Page 160 - United States of Pie

Lemon Pie-Cake

This pie is a classic of the 1950s. Read any Midwestern
community cookbook from the era and you’re almost certain to find a
version in its pages, usually named after the baker who would like to
take credit for it: Peg’s Lemon Pie-Cake, Shirley’s Lemon Pie-Cake,
Susan’s Lemon Pie-Cake … And no wonder. This fluffy, lemony

beauty is all about the mysterious alchemy of baking. Simple to
prepare—you just separate some eggs, mix the rest of the
ingredients, then fold in the beaten egg whites—the real magic takes
place in the oven. As the pie bakes, the egg whites rise to the top,
creating a sponge-cake-like top layer, while the yolks sink to the
bottom, settling into a glorious lemon curd.
I’ve brought the pie-cake into the twenty-first century with a few

strategic updates. To brighten the pie, I increased the amount of
lemon zest and decreased the sugar. And while most of the original
recipes called for milk, I substituted buttermilk. I love the rich
tanginess it offers. This pie is definitely an oldie but a goody; mix one
up and let the reveling begin!

½ recipe Standard Pie Dough or Rich and Buttery Pie Dough

2 teaspoons grated lemon zest (from 1 lemon)

¼ cup lemon juice (from approximately 2 lemons)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
¾ cup sugar
Pinch of kosher salt
2 large eggs, separated
1 cup buttermilk