Meringue cakes: recipes, step-by-step instructions, photos

Meringue: benefit or harm

Meringue is a relatively low-calorie product. It does not contain fat, so in small quantities it can be included in the diet even for those on a diet. Sugar is a “fast” carbohydrate that is easily digestible and provides the body with energy. It also serves as a source of glucose. However, the main benefit comes from the presence of egg white, which:

helps reduce cholesterol levels;
stimulates hemoglobin production;
improves the ability for long-term concentration of memory and attention;
increases stress resistance and the ability to withstand nervous overload;
normalizes digestion;
improves the condition of skin, hair, nails;
helps get rid of swelling.

Overuse of treats can lead to tooth decay and other dental problems. Dessert is strictly contraindicated for diabetes of any type, individual intolerance to egg whites and a diagnosis of obesity.

Classic meringue with berries

Snow-white and airy meringue is a common dessert that housewives prepare for their households. It is very easy to prepare and also does not require many ingredients. To add a little variety to everyone's favorite treat, add any fresh berries and whipped cream, which you can prepare yourself or buy at the supermarket. The dessert turns out so tasty and beautiful that it can become a decoration for any holiday table. And most importantly, you won’t spend a lot of time, effort and money on it!

Ingredients:

Eggs – 3 pcs.
Sugar – 150 g.
Potato or corn starch - 1 tsp.
Lemon juice – 0.5 tsp.
Cream – 200 g.
Fresh berries - to taste.
Powdered sugar - to taste.

Cooking method:

Break the cooled eggs and carefully separate the whites from the yolks. The latter will no longer be useful to us in cooking, but we pour the former into a separate deep bowl and whisk vigorously until a thick foam forms.
Add half the sugar to the resulting mass and beat the whites again using a mixer or food processor.
Again add the rest of the granulated sugar and the required amount of table starch.
Squeeze the juice from a pre-washed lemon and pour half a teaspoon of citrus liquid into the total mass. We continue to intensively beat the meringue base.
When the mass becomes thick, dense and airy, carefully transfer it into a pastry syringe or bag. Place the protein mixture on a baking tray lined with baking paper, forming baskets.
We preheat the oven to 150 C and place the snow-white baskets into it. Cook for approximately 10 minutes.
When the time is up, reduce the temperature to 100 C and continue drying the meringue for another 40 minutes.
After the time has passed, leave the meringue baskets to cool in the oven.
During this time, prepare the berries and cream. We sort the first ones well, rinse them in a colander and dry them. And beat the last ones to stable peaks.

Fill the cooled baskets with whipped cream, decorate with berries, sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve. If desired, the airy and very tasty meringue can be decorated with mint leaves. Eat with pleasure and pleasure!

The famous meringue cake "Count's Ruins"

“Count Ruins” is a very beautiful and tasty, “airy” dessert. Delicate meringue is harmoniously complemented by butter cream, chocolate glaze and nuts. The main difficulty for a beginner is in preparing meringue.

Ingredients:

granulated sugar - 1 cup;
egg white - 4 pieces;
lemon juice - teaspoon;
salt - on the tip of the knife.

Recipe for making meringue cake in the oven:

In a dry deep bowl with a mixer, start beating the cold egg whites and salt at low speed.
When foam appears, switch to medium and add lemon juice.
Beat at maximum speed for the last 2-3 minutes while adding sugar. The whole process takes about a quarter of an hour. The right foam is glossy, with strong peaks. There are no sugar crystals in it.
Spread the mixture onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper using a piping bag or a teaspoon.
Place it in an oven preheated to 90-100ºC for about an hour. The meringue needs to be completely dry. When it is ready, it is easily removed from the paper.

For cream and decoration you will need:

butter - 200 g;
condensed milk - 300 ml;
walnuts - 100 g;
dark chocolate - bar;
milk - 50 ml.

Step-by-step instructions for preparing the cream and assembling the cake:

Beat soft butter with a mixer for 2-3 minutes.
Without stopping, pour condensed milk into the same container. Continue beating until completely smooth and fluffy (another 3-4 minutes).
Place the meringue on the dish in layers, covering each with cream and filling the gaps on the sides. The diameter of the layers can be gradually reduced: then the cake turns into a “slide”.
Heat the chocolate and milk in a water bath, stirring constantly.
Drizzle glaze over cake and decorate with halves or crushed nuts.

Important! The optimal meringue size for the Count's Ruins cake is 4-5 cm in diameter.

