This is the best way I know to enjoy summer berries – layered on a bed of mascarpone cream in a sweet French meringue. This is very similar to a Pavlova, the national dessert of New Zealand and Australia. However, a Pavlova has a soft center from the addition of cornstarch and vinegar. French meringue is simply egg whites whipped with sugar, baked until crisp and light, the interior just slightly sticky.
The standard ratio for this type of meringue is 2 times the weight of sugar to egg whites. I thought about converting this into volume measurements for those of you who have not yet taken the plunge and purchased a scale – but I know from experience you will get better results if you measure out ingredients by weight not volume. Teaspoons, cups etc can vary in size – and so do eggs!
The meringues are not actually baked in the oven, they are simply drying out. This requires a long time at a low temperature. If the meringues start to brown, it means the oven is too hot.
French meringue cake with mascarpone vanilla cream and summer berries
Ingredients
- For the meringue:
- 150 g (5 oz) egg whites, (roughly 4 eggs) – at room temperature
- tiny pinch of cream of tartar
- 150 g (5 oz) sugar (superfine if possible)
- 150 g (5 oz) icing sugar
- 50 g (2 oz) almonds, finely chopped
- Neutral oil
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- For the mascarpone cream:
- 300 g (10 oz) chilled heavy cream
- 150 g (5 oz) chilled mascarpone cream
- 20 g (1 ½ tablespoons) sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 500 g (1 lb) summer berries
- Optional – one 10-inch (22 cm) pastry ring, piping bag fitted with ½ inch/10 mm tip
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200 ° F (95 °C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. If you are using a pastry ring to form the meringue base, lightly brush the sides with neutral oil and place off to one side of the pastry sheet. Otherwise, using a pot lid or another round form as a guide, draw a circle around 10 inches (22 cm) in diameter on the parchment paper.
- Beat the egg whites with the cream of tartar in an electric mixer on high speed until they are stiff. Continue beating, adding the sugar spoonful by spoonful until it is all incorporated – this should take about 1 1/2 minutes. The whites should be firm and shiny and the sugar completely dissolved.
- Sift the icing sugar over the meringue in the bowl, then using a spatula, fold the sifted sugar into the whites until smooth.
- Transfer the meringue to the pastry bag. If using the pastry ring, pipe out small balls (2 inches/5 cm high) along the inside edge of the mold to created the sides, then beginning in the middle of the ring, pipe out the meringue in a spiral pattern to fill the base.
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- If you are not using a ring, spoon about 2/3rds of the meringue onto the baking parchment into the delineated circle. Using the back of a spoon dipped in cold water, smooth and spread to fill. Then, press down in the center to create a shallow indentation to hold the cream and fruit later.
- Pipe out the remaining meringue onto the parchment paper in small balls, about 2 teaspoons worth – these will serve as décor.
- Sprinkle the base and piped shapes with the chopped almonds. Place the baking sheet in the oven and cook the meringues for 2 – 3 hours. Test for doneness by touching one of the meringues. They should be dry and not sticky. The meringues can be made up to three days in advance and kept tightly sealed in plastic bags.
- When the meringues are done prepare the mascarpone filling by combining the cream, mascarpone, sugar and vanilla in a mixing bowl or the bowl of an electric mixer. Beat on high speed until the cream is stiff. Mound the cream in the center of the meringue, top with fruit; decorate with the smaller meringue shapes.
- Adapted from a recipe that appeared in Saveurs, June 2015
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https://www.charlottepuckette.com/recipes/desserts/french-meringue-cake-with-vanilla-mascarpone-cream-and-summer-berries/
