ten layer lemon meringue cake

a very dear friend

turned 80 this year

she deserved

a cake 

as fabulous as she is

i love this cake

because

it has great flavor

tart, tart citrus

creamy lemon icing,

thin moist cake layers

and 

sticky sweet meringue

Lemon Meringue Cake
(printable recipe)

cake

(from nick malgieri)

3 cups all purpose flour

3 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp kosher salt

18 Tbs unsalted butter--softened

2 1/4 cup sugar

1 Tbs vanilla extract

9 large egg whites

1 1/8 cup milk

preheat oven to 350.  whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl.  in a mixer, fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar until very soft and light. beat in vanilla.  whisk together the egg whites and milk until just combined.  reduce the mixer speed to low and alternately beat in the flour and milk in 4 batches, starting and ending with the flour.  in order to not over mix, do not fully incorporate each addition before adding the next one. scrape down the sides in between each addition.

to bake

i bake this off in thin layers, making it easier to stack when putting the cake together. you can make 2 layers and slice into layers if you prefer...but i feel that the thinner layers, while taking longer to bake, are easier and fuss free, in the long run.  this will make 6-7 thin cake layers.  each layer should be less than 1/2" thick --i use about 3/4 cup batter or each layer.  spray 9" cake tins with pan spray and place a circle of parchment in the bottom.  if you only have 2 pans, you will have to wash in between bakings.  bake each layer about 10 minutes, but carefully watch, as the layers are so thin, they will brown easily. once you pull the pan from the oven, wait just a few minutes, then turn it out onto parchment, wash and dry the tin, then start the process again. let the layers cool.

lemon curd

grated lemon zest of 1 lemon

3/4 cup lemon juice

11/4 cup sugar

12 Tbs unsalted butter--cut into small pieces

12 large egg yolks

beat the yolks, sugar, lemon juice and lemon zest together in a bowl.  place bowl over bain marie and cook, stirring continually until the liquid thickens to a nappe (coats the back of a spoon and retains shape when you swipe your finger down the middle). do not let it boil, as the eggs will scramble.  remove from heat and pour through a sieve into a clean bowl.  toss in the butter while the curd is still hot.  stir until the butter is full incorporated.  cover with a bit of plastic wrap placed directly on the top of the curd. 

italian buttercream icing

(if you have a favorite icing, use it and add the matcha and lemon curd)

1 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup water

4 egg whites--room temperature

2 cups unsalted butter--room temperature

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp green tea matcha powder (optional--i don't recommend if you are a purist)

about 1/2 cup lemon curd (you will have to taste and decide how lemony you want the buttercream)

place egg whites and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with whisk attachment

combine 3/4 cup of granulated sugar with water in a heavy saucepan.  bring to a boil over medium heat and continue cooking until it reaches 235 (just before soft ball)

meanwhile, while the sugar is boiling, begin whisking the egg whites.  once frothy, "rain" in the remaining 1/4 cup sugar.  whip to soft peak.

when syrup reaches 235, remove from heat (it will continue to get hotter and reach the desired 240f). with the mixer on medium speed, begin immediately pouring the hot syrup into the egg whites.  be careful not to hit the whisk directly.  once all the syrup is incorporated, kick the speed up to high and whisk until it cools to room temperature.

change the attachment from whisk to paddle, and begin adding butter, a few bits at a time.  once all incorporated and it looks like buttercream, mix in the vanilla and matcha green tea powder.

meringue

3 large egg whites at room temperature

1/4 tsp cream of tartar

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla

pinch of salt

Make sure the beater and bowl are extremely clean and free of any oil or fats.  Beat whites on low until foamy. Add salt and then kick up the speed to medium. Add cream of tartar.  Begin to slowly add the sugar "raining" it into the egg whites.  Continue to beat until soft peaks form, then add vanilla.  Beat to stiff and firm peaks.

If you over-beat, you will see moisture starting to "weep" from the whites.  If this happens, start over!

phew!

now that you have all the elements, you can start building your cake.

place 1 cake layer on a round cake board.  pipe the buttercream around the edge of the cake making a bit of a dam. fill with lemon curd.  this curd is quite tart, so you don't want to over-do it.  also, your filling should not be any thicker than your cake layers. place another cake layer on top of the lemon curd.  pipe a layer of buttercream for this filling layer. top with cake. continue as such, alternating curd and buttercream until you run out of cake layers. refrigerate until cold and firm. you can cover in plastic wrap and refrigerate for a day.  when ready to finish, cover in meringue and hit with a torch to brown the edges.  i do not recommend using the oven, as the buttercream will melt and it will become a big mess.


i am linking up to 
tuesday night supper club
and
hearth and soul blog hop
and
a little birdie told me

Queen of Hearts Tarts

here's what i'm thinkin'

why wasn't there MORE broo ha ha about

Alice in Wonderland?

it came and went too fast

not that i loved the story

because i really didn't

but 

my eyes lit up

and then

teared up

at the design and beauty

of this film

and i keep hoping

for the occasion

to recreate

some of its amazing elements

today

is not that day

but i think these tarts are fun

representing the

smoldering of the Red Queen's dark heart

and the

flame of her hair

Queen of Hearts Tart

1 recipe chocolate pate sucree

1 recipe italian meringue dyed red

strawberry, raspberry, mixed berry, or apricot jam

chocolate pastry cream (recipe follows)

4 egg yolks

1/4 cup granulated sugar

4 tsp cornstarch

pinch salt

1 Tbs dark rum or 1 tsp vanilla

2 cups milk

5 oz bittersweet chocolate-chopped or chipped

1 Tbs unsalted butter

Roll out dough and place into tart or tartlet pans as directed.  Blind bake until completely done.  Let cool.   Meanwhile, make the pastry cream.

