Step 1

Start by making this ingredient of your lemon pastry cream pie . Firstly, warm the milk in a saucepan over low heat. Meanwhile, place the egg yolks in a large bowl, add the sugar 1 and beat quickly. Then pour in the juice of a lemon 2 , beat again, and add the cornstarch 3 .

Step 2

Continue to beat with a whisk until the mixture is smooth 4 . As soon as the milk begins to boil, pour it slowly into the egg yolk mixture 5 and stir. Then pour the resulting mixture into the pan and return to the heat, stirring with a spatula 6 .

Step 3

Add the grated zest of 3 lemons 7 and continue to stir until the mixture has thickened 8 . If the mixture gets lumpy, remove the custard from the heat and stir vigorously with a spatula until the lumps have gone. As soon as the pastry cream is smooth, pour it into a baking dish 9 and cover it with plastic wrap in contact with the surface. Allow to cool, then place in the refrigerator to cool for at least two hours.

Step 4

Meanwhile, start to make the pie dough . Pour the flour into a bowl, then add the sugar 1 , baking powder 2 , and cubes of cold butter 3 .

Step 5

Mix the ingredients with your hands to a crumb-like consistency 4 . Then add the lightly beaten eggs 5 and lemon zest 6 .

Step 6

Mix all the ingredients well, knead by hand (7-and transfer to a surface to roll the dough into a compact ball 9 .

Step 7

Cover with plastic wrap 10 and allow to rest for an hour in the fridge. Once this time has elapsed, roll the pastry out onto a floured board with a rolling pin until the dough is ½ inch (1.5 cm) thick 11 . Butter a 9-inch (22 cm) mold and line it with the pie dough 12 .

Step 8

Press down to ensure it is all in contact with the mold. The pie dough lining must extend halfway up the sides of the mold. Remove any excess dough 13 with a small knife and use it to thicken and level the edge 14 . Now return to the refrigerator for at least 10 minutes 15 .

Step 9

Meanwhile, prepare the topping mixture . Firstly, melt the butter and let it cool slightly. Put the egg and egg yolk in a bowl, add the sugar, and beat everything with an electric beater 1 until the mixture is light and fluffy 2 . With the beater still running, pour in the milk 3

Step 10

and add the lemon zest 4 . Now add the sifted cornstarch 5 and flour 6 to the egg mixture

Step 11

and fold in gently with a whisk, working from the bottom upwards 7 . Add the lukewarm butter 8 and mix from the bottom upwards again to ensure that the butter is absorbed without the mixture separating 9 . All the components of the dish are ready.

Step 12

Firstly, stir the pastry cream with a spoon to soften it 1 and transfer it to a pastry bag 2 . Spread half of it over the base, starting from the center 3

Step 13

and creating a spiral pattern over the surface 4 . Cover with the sponge cake mixture 5 and level the surface with a spatula 6 .

Step 14

Take any leftover pastry cream and pile it up in the middle of the cake 7 , then use this mixture to draw lines outlining 8 wedges 8 , and place another dollop of custard in the center of each wedge 9 .

Step 15

Now 10 bake in a conventional oven preheated to 340°F (170°C) for approximately 55 minutes on the lowest shelf. Once cooked, take your lemon pastry cream pie out of the oven 11 and leave to cool completely before turning it out of the mold and serving 12 .