Meringue Layer Cake with Raspberries Recipe

This is a modern twist on the classic French Japonaise (see the recipe on this blog for a Strawberry Japonaise).

It's a dessert cake made with meringue layers filled with cream and fruit (raspberries in this case).

Meringue Layer Cake with Raspberries

Serves: 6

Ingredients:

For the Meringues:

4 egg whites
225g (1 cup, generous), caster sugar

For the Filling:

300ml (1 1/4 cups) whipping cream
4 drops of vanilla extract
450g (2 3/4 cups) raspberries

icing sugar, for dusting

Method:

Line two baking trays with greaseproof (waxed) paper and draw a 23cm (9 in) on one and a 20cm (8 in) circle on the other.

For the meringues, whisk the egg whites until they form stiff peaks. Whilst beating constantly, add the half the sugar a tablespoon at a time. After half the sugar has been added fold the remaining sugar in with a metal spoon.

Spoon the meringue into a piping bag and use most of the mixture to fill in the two rounds you drew on the greaseproof paper. Use the remaining meringue mixture to pipe nine small peaked meringues on the surrounding baking parchment (these will be used for decoration).

Transfer the meringue mixtures to an oven pre-heated to 150ºC (300ºF, Gas Mark 2) and bake for between 50 and 60 minutes, or until the meringues are lightly coloured and dry to the touch (the small ones will be done first). As the meringues cook, peel the meringues off the parchment and set aside to cool.

To finish the cake, whip the cream until soft peaks form. Sweeten with sugar and flavour with the vanilla extract.

Arrange the larger meringue round on a serving dish. Spread with 3/4 of the cream and top with 3/4 the raspberries. Sit the smaller meringue on top and spread this with the remaining cream. Arrange the small meringues around the edge. Decorate the top with the remaining fruit and dust lightly with icing sugar.