This was our Christmas cake along with cranberry cheesecake. I spotted it in the latest Glorian ruoka ja viini (Gloria's Food and Wine) -magazine. It turned out pretty, but the taste was a bit too coffeeish for my tastebuds. Would work for total coffee lovers, though!
FROZEN MERINGUE CAKE
Meringue layers (4 layers):
6 egg whites
2 dl sugar
1/2 teaspoon vinegar
50 g dark chocolate
Espresso yoghurt filling:
1 can (500 g) Bulgarian yoghurt
6 egg yolks
1 dl sugar
2 dl milk
1 dl water
1 tablespoon instant espresso powder
1 teaspoon cardamom
3 tablespoons cornstarch (e.g. Maizena)
20 g butter
2 dl whipped cream
chocolate truffles
Using air circulating oven is preferred, but if using a regular oven, the meringue layers should be baked in two lots. Set the air circulating oven in 100 C, the regular in 125 C.
Separate the egg whites and yolks. Put the yolks into a small bowl and cover with cellophane. Put the whites into a big bowl and whip for a short while until foam starts to appear. Add sugar and vinegar into the foam. Continue whipping for about 8 minutes until the foam is firm and shiny and the foam tops are sharp when lifting the mixer up. Cover two baking trays with baking paper. Use e.g. a plate to draw 2 circles (diameter 18 cm) on each paper. Divide the foam into four parts and put it inside the circles. Don't spread the foam yet.
Cut the chocolate and melt it in a bowl either in a hot water bath or in a microwave in low temperature (mix every now and then) for 1-2 minutes. Run the chocolate on top of the foam piles with a spoon. Flatten the mounds to match the sizes of the circles with a spoon. Don't flatten too much to make the chocolate stay in beautiful stripes. Bake the meringue layers in air circulating oven in two levels for about 1 1/2 hours. Let them cool down.
Make the filling. Pour the youghurt into a sieve covered with a filtering paper. Lift the sieve on top of a bowl and let the yoghurt drip while making the rest of the filling. Put the yolks, sugar, milk, water, instant espresso powder, cardamom and cornstarch into a saucepan. Heat it up while mixing until it reaches boiling point. When the first bubble comes up and the blend turns into kissel, lift the pan off the cooking plate. Add butter into the pan and mix until melted. Let the blend cool down. Mix it a few times to prevent crusting. When the blend is cool, combine it with youghurt. Whip the cream and mix it with the youghurt blend.
Fill the cake. Lift a meringue layer on a serving plate and spread 1/3 of the yoghurt filling on top. Repeat twice. Place the fourth meringue layer on the very top. Put the cake in freezer and let it freeze during the night. Take the cake into room temperature about 2 hours before serving. The cake should be cold but not icy. Decorate with chocolate truffels.
