2-3 servings
1 hour 30 minutes
102 kcal
5/5 (1)
Recently, home-made cakes have won over store-bought ones not only in taste. Home cooks have learned how to decorate baked goods no worse than professional confectioners. Icing, marzipan, fruit, chocolate, wafer crumbs - these decorations can transform the most modest cake. Today we will learn how to make wet meringue cream for elegant cake decoration at home. It is impossible to spoil it if you completely follow the instructions.
Protein cream wet meringue for decorating cakes
Equipment: bowl, spatula, saucepan, mixer, baking parchment, foil, pastry bag, special “nail” for forming flowers, scissors, pastry syringe with nozzles, roasting pan.
Ingredients
| Eggs | 2 pcs. |
| Sugar | 100 g |
| Lemon acid | ¼ tsp. |
Step-by-step preparation
- Separate the whites from the yolks of 2 eggs.
- Place the whites in a large bowl, add 100 g of sugar and mix a little with a spatula.
- Pour water into a saucepan and place a bowl of egg whites in it. The bottom of the bowl should not touch the water; we will beat in a steam bath.
- Place the saucepan on the fire and beat the whites with a mixer immediately at high speed.
- After 5-6 minutes the mass will become white and dense. Add a quarter teaspoon of citric acid to the whites and continue beating for 1-2 minutes.
During heating, the cream cannot be left for a second, otherwise it will boil, and the proteins will simply curl at temperatures above 70 degrees. You need to beat the whites continuously. - Remove the bowl from the heat and continue whisking on the counter for 3-4 minutes. The result will be a dense, shiny mass, slightly oily in appearance.
- Plant flowers using a pastry bag and a nail.
- Using scissors, transfer the flowers from the pan to a baking sheet lined with baking parchment.
You need to work with the protein mass immediately, before it begins to dry out. And while working with the first portion of cream, the bowl should be covered with foil. For coloring, you can add gel dye or cocoa powder to the protein mass. You should not add water-based dye, otherwise the protein mass will flow from the water. The depositing molds and all surfaces must be completely dry. - Dry the meringue flowers for 50-60 minutes at 100 degrees.
Tips and secrets for making fluffy meringues
Meringue has a rather simple composition. But don't be fooled. On the one hand, this is a simple recipe, but on the other, it’s tricky to prepare.
To get an airy, crispy meringue with a soft filling, you need to know a few secrets.
- Inventory. Any utensils for preparing meringues must be perfectly clean and dry. Before cooking, be sure to thoroughly wash, degrease and dry the dishes.
- Warm whites. This protein holds its shape better and does not spread. Take the eggs out ahead of time so they come to room temperature.
- Sugar. Instead of sugar, it is better to use powdered sugar. It dissolves faster and the whites whip much better.
- Mixer speed. The whites need to be beaten gradually. The smoother the beating speed increases, the fluffier your meringue will be.
- beat the egg whites until they form “hard peaks.” If after whipping you lift the whisk and the whites stand confidently, then you have achieved the desired effect.
Subtleties of cooking
Meringue is a thin and weightless decoration . It is placed on the cake at the last moment on top of mastic, chocolate or glaze. This is also a very capricious decoration. Here are a few secrets for preparing it:
- sugar in the recipe can be replaced with powdered sugar of the same weight;
- citric acid can be replaced with freshly squeezed lemon juice (strain to remove seeds) or natural apple cider vinegar;
- eggs must be washed and wiped dry before breaking;
- the dishes for protein cream must be absolutely dry;
- the dishes should be large so that the whites do not splatter when whipping;
- To prevent the yolk from accidentally falling into the general protein mass, pour each white into a separate bowl and add one at a time to a common bowl. Yolks can be used to make homemade mayonnaise, for example.
If you don’t have a pastry bag or special nozzles, it doesn’t matter; you can make do with improvised means.
- When depositing the protein mass, you can actually do without a pastry bag at all. For this purpose, an ordinary stationery file or a cornet - a bag of parchment paper - is suitable. You can plant flat shapes with a cornet: stars, hearts, letters, numbers, zigzags, stripes.
- Decorate the cake with traditionally shaped meringue cookies and get creative with the decorating process. For example, divide the cream into several parts, paint each one a different color, and such multi-colored meringue will decorate the cake. Multi-colored meringues go well with fresh strawberries, blueberries or blackberries (these do not allow juice), Raffaello candies, multi-colored sprinkles, waffle crumbs, tangerine slices, fig pieces, fresh flowers and buds.
- If you are not going to plant complex shapes or flowers from the protein mass, you can add a little aromatic alcohol to it: rum, cognac, liqueur. Alcohol should be added at the last moment, when the cream has cooled down sufficiently.
- Decorations made from wet meringue dry well even in the air. The cooled protein mass is applied directly to the icing or to the top layer of the cake. The taste and consistency of this cream resembles marshmallows.
- Wet meringue cream can be used both as a layer for cake layers and to level the surface of the cake. The main thing is that spoons, spatulas and smoothing knives are completely dry.
Recipe for making meringues for a cake
From the protein mass you can bake not only small meringue cakes, but also delicious cake layers. The meringue crust will make the cake unusually tasty.
To prepare you will need:
- Squirrels-8 pcs.
- Sugar-400 g.
- Chopped nuts - 0.5 cups.
- Starch-1.5 tbsp.
