Easy Meringue Cake

Versión en español

Chile has a popular dessert called “Torta de Merengue” or “Chilean Meringue Cake.” This dessert is a classic and beloved part of special occasions and celebrations. 

The Chilean Meringue Cake is a delightful combination of textures and flavors, with the sweet and airy meringue balancing the fruity or creamy filling and the moist cake layers. It’s a favorite dessert in Chile for birthdays, weddings, and other festive occasions.

Here’s what you can expect from a Chilean Meringue Cake:

Cake Base: A Chilean Meringue Cake is typically a layer of baked meringue, similar to pavlova, crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside.

Filling: Common fillings are fruit preserves like raspberry, strawberry jam, or Lucuma. Some versions may include a layer of dulce de leche or pastry cream for added richness and flavor. Fresh fruit filling with chantilly cream, too, is widespread.

Decoration: Chantilly cream mixed with fruit or not is the most common topping. It is often beautifully piped, giving the cake an elegant and visually appealing appearance. Bakers may use various techniques to create intricate designs.

The meringue cake is one of the classic cakes in Chile with a thousand leaves or Mil Hojas, thin layer cakes, Tres Leches, and the orange cake. With its different filling options: meringue-lucuma, meringue-raspberry, meringue-strawberry, meringue-chestnut, and the possibility of buying it or making it at home, it is popular on many birthdays.

Why is meringue cake sold frozen?

The meringue absorbs moisture and loses crispness very quickly. One way to preserve and avoid this is to keep the cake frozen. Keeping the cake frozen is especially important if you live in a humid climate: you must make the meringues on a dry day without rain, and as soon as they are cold, fill the cake, decorate it, and keep it frozen. Move it into the refrigerator 2 hours before serving.

What fillings are popular?

Raspberry is a classic. You can also add mango jam or lemon curd.
Lucuma is popular too, a traditional fruit.
Generally, any fresh fruit: mango, kiwi, strawberries, peaches, not overly ripe works well, and any fruit puree: lucuma or chestnut. Jams are also common.

Here, you can see the recipe for the meringue-lucuma cake and meringue-chestnut.

How do I store the meringue cake?

I recommend keeping it frozen for up to 3 months.

How to achieve a firm whipped cream?

There are three fundamental factors: the cream, the bowl, and the blades must be cold. The cream’s fat percentage must be at least 36%, that is, 36 grams of fat per 100 grams of liquid cream. Lower fat creams are not as stable. Mix at high speed. Other factors, such as adding the sugar initially or later, are not critical.

How do you separate yolks and whites?

Eggs are easier to separate when cold, so you can put them in the fridge for a couple of hours and then separate them. I recommend cracking the egg on the flat counter, not the counter’s edge or bowl. The rest is practice.

What are the different types of meringue, and when to use them?

French: the most common and straightforward. Beat the egg whites until foamy, add the sugar gradually, and beat everything until the meringue is white and silky. It is less stable, but the one with more air—is ideal for souffles.
Italian: it is the most stable. It is made by adding hot sugar syrup to the egg whites while beating.
Swiss: It is made by heating the egg whites and sugar and whisking until cool. Here, you can see the method in detail—the best for decorating pies.

What is the standard egg size in pastry?

Recipes in the US are written for large eggs, which weigh about 65 grams in the shell.
Without shell: 50 grams: 35 grams the egg white, 15 grams the yolk.

With what knife do I cut the cake?

It is better to use a serrated knife. It crumbles less.

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