Joyeux Anniversaire

Cake month is dedicated to our Omi, who not only is the most wonderful, creative, and intelligent woman, but the only grandmother I know who has trained her children and grandchildren to have the manners and etiquette expected of anyone who would dine with “the queen”. Some of us picked up on this better than other’s, but I assume Dan could get by on his charm and wit! Of course, I would be a terrible sister if I did not also dedicate this post to my big sis! Happy birthday, Sarah, the Paul Hollywood to my Mary Berry!

Unlike my dear cousins, I LOVE making cakes. Since I had great success with traditional cakes, thanks to Ina Garten’s fail-proof recipes, I decided to try something different that would definitely challenge me. As a lover of all things French, I was inspired to make the Hazelnut Meringue cake I found in Mary Berry’s cookbook. I substituted walnuts for the hazelnuts since I had walnuts on hand and cut the baking time of the walnuts in half to avoid burning. 

The cake itself was relatively easy to make. However, I learned post-bake that my Meringue was not quite stiff enough. This resulted in shallow cakes. The taste was not impacted. Phew!

The recipe called for a raspberry coulis, which is really just a raspberry sauce made of raspberries and A LOT of powdered sugar. To get the seeds out of the raspberries, I had to purée the fruit and then push them through a sieve. I almost gave up several times, but I made it through. The recipe made way too much coulis for the cake, so next time I would make 1/4 of the recipe or just buy sauce. 

To finish the cake, I whipped some cream to use as icing and decorated both tiers with raspberries! The cake was sinfully good and so high in sugar I felt the need to warn Sarah as I did not want be responsible for her going into a diabetic coma! All was well, though! The family loved the cake. It was gluten free, so even Dad could indulge! 

 The Recipe

Ingredients 140g (4½ oz) shelled hazelnuts 4 large egg whites 250g (9oz) caster sugar A few drops of vanilla extract ½ tsp white wine vinegar For the filling: 300ml (½ pint) whipping or pouring double cream, whipped 225g (8oz) fresh raspberries Icing sugar, for dusting Raspberry coulis, to serve (optional) Essential kit You will need 2 x 20cm (8in) sandwich tins, and a food processor. Instructions Preheat the oven to 190°C/Fan 170°C/gas 5. Lightly grease two 20cm sandwich tins and then line the bases with non-stick baking parchment. Place the hazelnuts on a baking sheet and put in the oven for about 10 minutes, then tip onto a clean tea towel and rub well together to remove the skins. (Some stubborn ones may need to go back into the oven but don’t worry about getting every last bit of skin off, it’s not necessary.) Grind the nuts in a food processor. Whisk the egg whites until stiff. Add the sugar, a teaspoonful at a time, whisking well between each addition. Whisk until the mixture is very stiff, stands in peaks, and all the sugar has been added. Whisk in the vanilla extract and wine vinegar then fold in the prepared nuts. Divide the mixture between the tins and level the surface with a palette knife. Bake for 30–40 minutes, but no longer. The top of the meringue will be crisp and the inside soft and marshmallow- like. Turn out of the tins and leave to cool on a wire rack. To make the filling, whisk the cream until thick. Use about two-thirds to sandwich the meringues together, along with two-thirds of the raspberries. Spread the remaining cream over the top, scatter on the remaining raspberries and dust with icing sugar. Serve with raspberry coulis, if you like. If you don’t have sandwich tins, you can cook the mixture on two flat baking sheets, spread out into two circles. It won’t look quite so neat, but it tastes the same! Walnuts can be used in place of the hazelnuts in the meringue. Choose a fruit to complement the walnuts, such as strawberries or ripe peaches in season. 

To make the Coulis:

Purée the raspberries in a food processor. Push the purée through a sieve into a bowl to get the liquid without the seeds. Transfer the liquid to a mixer and whisk in the icing sugar. 

These recipes can be found in “Mary Berry’s Baking Bible” and online: https://thehappyfoodie.co.uk/recipes/hazelnut-meringue-cake