My mother often makes this rather rich party cake. She is 92 years old, lives by herself and still has many birthday celebration dinners for her children and family. As she says, this cake suits her perfectly as it can be made a day or two in advance and being rich it easily extends to feed a lot of people. She mostly serves it with cream and a generous bowl of cut strawberries, (or oranges and strawberries) adding a good slurp of Grand Marnier liqueur poured over the fruit salad.
Cake
4 egg whites
200g caster sugar
Whip the 4 whites stiffly, beat in a large tablespoon of the caster sugar, and then fold in the remainder.
Divide the mixture roughly into four and then draw circles about 200mm on the non-stick baking paper, which line the buttered baking trays. Then spread the mixture on to the 4 marked rounds, making each about 1 cm thick.
Cook in a slow oven 140C for approximately 30-40 minutes.
It is a good idea to turn the large meringues over on the baking tray and leave them to dry out in the cooling oven.
This makes the cake much easier to cut and serve.
I like them to be pale biscuit color as it helps to cut the sweetness of the meringue.
Do not panic if the meringue breaks up as it can be pasted together with the filling later.
Meanwhile prepare the filling.
Filling
3 egg whites
100g icing sugar
200g unsalted butter
150g chocolate melted with a double short black coffee
100g slithered toasted almonds
icing sugar for finishing
Whip the 3 egg whites with the icing sugar over gentle heat until thick. (I warm the egg whites and then whisk them in the Kenwood adding the icing sugar.) Melt the chocolate over gentle heat adding a double short black coffee, stir and cool. Put to one side. The quality of the chocolate is important for this cake. (I used a block of Lindt 70% cocoa chocolate, available at the supermarket).
Cream the butter well and put to one side.
Fold the meringue into the butter by degrees, and then add the cooled melted chocolate. Sandwich the meringue rounds one above the other with the chocolate cream.
Spread the sides and top with the chocolate cream as well, and cover with the toasted almonds.
If it is for a birthday cake take 3 narrow strips of paper, lay them over the top of the cake at intervals, and then dust well with icing sugar. Remove the paper and the candle will sit well on the top!
This cake is best served the following day.
This recipe I have adapted from the 'Gateau Dianne' in Constance Spry Cookery Book by Constance Spry and Rosemary Hume.