Sponge cake and meringue - try something original
Content
As a rule, in addition to the meringue itself, any such cake contains sponge cake and cream. Nuts are optional, as meringue and nuts pair beautifully. However, making a cake with a nut layer is completely optional, and it should certainly be omitted if anyone with a nut allergy is likely to try it.
So, the recipe itself
Meringue Ingredients
- Eggs (we will only need the whites) – 5 pcs.
- Sugar (very fine or powdered sugar) – 250-300 g.
- Vanilla essence – a quarter teaspoon or 1 packet of vanilla sugar.
Ingredients for biscuit
- Egg yolks – 5 pcs.
- Sugar – 80 gr.
- Vanilla essence – on the tip of a knife, or a third of a packet of vanilla sugar.
- Baking powder – 2/3 packet or 1 teaspoon
- Water (room temperature) 50 ml.
- Flour – 90-100g
- Starch – 1 tablespoon
Meringue recipe
- Whisk the separated egg whites with the sugar and essence until stiff peaks form. Experienced cooks turn the bowl upside down, ensuring the entire mixture stays in the bowl even when upside down. You can simply tilt the bowl slightly—the mixture shouldn't even move.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and, after drawing two circles on it, spoon the mixture onto these circles to a height of up to 3 cm. If there is still some left in the bowl, you can use a spoon to form small meringues and arrange them around the circles.
- Place the baking sheet in the oven preheated to 100 degrees Celsius for about an hour and a half. Don't let the meringue turn brown; it's just drying out, so don't turn on the convection fan.
- Add water, sugar, and vanilla to the yolks. Mix everything until smooth and the mixture turns white.
- Separately sift the flour, add baking powder and starch.
- Carefully pour the dry mixture into the egg mixture, stirring until smooth.
- Line a baking pan with parchment paper and pour the dough into it.
- Bake in an oven preheated to 190 degrees for about 20-30 minutes.
- Once the sponge cake is ready, you need to carefully take it out and let it cool, and then carefully cut it into two layers using a knife or a special fishing line.
Sponge cake recipe
- Add water, sugar, and vanilla to the yolks. Mix everything until smooth and the mixture turns white.
- Separately sift the flour, add baking powder and starch.
- Carefully pour the dry mixture into the egg mixture, stirring until smooth.
- Line a baking pan with parchment paper and pour the dough into it.
- Bake in an oven preheated to 190 degrees for about 20-30 minutes.
- Once the sponge cake is ready, you need to carefully take it out and let it cool, and then carefully cut it into two layers using a knife or a special fishing line.
Design and decoration
Once the meringue and sponge cake are ready, we can move on to the final step – decorating our cake. We'll start with the sponge cake, then add a layer of cream. To lighten the cream, you can use ready-made whipped cream or whip 20% heavy cream with a special thickener. With a layer of whipped cream from a can, the cake should be served and eaten immediately, as the cream will settle after a while. Otherwise, the cake can sit for a while.
So, after applying the frosting, carefully place a layer of meringue. If your circle cracks or breaks at any stage, don't worry. You can break it into large pieces and use these pieces as a layer—this will only make the cake fluffier. After the meringue layer, apply another layer of frosting, or, if desired, replace it with any jam or chocolate spread you have at home.
Repeat the sequence again: sponge cake, cream, meringue, cream, or filling of your choice. Decorate the top of the cake with meringue crumbs or small meringues baked with the meringue, grated chocolate, or nuts. It's important to remember that a cake with this layer shouldn't be stored for long; it's best eaten right away.
