Vanilla Meringue Cake: how to make this famous cake at home? See this video.
«It was my father who began the tradition of the meringue cake at Harry’s Bar. At any restaurant there are always incredible number of egg whites left over from the sauces. My father, who at the age of 15 had worked in a bakery, knew not only that egg whites make beautiful cakes but that, as he would always remind me, egg whites are free» - Harry (Arrigo) Cipriani, the son of Giuseppe Cipriani, founder of original Harry’s Bar in Venice.
Arrigo Ciprianis also the onwer of Bellini, among the other fine Cipriani establishements around the world.
FULL RECIPE:
1 cup Pastry cream (250 ml)
For the meringue:
4 egg whites at room temperature
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
1 cip of sugar (225 g)
To assemble the cake
1 1/2 cups of heavy cream (375 ml)
4 layers of sponge cake
Sugar for garnish
Let the pastry cream cool and refrigerate it, covered, for at least 2 hours. You can make pastry cream up to 24 hours in advance.
When you are ready to assemble the cake, make the meringue topping. Be sure the egg whites are at room temperature. Put then in a medium size bowl, and beat untill they are frontly. Beat in the lemon juice and vanilla and them gradually add the sugar. Beat the meringue untill it is very thick and glossy.
Whip the cream untill very stiff and combine it gently but thoroughly with the pastry cream.
Preheat the over at 500 (260/9).
Assemble the cake:
Put the botton layer of the cake on a baking sheet and spread one third of the filling over it, leaving a 1/2 inch (1 1/2 cm) margin of cake. Top it with another layer of cake and another third of fillin. Repeat, the add the top layer of the cake.
Spread the meringue thickly over the cake with a knife of spatula. Gently press the spatula down on the meringue and lift it straight up to from decorative peaks. Sprinkle the meringue with a little sugar and put the cake in the oven to brown the meringue a little (or use the «fire pistol). This will only take 2-3 minutes. Cafefully slide the cake onto a serving dish and chill untill serving time.
HOW TO MAKE SPONGE CAKE:
4 eggs at room temperature
2/3 cups of sugar
1 teaspoon vanila extract
1 cup of flour (140 gr)
Preheat the owen to 350 (180/4). Butter and flour a 9-inch (23 cm) cake pan or springform pan.
Separate the eggs. Beau the yolks with the sugar utill the mixture is very thick and pale yellow. Beat in vanilla.
Beat the whites untill they are stiff but not dry. Using a rubber spatula, fold the third of whites gently but thoroughtly into the yolk mixture. Then fold in the remaining whites.
Sift the flour onto the egg mixture one third at at time and rapidly but gently fold it in. Do not beat the batter; cut straight to the bottom of the bowl with spatula and life the batter up and over the flour. When the flour is incorporated, scrape the batter into the prepared pan and bake untill cake is golden and tests done - a toothpick inserted in the center comes our dry - about 25 minutes.
Let the cake cool briefly on a rack. Then remove it from the pan and let it cool completely. Using serrated knife with a long blade, slice it horizontaly into 4 layers.
HOW TO MAKE PASTRY CREAM:
1/2 cups of milk (375 ml)
7 tablespoons of sugar (100 g)
A 2 by 1/2 inch (5 by 1 1/2 cm) piece of lemon zest
3 large egg yolks
1/4 cup of flour
1 teaspoon of vanila extract
Put the milk, 3 tablespoons of sugar and the lemon zest in a heavy-bottomed saucepan and bring it to a boil. Remove it from the heat and discard the lemon zest.
In a bowl, whisk the egg yolks with the remaining sugar. Whisk in the flour a tablespoon at a time and whisk until the mixture is smooth. Whisk the hot milk little by little into the yolk mixture and por the mixture back into the saucepan. Cook the custard over the medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until it thickness. Continue to cook over low het for 3-4 minutes, stirring frequently. Stir in the vanilla.
Take the pot of the heat and let the custard cool, stirring it frequently to keep a crust from forming. Chill the custard until you are ready to use it. You can make pastry 24 hours in advance.
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