Forget-It Meringue Torte

Recipe from Molly Chappellet

Adapted by Amanda Hesser

Forget-It Meringue Torte
Tom Schierlitz for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Brian Preston-Campbell.
Total Time
4 hour 15 minutes
Rating
4(152)
Comments
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Heat the oven to 425 degrees. Prepare your meringue. Place it in your oven, turn it off, and head to bed. (Make sure not to peek!) In the morning, you’ll have a pavlova. Craig Claiborne and Pierre Franey brought this clever recipe, Molly Chappellet, an owner of Chappellet Vineyards, to The Times in 1978, and Amanda Hesser rehashed it in 2006. It’s a perfect casual dessert for a dinner party, especially if the day before looks busy. Serve it with the raspberry sauce, as suggested, to cut through any sweetness. —Amanda Hesser

Featured in: Recipe Redux; 1978: Meringue Torte

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Ingredients

Yield:Serves 12
  • Butter
  • 1½cups egg whites (9 to 11 eggs)
  • ¼teaspoon cream of tartar
  • 3cups plus 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 1teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ½teaspoon almond extract
  • 1cup heavy cream
  • 3-10-ounce packages frozen raspberries, defrosted, or fresh raspberries
  • 2tablespoons kirsch or framboise liqueur
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (12 servings)

312 calories; 9 grams fat; 5 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 2 grams monounsaturated fat; 0 grams polyunsaturated fat; 55 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram dietary fiber; 54 grams sugars; 4 grams protein; 57 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Butter an angel-food-cake pan. In a mixer on medium speed, beat the egg whites until frothy. Add the cream of tartar. With the mixer on high speed, gradually add 2½ cups of sugar. Add the vanilla and almond extracts, and beat to stiff, glossy peaks.

  2. Step 2

    Spoon the meringue into the pan. Level the top. Place in the oven, and turn off the heat. Do not open the door until the oven is cool, 4 hours or overnight.

  3. Step 3

    Push up the removable bottom of the pan. Cut away the top crust; reserve the crust and the crumbs. Unmold the cake onto a plate. Just before serving, whip the cream with 1 tablespoon sugar, then ice the cake with it. Chop the reserved crust to make crumbs, then sprinkle them around the sides and top of the cake, pressing gently.

  4. Step 4

    In a bowl, combine the raspberries, remaining ½ cup sugar and kirsch. Stir until the sugar is dissolved. Serve the cake sliced with the sauce spooned on the side.

Ratings

4 out of 5
152 user ratings
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Comments

Diane

Silly me! Not everyone has 9-11 egg whites in the fridge, unless you've been making Spanish custards all week... So I bought a carton of egg whites at the market. Well, those don't beat into stiff glossy peaks--in fact, they don't beat into much of anything! So, don't bother trying that shortcut.

Ellen Offner

I have been making this delicious, light meringue torte for many years, since the recipe first appeared in the Times. It is a great Passover dessert, as well as a fabulous dinner party end of meal "statement." Everyone raves about it. OK to vary the berries and the liqueur.

Michelle Beth

This is an amazing "cake". It's fun to make (like a science experiment) and is usually something no one has ever tasted. The combination of whipped cream with crunchy meringue is unusual and decadent. I always serve it with a home made fudge sauce for even more wow factor.

lafinleti

It was a little too sweet for me, i will reduce sugar next time. It was a simple and great recipe for egg whites, no fuss.

Barbara

Julia Child's tip: Eggwhites freeze perfectly. I have a zip-lock bag or two in the freezer and add whites to those frozen, marking the amounts as they change.

Leslie

Give this plenty of room to rise!

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Credits

This recipe is from Molly Chappellet, an owner of Chappellet Vineyards. It appeared in a New York Times article by Craig Claiborne and Pierre Franey.

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