Hazelnut and Marmalade Meringue Cake

Ingredients

For the meringue:

100 g blanched hazelnuts
180 g caster (superfine) sugar
3 egg whites
1 Tbs cornflour (cornstarch)

For the filling:

1 egg, plus 3 egg yolks
80 g caster (superfine) sugar
20 g cornflour (cornstarch)
200mL milk
300mL double (heavy) cream
1/4 tsp fine sea salt
1/2 tsp vanilla bean paste
10 g unsalted butter, softened
70 g marmalade, plus extra for dolloping

To finish:

Icing (confectioners’) sugar

Method

Preheat the oven to 180 C.

Add the hazelnuts to a baking tray and toast for 12-15 minutes until lightly browned and fragrant. Set aside to cool and then blitz in a food processor with 30 g of the sugar until fine.

Turn the oven down to 160 C and line 2 baking trays with baking paper. Draw a 20-cm circle template on each piece of paper using a plate or cake pan to guide you. Turn the paper upside down so the pencil outlines are facing downwards.

Add the egg whites to the bowl of a stand mixer and whisk on low speed for 30 seconds before increasing the speed to medium-high. Once the egg whites are white with soft peaks, add in the remaining sugar a tablespoon at a time, leaving about 20 seconds between each addition. Once all the sugar has gone in, the egg whites should be thick and glossy with stiff peaks.

Add the cornflour and whisk for a few more seconds to combine. Tip the ground hazelnuts on top and use a spatula to gently fold them into the meringue.

Spoon the mixture into a large piping (pastry) bag, snip off the end, starting from the centre of your templates and working your way outwards, pipe a spiral onto each tray.

Bake for 40-45 minutes until the meringues look dry to the touch. Turn off the oven and let them cool completely inside to help them dry out. This will take about 50-60 minutes. Once cool, set aside or store in an airtight container until ready to use.

Gently heat while stirring continuously until the custard thickens and starts bubbling. Remove from the heat and stir in the butter until it melts. Stir in the marmalade and pour the custard into a clean, shallow bowl. Cover with plastic wrap that touches the surface and let it cool to room temperature before chilling in the fridge for 3-4 hours or until well chilled.

When ready to assemble, lightly whip the remaining 100mL cream. Whisk the custard well to loosen and remove any lumps. Carefully fold the whipped cream into the custard.

Place one of the meringues on your serving plate or cake board. Spoon or pipe the custard on top and add small dollops of extra marmalade, top with the other meringue. Chill in the fridge until you’re ready to serve, dusting with icing sugar right before serving.

Credits: This is an edited extract from I’ll Bring Dessert by Benjamina Ebuehi, published by Quadrille. Available in stores nationally. Photography by Laura Edwards. RRP $49.99.

Photo Credits: This is an edited extract from I’ll Bring Dessert by Benjamina Ebuehi, published by Quadrille. Available in stores nationally. Photography by Laura Edwards. RRP $49.99.