Lemon Meringue Jar Cakes
Reason #293 that women are smarter than men:
Sweat pants.
I don’t know what it is about men that makes them unable to appreciate sweatpants like women do, but they just don’t. And it’s completely nonsensical. Because truly, there are days that completely revolve around my sweatpants, and what time of day I will be able to get home and put them on.
I have seen my husband get home from work and leave his jeans and coat on for hours.
HOURS.
Hours of sweat pant time wasted.
It’s basically a crime.
If there was such a thing as Sweat pant Police, I would totally call and have him arrested for Misuse of Cozy Potential. But there isn’t, so I just stare at him and continually ask if he’s going somewhere before he finally gets tired of me asking.
I know that there are lots of cute women who wear adorable outfits every day of the week (there are blogs dedicated to what women wear every day) but I am not one of them. Jeans and cute dresses were not invented for wearing to clean the house or talk to pretend people on the Internets.
Also, if people really wanted me to post what I was wearing all the time, I would be kind of skeeved out. Because “what are you wearing” is like, the last thing a girl wants to hear from a stranger.
Wine, sweat pants, and DVR. Those are the things that motivate me. All it takes is a mention of the sweat pants waiting in my drawer and I will straight up leave your child’s birthday party early.
But honestly, I make desserts with Cool Whip and vegetable shortening, so skipping out before Pinata Time is hardly the worst of my crimes.
Know what else I make desserts with? Cake mix. But sometimes I make it look fancy. Wanna know how?
Lemon Meringue Cakes In A Jar
INGREDIENTS
- 12 pint jars or small jelly jars
- 1 box lemon cake mix, plus ingredients to prepare
- 2 jars lemon curd
- For meringue:
- 5 eggs
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 350. Grease and flour (or spray with Baker’s Spray) a large jelly roll pan. Prepare cake batter as instructed on box, pour into pan and bake until top springs back when lightly touched (about 15 minutes). Remove and let cool on a baking rack.
2. Once cake is cool, cut into circles that will fit in the jars. You can use a round cookie cutter, biscuit cutter, or one of your jars. Layer cake and curd in the jars and place in the refrigerator while you prepare the meringue.
3. In a metal mixing bowl over simmering water, whisk together sugar and egg whites until the sugar is completely dissolved. Place bowl on mixer and beat with the whisk attachment for 5 minutes on low. Increase speed to high and beat for 5 minutes more.
4. Pipe or spoon the meringue on the cakes. Using a small kitchen torch, brown the meringue OR place under the broiler for just a minute until browned.
Notes:
I buy canning jars at Walmart in the canning aisle. They are inexpensive and since they’re made for canning, they withstand high temperatures.
The amount of lemon curd you need really depends on how thick you pile it on. If you just use a small amount, two jars should be enough. Alternately, you could make your own. Click HERE for an easy homemade recipe.
These taste best if eaten while wearing sweat pants. Enjoy!!
Have a happy Monday!!
Thanks for visiting my blog! I realize you could be doing more important things with your time. Like watching the news or washing socks. I hope you stay awhile. Much more fun than socks, I promise. 
An ode to sweatpants….I want to print out this post and frame it. You are so right about it all!
hahaha I agree! sweat pants are really the best thing ever, specially if you wear them while watching a movie and eating chips like a pig, btw great idea!
My BF thinks track pants are sweatpants. They are not soft! They have tight elastic waistbands and zippers at the ankle! They are NOT sweatpants.
And I just found the perfect use for the leftover lemon curd in my fridge. YES.
I’ve never heard of leftover lemon curd…
Wow!! Those look Wonderful!! Lemon Meringue is one of my faves!
Sweatpants are my best friend as well!
I just have to say I LOVE your blog. It always makes me smile and I love the food you make. Oh, and AMEN to sweatpants:) I live in my and love them!!!!
If people are going to see me, I’ll put on real clothes, but if I’m home, then I’m in sweatpants. It just doesn’t make sense to be uncomfortable if you don’t have to be. I love this lemon dessert idea! I would totally eat this right now if I could.
Weird…. I have every ingredient on hand – and am WEARING sweat pants. I’m pretty sure that is a direct command from God to make these.
You could not have more accurately summed up my feelings about sweatpants. I live for sweatpants.
