Meringue Cake Recipes

Steps:

• Grease and line a 900g loaf tin with baking parchment. Line the base with a row of biscuits. In a bowl, whisk the lemon zest and juice, mascarpone, cream, sugar and 50g lemon curd until thick and holding its shape. Transfer roughly 1 /4 of the mixture to a bowl and chill in the fridge for later.
• Layer the mascarpone and biscuits into the tin, and add the remaining lemon curd in spoonfuls between the layers. Break some biscuits to fill any gaps. You should have about four layers of biscuits, finishing with a layer of cream. Wrap the tin in cling film and chill for at least 8 hrs, or up to 48 hrs.
• When you're ready to serve, unwrap the tin and turn the pudding out onto a platter or board. Peel off the parchment. Crush 4 of the mini meringues to a rubble texture and stir through the reserved mascarpone mix. Spread across the top of the pudding, then press the remaining mini meringues and lemon slices on top. Leftovers will keep for one day.

Steps:

• FOR CAKE:.
• Beat egg whites at high speed with an electric mixer until soft peaks form; set aside.
• In a separate bowl, beat butter at medium speed until creamy.
• Add sugar and beat well.
• Add egg yolks, one at a time and beat until well blended after each addition.
• In a small bowl, combine the buttermilk and 2 teaspoons flavoring.
• In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking soda and cocoa. Add the dry mixture to the butter mixture, alternating with the buttermilk mixture; beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Beat at low speed after each addition until well blended.
• Stir in the pecans and mix well.
• Fold in the beaten egg whites and pour the batter into 3 well greased 9 inch cake pans.
• Bake at 350°F for 20 minutes until a wooden toothpick comes out clean.
• Cool for 10 minutes in the pan, then remove cake to wire racks to cool completely.
• CREAM CHEESE FILLING:.
• Beat the first four ingredients at medium speed with an electric mixer until smooth. Gradually add the powdered sugar, beating until light and fluffy.
• Once the cake cools completely, spread this filling between the layers.
• GANACHE:.
• Bring whipping cream to a simmer in a heavy saucepan over medium heat.
• Remove from heat and add chocolate, stirring until the chocolate is melted.
• Cool until ganache becomes a spreading consistency (stirring often).
• Frost the top and sides of the cake with ganache reserving 1/2 cup.
• MERINGUES:.
• Beat the egg whites, vinegar and salt at high speed with an electric mixer until foamy.
• Gradually add sugar; beating until soft peaks form and sugar dissolves.
• Fold in chocolate.
• Drop by heaping teaspoonfuls onto parchment paper lined baking sheets and bake at 250°F for 35 minutes.
• Transfer to wire racks to cool completely.
• Once cool, mound meringues on top of cake to form a small mountain, beginning at the sides and working in, layering 3-4 layers high. Drizzle the meringues with the remaining ganache.
• TO SERVE THE CAKE:.
• Before cutting, remove the meringues with small tongs and use them as a garnish on each cake serving.
• TO STORE:.
• IF you have any cake left, store it in the refrigerator without the meringues. Store the meringues in an airtight container at room temperature.

Steps:

