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A slice of lemon pie with raspberry sauce on a plate.
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Amish Lemon Sponge Pie

With this Lemon Sponge Pie recipe, you get two desserts in one: a delicious lemon custard topped with a tender sponge cake, all in a flaky pie crust. This recipe is also called a Lemon Cake Pie. depending on where you live. This pie is simple to make and definitely unique.
Course Cake, Dessert, Pie
Cuisine American, Dessert
Prep Time 1 hour
Cook Time 55 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 55 minutes
Servings 8 servings
Calories 304kcal

Ingredients

Pie Crust Ingredients

  • 1 ¼ cup AP flour
  • 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ cup unsalted butter cold and cut into small cubes
  • ¼ cup solid vegetable shortening cold
  • 4-5 tablespoons ice water

Lemon Filling

  • 3 tablespoons butter melted
  • 1 ¼ cups granulated sugar
  • 3 large eggs separated
  • 5 tablespoons flour
  • 1 ¼ cups whole milk
  • 1-2 Lemon ¼ cup juice and zested

Whipped Cream

Raspberry Sauce - optional

Raspberry Cream Cheese Frosting - optional

Instructions

Pie Dough

  • In a large bowl, mix the flour, sugar, and salt.
  • Add the butter and shortening, cut in with two knives or a pastry blender until the mixture looks like small peas.
  • With a fork, stir in the ice water one tablespoon at a time until evenly moistened.
  • Press the dough into a ball, flatten and wrap in plastic wrap.
  • Chill for 15-30 minutes.
  • Roll the dough to fit a 9" pie pan.

Making the lemon filling

  • Juice and zest the lemon. Depending on the size of the lemon, you may need two to get a ¼ cup of juice. NOTE: you only need the zest from 1 lemon.
  • Cream the butter and sugar on medium speed with a mixer. Add the egg yolks one at a time to the bowl mixing between each addition, then add the flour, mix well.
  • Add the milk, lemon juice, and lemon zest; mix on medium speed until the batter is smooth. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
  • In another bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form.
  • With a rubber spatula fold the egg whites into the creamed mixture until no whites show.
  • Pour the filling into the unbaked pie crust.
  • Bake at 325 degrees for about 55-60 minutes.

Whipped Cream - optional

  • Pour the cold whipping cream into a medium-size bowl and beat with a whisk attachment until still peaks form. Add some powdered sugar if you want a sweetened whipped cream.
    Place the whipped cream in a piping bag fitted with a large star tip and pipe rosettes on top of the pie.

Raspberry sauce - optional

  • In a small saucepan add the raspberries and sugar and cook over medium heat until the sugar is melted and the raspberries are soft. Smash the raspberries to release the juice. Cook for 5 minutes.
  • Pour the raspberries into a fine-mesh strainer to strain the seeds, pushing down with a spoon to get as much juice.
  • Add the juice back to the saucepan and cook over medium heat. Mix the cornstarch and water to make a slurry and add the raspberry juice; stir until the mixture thickens.
  • Drizzle over the pie slice. Store the remainder in the refrigerator for a few days.

Making the raspberry frosting - optional

  • In a medium-sized bowl beat the softened cream cheese and butter on medium-high speed until light and fluffy.
  • Beat in the raspberries until combined.
  • By half-cup measure add the powdered sugar and mix on medium speed until a thick frosting forms. Sometimes you may have to add additional powdered sugar to thicken the frosting.
  • Add the frosting into a piping bag fitted with a large frosting tip, like a 1M or 2D. Pipe rosettes around the edge of the pie and top with raspberries.

Notes

Start checking your pie around 50 minutes to make sure the crust is not getting too dark.  The pie may be a little jiggly in the middle when done, but it should not be jiggly all over.
The easiest way to cut this pie is to warm a knife blade under hot water then dry it off and cut the pie.  
Optional Ways To Serve This Pie
You can add whipped cream rosettes around the edge of the pie, or serve with a dollop of whipped cream and top with fresh raspberries.
You can add a raspberry drizzle on top of the pie, see the recipe above.
When I first started making this pie I made a Raspberry Cream Cheese Frosting.  It's very good, but kind of fussy, so I started just using whipped cream. (This recipe is above  in the instructions.)
 
 
Store the pie in the refrigerator covered in plastic wrap for a few days.

Nutrition

Serving: 1slice | Calories: 304kcal | Carbohydrates: 41.5g | Fat: 14.1g | Cholesterol: 62mg | Sodium: 145mg