Yum! These look so delicious! I think we were on the same wavelenght with lemon today! Of course yours is cuter, and easier… so basically way better! =)
These look absoultely heavenly! Wow what a beautiful presentation :)
Sweat pants are wasted on men. My husband refuses to wear them and puts on jeans and a belt when he wants to get comfortable. A BELT? Basically a torture device.
Love lemon cupcakes.
Bring on the sweats, yoga pants, and pj’s! My kind of fashion:) Love these cakes! Your photos are fab too!
Sounds delicious! My sweats and I have a very good relationship so I would be allowed to eat this.
I love my sweatpants-they are so comfy! They are like pj’s for grown ups that you can wear all day, and not be embarassed if the mailman or your in-laws stop over! And, once again you have made me want to run out to the 24-hour market and buy everything I need to make these!! Happy Monday indeed! =)
I have to say that, for me, my yoga pants are a very close 2nd to my sweatpants. Both, however, are an extremely necessary part of my day :) thanks for the yummy recipe and the reassurance that I am not the only Mama who wakes up in the morning wondering how soon it is socially acceptable to get back into my sweatpants ;)
My fiancé keeps his SHOES on all day. If I offer to take them off for him, he tells me he likes keeping then on. What kind of crap is that?! Can’t be comfortable.
Oh wow these look soooo good! The meringue is just perfectly browned and holy creativity. Amazing! :)
I call them my house pants and it’s the first thing I do when I get home from work….and if I have to run an errand in them…the become my “yoga” pants even tho I haven’t really done yoga since my twins were born! Meringues look delish!
I am ALWAYS excited to get into my sweatpants! I love these jars, they are so pretty and you would never have any clue there is cake mix involved!
My hubby tells me that it’s not really decent for guys to wear sweatpants like it is for ladies, LOL. He severely judges men wearing sweatpants in public, and recently said it was ‘too intimate’ to wear sweats in front of a houseguest.
I’m all about the leggings and the sweatpants, though!
Some heroes put on capes, some put on masks. But the rest of us, we put on our sweats.
Sweat pants? Hah. Got you beat. I live in my bathrobe. Even more comfortable than sweat pants. I even walk my wee dog in my robe — the thought of getting dressed, then undressed at 6:00 am leaves me cold. It’s half a block and I tell him to HURRY. When it’s 37 degrees F I put on a jacket, OK. And it’s 6:00 am so the only people who see me are the two other people who walk their dogs (fully dressed) at 6:00 am and we’ve all known each other for years. Plus, who are they going to tell? The other neighbors?
Kristan, your Lemon Meringue in a jar is brilliant! Just like you. I’d be happy to join you — me in my pink fleece oh so warm and cozy bathrobe — you in your Chanel sweats to eat Twinkie Pie — anytime.
Oh, these are the cutest little cakes EVER! I have to get one of those kitchen torches! I’m thinking it would be fun! ;)
I am all about the yoga pant. Which is just a fancy name for sweat pant, isn’t it? Yes, yoga pants, wine, DVR….you are speaking my love language, Kristan!
perhaps he is sporting pajama jeans for men … :O)
I guess it’s fitting that I’m wearing sweats right now. I decided to read this before I head downstairs to workout. Once I make this totally yummy out of this world dessert, I will need to wear my sweats for a lot longer. Thank you, I think!
These little jar cakes are adorable. Pajamas bottoms and yoga pants – there are entire days that I dedicate to that attire.
Super cute! Love how easy but fancy-shmancy these are. And I don’t get the whole ‘what I wore’ stuff either. Odd.
I’ve never even thought about whisking egg whites and sugar oven a pan of simmering water.
This will make making meringue so much easier!
Thanks for sharing.
You wanna know what fancy sweatpants are called??
YOGA PANTS!!
Go on…it’s 2012….stretch while taking those sweet little beauties out of the oven!
Love ya!
Seriously. where would we be without DVR?!
I’m all about the loungewear. The moment I get home, off with the jeans and on with the cozy pants. These delicious creations of yours would be perfect for a spring party! Love them… yet another reason why I need a kitchen torch. I think our camping torch would be overkill lol.
My husband and I are the same way about sweat pants! The moment I arrive home from work, I’m out of my pretty clothes and into sweats. He, on the other hand, will sit in work clothes all evening until bedtime. Cray, I tell you.
