Thursday, 8 May 2014

My Strawberry Meringue Layer Cake

Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu!

In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful

On Sunday, this Strawberry Meringue Layer Cake happened.




 Born out of a meringue disaster, it is testament to what can happen when you keep calm and carry on in the kitchen.



So, the initial plan was to make a chocolate pavlova, but the chocolate meringue didn't turn out as I wanted it. I'd hoped it would have been crisp on the outside and soft and marshmallowy in the middle. But it was more like a giant brownie - just very squidgy. Which, let's face it, there is nothing wrong with.

The next day, I decided not to waste the chocolate meringue but instead to sandwich it between two more layers of meringue, along with lashings of strawberries, cream and jam, and behold! My Strawberry Meringue Layer Cake was born!



I hope you guys like this recipe as much as we did. My family loved this 'cake'. It was gluten free too which is always a plus point! Also, I hope that my little story teaches you not to give up when you make a mistake. Some good will most definitely come out of anything that has gone wrong.

Meringue, previously: Strawberry Pavlova, Orange Meringue PieMini Meringue CookiesChocolate Meringue Roulade and Eton Mess. 


Before we begin, this was the original Mary Berry recipe that this cake was inspired by. 

The ingredients you'll need include eggs (the whites only), sugar, white wine vinegar, salt, cocoa powder, vanilla, double cream, fresh strawberries and strawberry jam.

Bismillah, let's begin!


Fire up the oven and prepare the baking trays. (Full details below). Whisk Egg Whites and Salt together until stiff. Then, while still whisking, add in the Sugar until the meringue becomes stiff and glossy.


Then, add in the Cocoa Powder, Vanilla and White Wine Vinegar. Whisk together until well combined. For more info on whether this vinegar is halal, check here.


Shape the meringue into an 8 inch circle on the baking tray, and then bake for 1 hour until crispy and cracked. If yours turns out not so crispy, like mine did - do not worry! 
Once baked, leave to cool completely.


Next, onto the white meringue. Preheat the oven and prepare two baking trays - full info down below. Place more Egg Whites into the clean bowl of a stand mixer, and whisk until stiff.


Slowly add Sugar, whisking all the while, until the meringue is glossy and stiff.


I used an 8 inch cake tin without the bottom as my guide. Use the same for the chocolate meringue also.


Divide the white meringue between the two trays.


Smooth them out.


Then lift off the cake tin.


Bake the meringues for 1 and 1/4 hour and then leave to cool completely with the oven door open and the oven switched off.


When all the meringues are cool, it's time to assemble. Whip up the Double Cream, slice your Strawberries and heat up the Strawberry Jam.


Place the first white meringue onto a cake stand or plate, and spread on whipped cream. 

A little tip here - The meringue may be slippy and so to keep it in place on the stand, place a few blobs of whipped cream under it, and this way, inshallah, it won't move.


Then, add the strawberries in a single layer, and drizzle on a little jam.


Carefully place on the chocolate meringue. It doesn't have to be perfect. Mine actually broke as I was putting it in but nobody noticed - it's all covered in cream anyway!


Spread on more cream, strawberries and jam.


And, place the second meringue over it.


Dig out the piping bag if you want to be fancy, and pipe on the remaining whipped cream.


Decorate with the remaining strawberries.


It's ready! At this point, I had to transport it to my cousins house for dinner. I was holding onto it for dear life and begging my dad to drive slowly.


At dinner, the cake was on the dessert station next to my Custard Slices.


It was in the company of a delicious cake made by my cousin and a trifle whipped up by mum.


And, there were some of us who just couldn't wait to dig in!

Full Written Recipe:


My Strawberry Meringue Layer Cake

Ingredients – feeds a large crowd!

For the Chocolate Meringue (Adapted from Laura in the Kitchen)

6 Egg Whites

8 ounces (250 grams) Sugar

1 teaspoon White Wine Vinegar

2 ounces (56 grams) Cocoa Powder

1 teaspoon Vanilla

¼ teaspoon Salt

For the White Meringues (Adapted from a recipe by Mary Berry)

4 Egg Whites

8 ounces (250 grams) Sugar

For the Filling and Topping

600ml Double Cream

Few handfuls Fresh Strawberries, sliced length ways

Few tablespoons Strawberry Jam, warmed slightly

Method

First, make the chocolate meringue. Preheat the oven to 150C or Gas Mark 2. 

Place the egg whites and salt into the clean bowl of a standing mixer. Using the whisk attachment, whisk on high until the egg whites become stiff.

Add the sugar, a tablespoon at a time, while the whisk is still on, until the meringue becomes glossy and thick.

Then, add in the cocoa powder, white wine vinegar and vanilla. Whisk until well combined.

Line a large baking tray with parchment paper but do not grease it. Take a round 8 inch cake tin (as shown in photos), and place the meringue into it.

Spread the meringue out and then lift off the cake tin.

Bake the chocolate meringue for 1 hour until it’s crispy and cracked. Allow it to cool completely.

Next, make the white meringues. Preheat the oven to 120C Fan or 140C or Gas Mark 1.

Line two trays with baking paper but do not grease them.

Place the egg whites into the clean bowl  of a standing mixer and whisk until stiff.

Then, add the sugar, a tablespoon at a time, while the machine is still on. Whisk until the meringue is glossy and stiff.

Using the same 8 inch cake tin round, divide the meringue between the two trays – as shown in photos.

Bake in the oven for 1 and ¼ hours until crisp and dry. Leave to cool completely in the oven with the door slightly open.

For the filling, whisk the double cream until soft peaks form. Add a little icing sugar and vanilla if you wish, to taste.

Slice the strawberries and warm up the jam.

To assemble, take a large plate or cake stand.

First, place on:

·    the white meringue

·    top with whipped cream

·    followed by a layer of sliced strawberries

·    a few drizzles of strawberry jam

·    then the chocolate meringue

·    top with whipped cream, strawberries and jam

·    finally, the second white meringue

·    pipe on the remainder of the whipped cream around the edges and the centre

·    and decorate with the remaining strawberry slices!

Serve immediately! Be sure to store this cake in the fridge as it has whipped cream on it.

This Time Last Year:



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Keep me in your duas, please,

Wasalaam!


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