Whisk together the sugar, salt, egg yolks and cornstarch until light yellow. Whisk in the rum or vanilla. Scald the milk in a saucepan, then temper the egg mixture, whisking as you add the milk.  Return to saucepan and low heat. Cook over low heat until it begins to thicken and just starts to bubble a bit...do not let it simmer or boil.  Pour through sieve into a clean bowl. Add chocolate and butter and stir to melt and combine.  Let cool a bit.

Spoon and spread a thin layer of jam in the bottom of the tart shell. Top with chocolate pastry cream.  Whip up meringue and top the tart or tartlets in design of your choice.  Pop in a 350 oven and bake until meringue begins to firm up, but does not brown....note: if you are making this as a non-queen of hearts tart, keep the meringue it's natural color and let it bake away until brown or use a torch to color as you please. Chill before serving

the end of the white whipped road

i've been having fun with whipped egg whites this week

here and here

and now

i present you with my final meringue entry

for the time being

pavlova

it is THE BEST

dinner party dessert

because all components can be prepared in advance

and composed at the final moment

 presented

to oohs and ahhs

that make you feel like

the finest 

french pastry chef

but 

for the record

we have the aussies to thank

for this crunchy-creamy-pillowy confection

not the french

so maybe you might tell your friends

to tuck in

rather than

bon appetite

Pavlova
(printable recipe)

1 recipe meringue piped into individual nests

1 recipe pastry cream or vanilla pudding

1 recipe fresh whipped cream

fruit of choice

For the Cherry Pavlova

pastry cream

6 large egg yolks

5 Tbs cornstarch

2 1/2 cups milk ( i used 2%)

1/2 cup sugar

1 tsp vanilla

1/4 tsp salt

4 Tbs unsalted butter

fruit

2 cups pitted fresh cherries

1/4 cup sugar

juice of 1 large lime

1 Tbs cherry herring liqueur (optional)

for pastry cream:  Whisk the egg yolks and the cornstarch in a bowl. set aside.  In a saucepan, simmer milk, sugar and salt.  Once it is simmering, temper the eggs with the hot milk.  Return to the saucepan and whisk continuously until the custard begins to thicken.  Once you see large bubbles coming up through the middle of the pot, remove from heat. Pour into a clean bowl (use a sieve if you feel you have overcooked), and stir in butter and vanilla.  Place clingfilm over top and refrigerate until ready to use.  

for the fruit:  Place cherries, sugar, lime and liqueur into a small saucepot.  Place over low heat and allow to simmer until a nice syrup forms and cherries are softened.  Allow to cool until ready to use.

Whip cream with a bit of confectioner's sugar and vanilla to taste.  

When ready to put together, take a bit of the whipped cream and whisk it into the custard to soften it up a bit, it will give it a nice creamy consistency.This is also a great filling for cream puffs.

Fill the meringue nest with the custard.  Top with the fruit and then place a generous dollop of cream on top.  

cherry pavlova

kiwi pavlova 

made with a dessert sauce of kiwi, pineapple juice and some sugar

bittersweet chocolate pavlova

there is a bit of chocolate ganache tucked under the custard 

and a bit more chocolate shaved on top

whipped again

nothing shows that you are

 "whipped" 

better than

meringue hearts

easy  to make

but not easily forgotten

whip some up 

 your

valentine

will be ever so pleased

(for the meringue recipe click here)

this is how i plan to deliver 

to my 

valentine

please don't freak out. 

this is very old, from england

in the victorian style of taxidermy

and while a bit

macabre

reminds me of

my childhood collection

of

beatrix potter books and figurines

which have found a new home

in my memories

here is a pic of how I managed to make all my hearts uniform

I used a heart cookie cutter, and traced onto a piece of kitchen parchment. I then turned it to the reverse, and spread (although you can pipe) the meringue to the reaches of my outline

I then sprinkled with colored sugar in the colors of february

whipped heaven

i found myself wanting to play with meringue today

which might seem silly 

because it was raining 

 and

"they" say you shouldn't  make meringue when it is raining 

i think "they" are wrong

and

 i couldn't shake the slideshow in my head

 of fluffy, sugary-white meringue

it billowed in my mind

and melted like spring snow on my tongue  

I just love it

and you can probably expect quite a few posts about it  these next few days

especially since valentine's day is rearing its

darling little head

upon our days

cupid's wings

Meringue

(printable recipe)

3 large egg whites at room temperature

1/4 tsp cream of tartar

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla

pinch of salt

Make sure the beater and bowl are extremely clean and free of any oil or fats.  Beat whites on low until foamy. Add salt and then kick up the speed to medium. Add cream of tartar.  Begin to slowly add the sugar "raining" it into the egg whites.  Continue to beat until soft peaks form, then add vanilla.  Beat to stiff and firm peaks.

If you over-beat, you will see moisture starting to "weep" from the whites.  If this happens, start over!