I can see we have a lot in common…lemon sweets and comfy clothes! I have to tell you that this winter I gave up wearing sweat pants…gasp! BUT…I found something even more soft and warm and comfy to replace them with… believe it or not! Fleece pajamas! Trust me on this one! ;) Patsy
I WILL make these for my husband’s birthday in June! He loves lemon and meringue :)
Thanks for sharing all your wonderful recipes!
i’m not the only one with a dire need for sweat pants. Woo Hoo!
i love lemon meringue everything and anything. you make everything look so easy. I tried to make cupcakes in a jar once and it was a mess. lol.
I’m a BIG and I mean BIG fan of sweatpants…I used to dress all cute and stylish and then I had kids and then I got real….real comfortable :)
I LOVE the lemon Meringue in a Jar it looks so good, yummy and pretty!!!!
These look beautiful!!!
bahaha! i’m the exact same way – the moment i walk in the door, i immediately sprint to the nearest pair of yoga pants + change into them. my husband? comes home + leaves on uncomfy jeans/work clothes for an hour or two (or sometimes more). i just can’t wrap my mind around it! i can, however, wrap my mind around these adorable lemon meringue cake jars. love ‘em!
Looks refreshingly delicious! Have pinned it!
Somehow they’re so much more socially acceptable if you call them yoga pants – which is, in fact, what I call mine when I wear them ALL DAY LONG. Ignore the fact that I’ve never done yoga in my life (and currently have no plan or DESIRE to start – if God wanted me to be a skinny contortionist, he would have made me double jointed and chocolate less tasty).
And this may sound a little bit like an abomination, so forgive me, but can you use lemon pie filling instead of lemon curd? Or is it basically the same thing? I’ve made lemon curd before and it’s almost too lemony for me – which I didn’t think was possible until it happened.
These looks like you slaved all day!! I love your secret weapons :)
I don’t think my husband owns a pair of sweat pants. I have tried to buy him flannel pants a couple times, and he just laughs and me and returns them. INSANE!!!
I am just starting to like lemon desserts, this looks so pretty, and sounds delicious!
I’m totally with you on the sweatpants thing! My husband makes fun of me for how quickly I change into them when I get home. And he constantly wears his jeans. I just don’t get it.
Absolutely drooling over these this morning! I’m sitting here contemplating how I could make these as we travel down the road in the RV today. {Yeah, I’m wanting them that badly!}
These look totally sweat pants worthy. And so cute too!
“so I just stare at him and continually ask if he’s going somewhere” – SRSLY!!! My husband comes home everyday, stands in front of the open snack cupboard door, digs his mitts into something he can shove in his face, and whilst nomming, lingers there like he was born in a barn wearing slacks, collared shirt, jacket & tie. I’m like, “can we just change into comfy clothes already and get on with the evening, HMMMM????” That in-limbo phase causes me to suffer real anxiety like I actually wonder if he might be going somewhere. LOL!
I totally agree – I love wearing my comfy pants too! :-) These little cakes look amazing!
Making cake mix look fancy is an understatement…this is just lovely! Can I still read and post on your blog if I tell you I don’t wear sweat pants?
Looks incredible! I love the little mason jars.
I love cakes in a jar! So pretty!
[...] made Lemon Meringue Cakes in a jar. Easy [...]
I don’t own a pair of sweat pants but I’d be in a real sweat if someone were to take away all my yoga pants. My favourite item of clothing to wear when hanging around the house.
I love how these lemon meringue jar cakes look…so adorable and appetizing.
I recently found your blog and I am in LOVE! So many cute and tasty recipes like this one, and your writing is so much fun to read. Can’t wait for more :)
I am in sweatpants now as I read this. I will be making these cakes for Easter, where I, presumably, will not be in sweatpants. LOVE your blog, keep it up!
I laughed out loud reading this…. while sitting in my sweatpants…. while my husbands sitting beside me IN HIS JEANS!!! Brilliant post. Just came across you via Pinterest, but will be sure to tune in again. Thanks for the laughs :)
Maybe a stupid question why display them in a jar? Do they last longer????? if they are sealed????????
I want to make these for a Broker’s Open House, how far ahead can I make them?
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Love this idea and I’m definitely pinning it. I’m not much of a sweets eater but give me lemon in a dessert and I’m a happy girl.
I made these last night & they were delicious! Thank you!