• For the cake: Place fresh, cold egg whites and cold water in the bowl of a heavy-duty mixer. Set aside until they are 60 degrees, or slightly below room temperature.
• Pour flour, 1/2 cup granulated sugar and salt into a triple sifter or sieve. Sift onto a sheet of waxed paper; set aside. Adjust rack in lower third of oven; preheat oven to 325 degrees. Set nearby a dry, un-greased 10inch tube pan. Such a pan allows the batter to cling to the sides and rise to its full height. Place a long-necked bottle or large metal funnel nearby for inverting the baked cake.
• Whip egg whites, preferably with a whisk attachment until frothy. Add cream of tartar and whip on medium speed until soft peaks form. Continue whipping and gradually add the 1 cup granulated sugar until whites have thickened and form soft droopy white peaks. Add the vanilla and lemon zest in the final moments of whipping.
• Sprinkle one-quarter of the flour mixture over the whites, and with a rubber spatula, fold into the whites. Repeat this process with the remaining flour mixture, folding in only one-quarter of the flour mixture at a time. Gently pour the batter into an un-greased tube pan. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, or until the top is light golden, the cake feels spongy and springs back when touched, and a wooden toothpick inserted in the middle comes out free of cake. Invert cake onto the neck of a bottle or funnel. Cool completely before removing from pan.
• To remove cake from the pan, slip just the tip of a small metal spatula between the cake and pan. Slowly trace the perimeter to release any cake sticking to the pan. Tilt the cake pan on its side, and gently tap the bottom against the counter to loosen the cake. Rotate the cake pan, tapping as you turn it a few more times, until it appears free. Cover the cake with a rack or cardboard round, and at the same time that you invert the cake onto the work surface, tap it firmly onto the surface. Lift the pan from the cake.
• For the filling: In a 1 1/2 quart heavy-bottomed saucepan, whisk briefly to combine the eggs, egg yolks, sugar, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Add the pieces of butter, and place the saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly over the entire bottom. Cook the mixture without boiling until it begins to develop body and thicken. Remove from heat and pour through a stainless steel sieve into a bowl. Cover the surface with plastic wrap, poke a few small slits in the plastic with the tip of a paring blade allowing steam to escape while cooling. Refrigerate (curd will thicken).
• For the frosting: In a 3-cup saucepan, combine the water and 2/3 cup sugar. Place over low heat to dissolve the sugar, then increase the heat to medium high and boil, without stirring, until a candy thermometer reads 235 degrees. (Wash down any sugar crystals slinging to the sides of the pan with a brush dipped in cold water.) Near the end of the boiling time, whip the egg whites with the cream of tartar until soft peaks form. Add the 2 tablespoons sugar, and continue to whip until the whites are stiff but not dry. With the mixer running, pour the syrup onto the whipped whites. Continue to whip on medium speed, about 3 minutes more. Mixture will thicken, cool and form glossy, stiff peaks. Add the vanilla. Cool to room temperature, about 8 to 10 minutes, then frost cake right away.
• Assembling the dessert: Cut cake into three layers. Spread the lemon filling equally between the two layers; top with remaining layer. Frost top and sides of cake with Italian Meringue Frosting.

Steps:

