Meringue Cake with Strawberries & Cream

My sister used to make a similar cake when I was a kid, only she was a kid too, using Cool Whip instead of real whipped cream, and kid techniques which surely didn't involve creaming the butter and sugar. When I made this recipe, it just didn't come out quite the same as my big sis used to make, but the fresh strawberries and cream made up for it.

(recipe is from joyofbaking.com)

Cake Batter:
4 large egg yolks
1 cup sifted cake flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1/2 cup granulated white sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 cup milk

Meringue Layer:
4 large egg whites
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/2 cup granulated white sugar
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Topping:
1 cup heavy whipping cream
2 tablespoons granulated white sugar
1 pound fresh strawberries, sliced (Add a little sugar if necessary)
Confectioners Sugar (powdered or icing) for dusting top of cake

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and place rack in center of oven. Grease and flour two - 8 x 1 1/2 inches round cake pans. Set aside.

Separate the eggs while they are still cold, placing the yolks in one bowl and the whites in another bowl. Cover the two bowls with plastic wrap and allow the eggs to come to room temperature before using (about 30 minutes).

In a mixing bowl sift or whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

In bowl of your electric mixer, with the paddle attachment, beat the butter until soft (about 2 minutes). Add the sugar and beat until light and fluffy (about 3 minutes). Add the egg yolks, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and then beat in the vanilla extract.

With the mixer on low speed, alternately add the flour mixture and milk, in three additions, beginning and ending with the flour. Divide the batter evenly between the two cake pans, smoothing the tops with an offset spatula. Set aside while you make the meringue layer.

In a clean bowl of your electric mixer, with the whisk attachment, beat the egg whites until foamy. Add the cream of tartar and continue beating until soft peaks form. Gradually add the sugar and continue to whip until stiff peaks form. Beat in the vanilla extract.

Divide the meringue and place on top of the cake batter in the two pans, gently smoothing the tops with an offset spatula. Bake for approximately 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. The meringue layers will have turned a light brown and will be crisp to the touch but soft inside. Place the pans on a wire rack to cool. When completely cooled, remove from pans.

Shortly before serving whip the cream with the sugar until soft peaks form. Slice the strawberries and, if necessary, add a little sugar to sweeten them. Place one of the cake layers, meringue side down, on a serving platter. Spread half of the whipping cream onto the cake and top with half the strawberries. Gently place the second cake layer, cake side down so the meringue layer is facing up, onto the first layer. Spread the rest of the whipping cream and then strawberries on top of the meringue. Dust with confectioners sugar. If not eating immediately, place in the refrigerator until serving time. The assembled cake will hold in the refrigerator for a few hours.

Serves 8 - 10.

Earl Grey Creme Brulee

I've made this recipe twice, and it's still my favorite creme brulee recipe. It's from the Good Egg, by Marie Simmons. I highly recommend this cookbook, as it has a wide variety of recipes all dedicated to that wonderful food: the egg.

I love almost all recipes that involve using whole vanilla beans, and creme brulee is my custard of choice. Earl Grey is a kind of tea that I've always associated with very proper English tea, and I never would have though to pair it with custard. It sounds weird, yet it really is perfect. As Marie put it, "Its rich herbaceous flavor is the quintessential match for custard."

1/2 cup milk
1 T Earl Grey tea leaves (contents of 2 tea bags)
1 1/2 c heavy cream
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
1/2 c sugar
5 egg yolks
1/4 c superfine sugar (put regular sugar through food processor or blender)

1. Heat milk and tea leaves over low heat until bubbles appear around the edges. Remove from heat, let stand 20 minutes.

2. Heat cream and vanilla until bubbles appear around the edges. Remove from heat, add sugar. Let stand 10 minutes.

3. Strain milk into cream. Scrape seeds from vanilla pod, set aside.

4. Whisk egg yolks. Whisk in the cream mixture, then strain into large measuring glass. Stir in the vanilla.

5. Pour into six 5-oz. ramekins. Bake in hot water bath at 325 degrees F., 30-35 minutes, until centers are set. Cool to room temperature, then refrigerate until very cold.

6. When ready to serve, blot moisture from tops. Sprinkle thick layer of superfine sugar to cover; broil until sugar is melted and caramelized.

Chocolate Bombe filled with White Chocolate Risotto

This recipe is very different from most that I've tried. It uses cardomom seeds and saffron, which can be difficult to find. It's a sweet, creamy risotto smothered in rich, dark chocolate. But it still reminds me of Indian desserts, probably because of the texture and the strong cardomom flavor.

This is a modification of the recipe from Real Chocolate, by Chantal Coady. This version has fewer ingredients and is easier to make.


1 T butter
seeds from 5 cardomom pods
1 c risotto rice
1/4 t saffron strands
2 1/8 c milk
3.5 oz. white chocolate, chopped
3.5 oz. dark chocolate

1. Heat the milk and saffron until almost boiling.

2. Melt the butter on low-medium heat in a separate saucepan, then add the cardomom and rice, and stir. Add the warm milk, one ladleful at a time, waiting for the rice to absorb the liquid. This should take about 20 minutes.

3. When the rice is tender but still has some bite, stir in the white chocolate.

4. Let the risotto cool. Melt the dark chocolate. Spoon risotto into serving dishes, then pour chocolate all over the top.

Chocolate Swirl Cheesecake

This recipe is a morphed smaller version of two other recipes I've used before. I like it because the cheesecake is light and moist, not heavy, super-rich, dense, or dry.

Variation: Forget the chocolate and just drop in a few handfuls of blueberries. I scattered them on top of the batter once, thinking they would sink while baking. They didn't, but floated on top instead, leaving a beautifully decorated finished cake. No need for any topping! Next time I might try adding the bluberries before pouring in the batter, just to see what happens.

Crust:
1 3/4 c graham crackers (11 pieces of chocolate crackers)
1/4 c chopped walnuts (I used pecans)
1/2 t cinnamon
1/2 c melted butter

Filling:
2 8 oz. boxes cream cheese
2/3 c sugar
4 t flour
2/3 t vanilla
2 eggs
1/3 c milk
1-2 oz. dark chocolate

1. Make the crust. Mix all ingredients together until moist and can hold together. It's okay to substitue a little water for the butter, or to add extra water if necessary. Just don't make it too soggy. Press into 8 inch springform pan.

2. Beat together cream cheese, sugar, flour, and vanilla until smooth. Add eggs, one at a time. Stir in milk.

3. Pour at least 2/3 of batter into pan. Melt the chocolate, let it cool a little, then mix into remaining batter. Pour chocolate batter into pan, stirring to make swirls.

4. Bake in water bath, 375 degrees F, 45-50 minutes or until batter is set in middle.