Add salt to the whites and start beating at minimum speed. When the whites take in air and begin to bubble, increase the mixer speed and slowly add sugar, a tablespoon at a time. Beat until stiff peaks form.
Add nuts and starch to the prepared mixture. Line a baking sheet with oiled paper and lay out the cakes of the desired size. Bake the meringues for about two hours. Temperature 100°-110°. From the above quantities of ingredients you can get 4 cakes with a diameter of about 25 cm.
Useful tips
Homemade cake always becomes a table decoration . In order to surprise guests and please loved ones, there are several more “delicious” recipes.
- Cream cheese is a popular and interesting cream that is prepared with butter or cream.
- Until recently, cupcakes or their variety, cupcakes, were baked exclusively for evening tea. But cupcake cream and original decorations make these pastries elegant and festive.
- The ice cream cream actually resembles ice cream in structure and taste. Light, airy and aromatic cream is also universal; it is prepared for cakes and as a separate dessert.
- Yogurt cream for cake is a real gift for those who count every calorie.
Share in the comments your successes in decorating cakes with meringue flowers and more . We are sure that there are many more interesting recipes in your notebook.
Secrets and tips for baking meringues
We have figured out the peculiarities of preparing protein mass. The next step is baking the meringues in the oven. Here you also need to remember a few rules that will help you not spoil your food.
Proteins are always placed in an already preheated oven. The optimal temperature is 100° -120°. Don't forget that all ovens are different, and only you know the character of your assistant.
The cooking time for meringues depends on their size. The smaller the meringue, the faster it bakes. You can check the degree of readiness only after it has cooled completely.
The finished meringues must be left in the oven for a couple of hours. Only there will they dry properly.
The set temperature depends on the density of the meringue. The denser the meringue, the lower the temperature and vice versa.
How to cook meringue mushrooms in detail
You can do wonders with meringue. Meringue mushrooms are also served with tea and used to decorate cakes.
Ingredients:
- Egg whites - 6 pcs.
- Granulated sugar-500 g.
- Vanilla sugar-4 g.
Step 1.
Beat the whites until bubbly at minimum speed. Add sugar gradually in small portions and increase the mixer speed. Beat until stiff peaks form. Add vanilla sugar and mix gently with a spoon.
Step 2.
Line a baking sheet with parchment. Place some of the protein mixture in the form of mushroom legs. Bake for about 50 minutes at 120°.
Step 3.
We take out the baking sheet and attach the caps to the legs. Then bake for another 45 minutes at 120°.
Step 4.
Let the prepared mushrooms dry in the oven for about 1.5 hours. You can decorate the hats to your taste.
Recipe for making French meringue
Cheer yourself up with a delicate, crispy cake.
- Squirrels-8 pcs.
- Vanilla sugar-4 tsp.
- Lemon juice-4 tsp.
- A pinch of salt.
- Powdered sugar-500 g.
At minimum speed, start beating the egg whites, adding salt and vanilla sugar. Beat and gradually add powdered sugar, then pour in lemon juice. Bring to a thick protein mass. To make the meringues more tender and smooth, beat with a mixer in one direction.
Cover the baking sheet with baking paper and lay out the meringues. Bake in an oven preheated to 100° for about two hours.
Recipe for making Swiss meringue
Meringues made according to the Swiss recipe are the strongest. They keep their shape perfectly. You will need:
- Squirrels-4 pcs.
- Sugar-300 g.
- A pinch of salt.
Don't forget that the whites should be at room temperature. Add salt and sugar to the whites, mix everything thoroughly. Place in a water bath. Stirring, bring to 75°.
Remove the finished mixture from the water bath and transfer it to the mixer bowl. Beat at high speed until the meringue has cooled. The density depends on the purpose for which you are preparing the meringue. If for a soufflé, then beat until a loose foam forms. For cream - medium density, for cakes - dense foam.
How to make lemon meringue step by step
Lemon meringue combines protein cream, shortbread dough and lemon zest. Delicious and savory dessert.
Ingredients:
- Eggs-5 pcs.
- Sugar-400 g.
- Salt-chips.
- Starch-4 tbsp.
- Milk-350 ml.
- Lemon-3 pcs.
- Water-7 tbsp.
- Drain oil - 240 g.
- Millet flour - 230 g.
The recipe is not the easiest, so carefully follow all stages of preparation.
Stage 1.
Sift flour, add salt, 150 g butter. Grind everything with your hands until it becomes crumbly. Important! The butter must be soft! Next, pour in cold water. Knead the dough and place in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
Stage 2.
Take the dough out of the refrigerator and roll out a layer about 3 mm thick. Place in a cake pan. Prick it with a fork in several places.
Stage 3.
You need to lay parchment on top of the dough and pour beans on it, for example. The load will not allow it to rise unevenly. Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes.
Stage 4.
Strain about 100 ml of juice from lemons. Remove the zest from one lemon.
Stage 5.
Add 200 g of granulated sugar to the milk and boil. Pour starch into the yolks and mix thoroughly. Without ceasing to stir the milk, add the mixture of yolks and starch.
Stage 6.
When the milk and yolks thicken, add lemon juice, zest and butter. Remove from heat after 4 minutes.
Stage 7.
Beat the egg whites with the remaining sugar until stiff peaks form.
Stage 8.
Fill the cooled cake with lemon cream and place the meringue on top.
Stage 9.
Place the cake in the oven for 15 minutes until the meringue is browned. We remove the dessert and let it sit overnight.