• Start by making the curd. Put all the ingredients in a saucepan and whisk together. It will look like it has curdled but don't worry - simply put the pan over a low heat and stir constantly until it is smooth and thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Pass the mixture through a sieve into a bowl. Leave to cool, covered with cling film. Put in the fridge until ready to use, preferably overnight.
• For the caramel sugar syrup, heat the caster sugar in a saucepan over a medium heat until it melts and starts to caramelise. Stir until smooth and a deep golden colour. Remove from the heat and carefully pour in 50ml boiling water. It will steam and spit a little, so take care. (If the sugar hardens, pop the pan back on the heat for 1-2 mins to melt again.) Stir, pour immediately into a heatproof jug and top up with a little extra boiling water (about 10ml) so you have 100ml of liquid in total. Leave on one side to cool.
• To make the cake, heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Grease 3 x 20cm sandwich tins, lining the bases and sides with baking parchment.
• In a large bowl, beat together the butter and sugars with an electric whisk until light and fluffy. Mix in 1 tbsp flour, then add the eggs, a little at a time, beating after each addition until fully combined.
• Mix together the remaining dry ingredients, the lemon zest and 1/2 tsp salt, then fold in to the butter mixture with the caramel sugar syrup. Divide the batter between the tins and level the tops with the back of a wet spoon. Bake for 25-30 mins or until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean. Allow the cakes to cool in the tins for 10 mins, then turn out onto a wire rack, peeling off the parchment. Leave to cool completely.
• Make the caramelised lemon slices while the cakes are baking. Slice the lemon into 5mm thick slices, discarding the ends. In a shallow non-stick pan, bring 350ml water and the sugar to the boil. Add the lemon slices, boil for 10 mins, then reduce the heat to a simmer for 20-25 mins until the liquid has evaporated and the slices have caramelised. Remove from the pan and put on a non-stick A silicone mat or baking parchment to cool.
• To assemble the cake. Place a sponge the right way up on a cake board or presentation plate. Top with an even layer of curd but don't go right to the edge, leave about 1cm uncovered. Gently put the next sponge on top and repeat the process, putting the last sponge upside down on top.
• To make the Italian meringue, put the sugar and 175ml water in a saucepan and B bring to a rolling boil over a high heat. Continue to boil until it reaches 115C on a sugar thermometer. Meanwhile, put the egg whites and cream of tartar in a large mixing bowl (a tabletop mixer is ideal if you have one). Whisk the egg whites to soft peaks (when lifting the whisk out, the peaks should slowly vanish back into the mixture). Whisk the egg whites at high speed and very slowly trickle in the hot syrup. The meringue will C begin to thicken and go glossy after about 10 mins. Continue to whisk until it is still just warm. Use the meringue immediately, as it is easier to work with while warm.
• Using a palette knife, spread a thin layer of meringue around the side of the cake to level and square it up, then spread an even layer about 3mm thick on the top of the cake (see step-by-step for guidance). Put the remaining meringue in a large piping bag fitted with a small star nozzle and pipe vertical columns up the side of the cake, level with the top. Finally, pipe small meringue stars on the top of the columns. It's easier to do this with the cake on a turntable.
• Brown the meringue using a kitchen blowtorch. Finally, cut the caramelised lemon slices in half and use to decorate the top of the cake. Will keep for 3 days in the fridge.

Steps:

• Cake-----------.
• Preheat the oven to 350F degrees.
• Butter 2 9" round cake pans and line the bottoms with parchment.
• Butter the paper and dust the pans lightly with flour, tapping out any excess In a medium bowl, sift together the cake flour, baking powder and salt.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the sugar with the butter at high speed until fluffy, about 5 minutes.
• Add the eggs and egg yolks, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition.
• Beat in the vanilla.
• Beat in the flour mixture at low speed in 3 batches, alternating with the milk, beat until just smooth.
• Scrape the batter into the prepared pans and smooth the surfaces.
• Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
• Let the cakes cool on racks for 10 minutes, then unmold onto the racks and let cool completely.
• Curd------------.
• Fill a large bowl with ice water.
• In a heavy medium sauce pan, whisk the egg yolks with the sugar, lemon juice and salt.
• Add the butter and cook over moderate heat, stirring constantly until the curd is thick nd just beginning to simmer, about 5 minutes.
• Set the saucepan in the water bath and chill the curd, whisking occasionally.
• Meringue------.
• In a saucepan, bring 1" of water to a boil.
• In the clean bowl of a stand mixer, whisk the sugar, egg whites and lemon juice.
• Set the bowl over the saucepan and cook, whisking constantly until the sugar dissolves, about 6 minutes.
• Return the bowl to the mixer and beat the meringue at medium speed for about 10 minutes, or until cooled to room temperature.
• Continue beating at high speed until the meringue is thick, shiny and billowy, about 15 minutes longer.
• Assemble the cake-----------.
• Using a serrated knife, trim the cake tops to make them level.
• Halve each cake horizontally.
• Set 1 layer on a cake plate, cut side up, spread with 1/3 of the curd.
• Set another layer on top and spread with another 1/3 of the curd.
• Set another layer on top and spread the remaining curd, cover with the final layer of cake, cut side down.
• With a large offset spatula, frost the sides of the cake with a thin layer of meringue.
• Top the cake with the remaining meringue and swirl decoratively, then serve.
• Make ahead: The layers can be wrapped in plastic and refrigerated for 2 days or frozen up to 1 month.
• The curd can be refrigerated for 3 days.
• The assembled cake can be refrigerated for up to 2 days.