Today's post is all about Meringues and all of the wonderful things you can do with them! I did not have time to do a tutorial for you but I will include some great links that will help you get the PERFECT meringues.
But first...There is a new trend in the cake world and I am LOVING it! It is called the "drippy cake". It is a tall, buttercream cake, with a glaze or ganache dripping down the side and then piled high with ALL THE THINGS! I am obsessed with it. The Australian Baker, Katherine Sabbath, does this style very well. HERE is a great article about her and her drippy cakes.
http://www.delish.com/kitchen-tools/a42545/drip-cakes-katherine-sabbath/
http://www.delish.com/kitchen-tools/a42545/drip-cakes-katherine-sabbath/
I. am. inspired. There really are no rules when it comes to piling anything and everything onto these cakes. My own version that I created for Studio 5 is more of a Marie Antoinette style and it has a million meringues on it. Also, the doughnut and the croissant put it over the top! And the gold leaf? Get out! I literally had to restrain myself from putting it all over everything. I would not could not stop. You can find Edible Gold foil on Ebay or Amazon.
To create the verticality on this cake, I used huge meringues as my base then built around them. There are many different types of meringues. I have used the French Meringue recipe foreverbut I have recently switched to the Swiss Meringue recipe and I found that I liked it more than the French Meringue. In a Swiss Meringue, you heat the sugar and eggs together and the heat stabilizes the mixture a bit more and helps it to hold it's shape a lot better.
HERE is the link for the recipe that I got from Cocoa Cake Land. She does such a great job at explaining all the tricks to making the perfect meringue.
http://cococakeland.com/recipes/lean-smooch-make-meringue-kisses-recipe/
Here is a French Meringue recipe that I modified from Ina Garten's Pavlova recipe.
French Meringue base for Meringue cookies, Meringue sandwiches, Meringue kisses, or Mini Pavlovas:
4 egg whites, room temp
Pinch of Kosher salt
1 C. Granulated sugar (preferably super-fine sugar)
4 tsp. Cornstarch
1 tsp. White vinegar
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
Pinch of Kosher salt
1 C. Granulated sugar (preferably super-fine sugar)
4 tsp. Cornstarch
1 tsp. White vinegar
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees F.
Place a sheet of parchment paper on a sheet pan.
Place the egg whites and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Beat the egg whites on high speed until firm, about 3 minutes. With the mixer still on high, slowly add the sugar and beat until it makes stiff, shiny peaks, about 3 minutes.
Remove the bowl from the mixer, sift the cornstarch onto the beaten egg whites, add the vinegar and vanilla, and fold in lightly with a rubber spatula. Use mixture IMMEDIATELY. It will start to break down and separate after just a hour or so. Carefully place mixture into a piping bag with your choice of tip size. Pipe your various shapes onto your parchment paper. Bake for 45 min. If you are making small meringue kisses and up to an hour if you are making large cookies or pavlovas. Turn off the oven, keep the door closed, and allow the meringue to cool completely in the oven, about 1 hour. It will be crisp on the outside and soft on the inside.
