Red Currant Meringue Cake

Preheat the fan oven to 180 °C (200 °C upper/lower heat). Put the butter, icing sugar, vanilla sugar, lemon zest and salt in a blender and stir it until fluffy. Separate the eggs. Gradually stir the yolks into the butter mixture. Whip the egg whites and granulated sugar with a blender until creamy stiff. Carefully mix a third of it with the butter mixture using a whisk and add the flour. Stir in the remaining egg whites with a silicone spatula. Pour the mixture into a buttered form (rectangular, 30 x 15 cm / 12 x 6 inch). Bake the dough in the preheated oven for about 35 minutes. Remove it from the oven and let it cool for 1 hour.

For the vanilla pudding: Cut the vanilla pod in half lengthwise and scrape out the pulp. Bring two thirds of the milk to the boil adding the granulated sugar, salt, vanilla pulp and vanilla pod. Mix the remaining milk with the starch until smooth and stir it into the boiling milk with a whisk. Let the mixture boil for 1 minute, then remove from the stove and add the Amaretto. Remove the vanilla pod and let the pudding cool briefly until the meringue is ready.

Remove the red currants from the stems with your fingers.

For the meringue: Whip the egg whites, the granulated sugar and salt in the blender for about 2 - 3 minutes. Gradually add the powdered sugar, one spoon at a time. Stir until the mixture is smooth and shiny.

Spread the vanilla pudding on the baked dough, then add a quarter of the meringue mixture on top. Add the red currants and cover with the remaining meringue in a wave shape. Dust heavily with icing sugar and bake for approx. 5 - 8 minutes at 250 °C top heat on the middle rack in the preheated oven. The meringue should get nicely browned.