store bought lemon curd. And for the final shortcut, you can use store-bough whipped cream, instead of making your own.

For this super simplified easy version, simply melt the chocolate and follow the assembly steps in the recipe below: Add a layer of the melted chocolate and crushed hazelnuts, add a spoonful of the lemon custard (or store-bought lemon curd), top with whipped cream, chocolate shavings and the candy chocolate mini-eggs.

Another variation of this lemon custard meringue dessert is to make (or buy) a large single pavlova nest and fill it with the layers of chocolate, crushed hazelnuts, and lemon custard cream. You can top it with the chocolate shavings or add berries or fresh fruit for a twist.

What components of this dessert can be made ahead of time?

If making the meringue nests from scratch, these should be prepared a day or two before.

The lemon custard can also be made the day before.  The chocolate can be melted and applied to the nests together with the chopped hazelnuts ahead of time also.  These will be fine stored in an airtight container until serving.

The final component, adding the custard to the whipped cream and piping into the nest, should be done on the day of serving, otherwise the meringue will lose its firm texture and may go soft.

Easter Meringue Nests with Lemon Custard Cream

Recipe for Easter Meringue Nests with a lemon custard cream filling, over a chocolate hazelnut layer, with chocolate candy eggs and chocolate shavings on top.

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Course: Dessert, Sweet treats

Cuisine: English, European, International

Keyword: Easter, Lemon Custard, Meringue Nests, Mini-Pavlovas, Whipped cream

Prep Time: 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour hour 30 minutes minutes

Meringue oven resting time: 4 hours hours

Total Time: 2 hours hours

Servings: 12 to 16

Ingredients

• 12-16 meringue nests storebought or homemade (see recipe below)

For the homemade meringue nests:

• 8 egg whites approximately 240 grams or 8 ounces – ideally the eggs whites should be at room temperature
• 480 grams of powdered sugar
• ¼ tsp of cream of tartar or a few drops of lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract – optional

For the lemon custard cream filling:

• 1/4 cup corn starch 30g grams
• 3/4 cup water 178 ml
• 1/4 tsp salt 1.5 grams
• 1/2 cup brown sugar 100 grams
• 2 egg yolks, beaten
• 1/3 cup lemon juice 80 ml
• 2 tbsp unsalted butter 28 grams
• 1 cup double cream (240 ml) can use 35-40% heavy cream as a replacement

For the chocolate filling:

• 80 grams milk chocolate cut into pieces
• 2 tbsp chopped hazelnuts 20 grams

Toppings and decorations:

• Additional whipped cream
• Speckled eggs to decorate
• Chocolate shavings to sprinkle on top

Instructions

For the homemade meringue nests:

• Preheat the oven to 200°F (100°C)
• Place the egg whites in the bowl of a stand mixer and beat until soft peaks begin to form.
  
• Slowly add the powdered sugar and continue beating. Mix at high speed until you have a smooth mix (no lumps) and stiff peaks form
  
• Add the cream of tartar or a few drops of lemon juice. You can also add vanilla extract for an extra touch of flavor. Beat and mix well until these ingredients are fully incorporated.
  
• Place the meringue in a large piping bag.
• Butter and flour two metal baking sheets. You can also use parchment paper if you prefer. Then, using a glass, on each baking sheet, make 6 to 8 circles in the flour to create the meringue nests. If using waxed paper, make the marks with a pencil and place the meringue on the opposite side to avoid getting graphite on it.
  
• Pipe the circular base of the meringue using the piping bag.
  
• Then, pipe one to two more layers of meringue, only on the edges, to create that nest shape.
• Bake the meringue nests in the oven at a low temperature for an hour and a half. They will be ready when they feel dry to the touch. Don’t remove them from the oven yet, or they will deflate. Let them rest in the oven for three to four hours.
  
• Then, remove them from the oven and gently loosen them from the baking sheet with a spatula. If you are not going to serve them immediately, it is best to store them in a large container with an airtight lid.
  

For the lemon custard:

• Add cornstarch to medium pot and slowly add water while stirring until you obtain smooth milk like liquid. Add salt and brown sugar. Put on medium heat and stir continuously until the mixture is VERY thick and bubbling. Remove from the heat.
  
• Add a small amount of the hot cornstarch sugar mix, about 2 tablespoons, to a bowl with the beaten egg yolks, and stir or whisk until well-integrated.
  
• Then add another 2 tablespoons of the hot cornstarch mix and keep stirring until mixed. Tempering the egg yolks with the hot cornstarch sugar mix will prevent the egg yolks from curdling.
  
• Using a spatula, add the tempered yolk mixture back to the pot with the rest of sugary cornstarch mix, whisk well and return to the heat. Stir vigorously for one minute.
• Remove from the heat and add the lemon juice, mix well, and add the butter.
  
• Stir until the butter has dissolved into the mixture.
  
• Pour into a container and cover with baking paper or cling film. Allow the lemon custard to cool completely.
  

For the lemon custard cream:

• Whip the double or heavy cream until peaks form, but do not over whip.
• Add the cooled down lemon custard, one spoonful at a time, until you reach the desired intensity of lemon flavor. The consistency of the lemon custard cream should be thick enough to hold its shape in the meringue nest, but not overly stiff.
  

For the melted chocolate:

• Put the pieces of chocolate into a pyrex bowl (heat resistant glass bowl) and place over a pot of simmering hot water.
• Stir with a wooden spoon or spatula until fully melted.

To assemble the meringue nests:

• Brush the center of the meringue nests with the melted chocolate (or spoon it in for a thicker chocolate layer).
  
• Next, sprinkle the some of the chopped hazelnuts on top.
  
• Pipe or spoon the lemony custard cream filling into the center of the meringue nests (on top of the chocolate hazelnut layer), then sprinkle the chocolates shavings on top.
  
• To add the candy mini eggs to the ‘nests’, brush a little melted chocolate onto the mini eggs to use as ‘glue’ and gently place them on the side of each meringue nest.
  

For a tangier version (more suited for an adult palate) that is more lemon forward using plain lemon custard and optionally topping with cream:

• Follow the steps only for the lemon custard and do not mix it with the whipped double cream. Fill the meringue nests with the lemon custard (after the chocolate layer).
  
• You can use lightly whipped cream to spoon on top. The whipped cream does not have to be stiff; it can be just thick enough to be pourable. If you prefer to pipe the whipped cream, you can whip it to a stiffer texture or use a good quality store-bought whipped cream.
  
• Finish decorating with the chocolate shavings and mini eggs.
  

Notes

• For a less tangy lemon custard the lemon juice could be reduced to 40ml or 2 tablespoons and 2 teaspoons.
• Another way to assemble and serve this dessert is to pipe or brush a very small amount of lemon custard around the outside of the nest then pipe the lemon custard cream into the center. To try this option, reserve a couple tablespoons of the lemon custard separately, before mixing the rest with the whipped cream.

Photos of the step by step preparation process for the homemade meringue nests:

Step by step preparation process photos for the Lemon Custard cream and Meringue Nest assembly:

Alternative preparation with lemon custard:

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