Sponge cake with meringue “Spiderweb”

Ingredients for “Sponge Cake with Meringue “Spider Web””:

Chicken egg (in meringue - 4, in biscuit dough - 4) - 8 pcs;
Brown sugar (for meringue - 250 g, for biscuit dough - 150 g, for syrup - 100 g) - 500 g;
Vanilla sugar (in biscuit) - 15 g;
Water (for impregnation) - 130 ml;
Cognac (for impregnation) - 1 tbsp. l.;
Butter (for cream - 150 g, for chocolate for decoration - 50 g) - 200 g;
Condensed milk (1 can - boiled condensed milk, 0.5 cans - condensed milk) - 1.5 cans;
Peanuts - 100 g;
Dark chocolate - 200 g;
Cream - 100 ml;
Walnuts (for decoration).

Recipe for “Sponge cake with meringue “Spiderweb””:

For a 20cm mold. Biscuit ingredients:

Egg - 4 pcs Flour - 100 g Mistral brown sugar - 150 g Vanilla sugar - 15 g (1 teaspoon)

Very carefully separate the whites from the yolks. Beat the whites into a strong, thick foam. After this, gradually add 75 g of sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, whisking constantly until it is completely dissolved. The mass should be the same as for meringue.

Beat the yolks with the remaining sugar (75 g) until it increases in volume and turns white.

Add 1/3 of the whipped whites to the yolks. Mix everything very carefully with a wooden spatula, from bottom to top, so as not to destroy the air bubbles that cause the biscuit to rise. After this, gradually add the sifted flour.

We also mix everything carefully. Then add the remaining whites and mix with very gentle movements. Down up.

Line the bottom of the baking dish with foil or baking paper. Place the biscuit dough into the pan and smooth it out. Bake the biscuit in an oven preheated to 180°C for about 30-35 minutes. It is important to know and always remember that when baking a biscuit, the oven door should not be opened for at least the first 20-25 minutes, otherwise it may settle. It is very simple to check the readiness of the sponge cake; you need to pierce it with a toothpick; if it remains dry, the sponge cake is ready; if there are traces of dough on it, the sponge cake is not baked yet. And, preferably, let the finished biscuit cool slightly in the oven, because it does not like strong temperature changes.

Carefully remove the finished biscuit from the mold and let it cool completely. Cut it into 2 layers with a very sharp knife.

Now let's prepare the meringue. For this we need: 4 egg whites 250 g of Mistral brown sugar and a pinch of salt Turn the sugar into powdered sugar using a coffee grinder. Separate the whites from the yolks and beat them into a strong foam. Then gradually add powdered sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, whisking each time until it is completely dissolved.

Line a baking sheet with parchment and use a pastry syringe to squeeze out the meringue. Bake the meringue at 150 C for 45-60 minutes.

Remove from the oven and let the finished meringue cool.

In order to soak the cakes, we need to prepare syrup. For this you will need: Brown sugar “Mistral” (I use lumps) - 100 g Water - 130 ml Cognac (either liqueur or rum) - 1 tbsp. spoon

Pour water into a saucepan and add sugar. Place on the fire and bring to a boil, stirring. Until the sugar is completely dissolved. There is no need to boil the syrup. After the syrup has cooled, pour flavoring (rum, cognac, liqueur) into it.

Now let's prepare the cream. For this we need: Boiled condensed milk - 1 can Condensed milk - 0.5 cans Butter - 150 g Peanuts (roasted, without skin) - 100 g

It is important that both the butter and condensed milk are at room temperature, otherwise the mass will separate. First, beat the softened butter until fluffy and white. Now gradually add condensed milk (both boiled and plain), continuing to beat until fluffy and smooth.

Let's start assembling the cake. Soak the cakes with syrup.

Generously coat the cakes with cream and sprinkle with chopped peanuts.

Place meringue on top of the cream. Break a few meringues into pieces and fill all the gaps between whole meringues.

Again, carefully spread the cream in a thick layer. Cover the top of the cake with the second cake layer.

Break the remaining meringue, fill the gaps between the layers and carefully coat with cream. Sprinkle the sides of the cake with chopped walnuts.

Now let's decorate our cake. For this you will need: Dark chocolate - 200 g Butter - 50 g Cream (preferably 30%) - 100 ml

Bring the cream to a boil, add chopped chocolate and place in a water bath. Add butter. Stirring, bring to a homogeneous mass, remove from the water bath.

Now fill the top of the cake with melted chocolate and decorate with meringue.

A little of the remaining chocolate mass should be placed in a plastic bag, cut off the tip and, squeezing the chocolate out of the bag in a thin stream, apply arbitrary patterns to the cake. Place the cake in the refrigerator to soak for at least 2 hours. Bon appetit