Mostachón Meringue Cake
An Original Recipe by Lorraine Elliott
Preparation time: 60 minutes plus cooling time
Cooking time: 50 minutes
- 8 egg whites (around 230g/8ozs), at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1 3/4 cups/370g caster or superfine sugar
- 1 cup/130g/4ozs. toasted nuts (I used hazelnuts), crushed to a rubbly texture
- 100g/3.5ozs. Marie or plain biscuits (can use Ritz crackers or Graham crackers), crushed to a rubbly texture
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
- Pinch of salt
For Chocolate Layer
- 75g/2.6ozs. dark or milk chocolate
- 50ml/1.7flozs. cream
For Cream Cheese topping
- 1 cup/250ml/8.8flozs. cream
- 250g/8.8ozs cream cheese
- 2/3 cup/90g/3ozs. icing or powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
- 250g/8.8ozs. strawberries
- Pulp from 1/2 a passion fruit
Step 1 - Preheat oven to 160C/320F and line a 20cm/8inch springform tin on the base and sides.
Step 2 - Using a very clean bowl whisk the egg whites and cream of tartar until soft peaks form. Then gradually add sugar and whisk until you get firm peaks and the mixing bowl can be tipped upside down and the meringue doesn't move.
Step 3 - Fold in the ground up nuts, biscuit crumbs, vanilla and salt and scoop into the prepared tin. Smooth the top with an angled spatula and bake for 50-55 minutes. Cool in the oven and don't worry if the centre sinks, it just means that there's a cavity for that delicious fluffy cheesecake cream. This part can be made 2-3 days ahead of time. Just cover and store in the fridge.
Step 4 - Make the chocolate ganache. Place the chocolate in a bowl and heat the cream until almost boiling. Pour the cream over the chocolate and place a plate over the bowl to keep the heat in. Sit for 5 minutes, then stir the cream into the chocolate to create a smooth ganache. Spread over the cooled cake and refrigerate.
Step 5 - Whip the cream until you get soft peaks. Then add the cream cheese, sugar and vanilla bean paste. I piped this over the cake using a #867 piping tip.
Step 6 - Wash, hull and slice strawberries and place a single whole strawberry in the centre on top of the cream and then fan out strawberry slices around it (you won't end up using the very small slices at the side). Add passionfruit.