Pistachio and apricot meringue layer cake

Pistachio and apricot meringue layer cake

Lucy O'Reilly

Serves 8-10 | prep 30 mins | total time 1hr 40mins, plus cooling

Ingredients

For the meringues:

• 100g pistachio kernels
• 300g caster sugar
• 6 large egg whites
• 1 tsp white wine vinegar

For the apricot coulis:

• 400g (about 9) ripe apricots, stoned and halved
• 4 tbsp caster sugar
• juice of 1 medium orange

For the mascarpone cream:

• 250g mascarpone
• 300ml double cream
• 1 tsp vanilla bean paste
• 3 tbsp icing sugar

To serve:

• 8-10 ripe apricots, stoned and sliced
• 1 tbsp clear honey

1. First, make the meringues. Draw 3 x 20cm circles onto 3 sheets of baking paper. Use them to line 3 large baking trays. Preheat the oven to 140°C, fan 120°C, gas 1.
2. Set aside 1 tablespoon of the pistachios to decorate. Transfer the rest to a food processor with 1 tablespoon of the caster sugar and whiz until finely ground. In a clean, dry bowl, whisk the egg whites until stiff. Add the rest of the sugar a spoonful at a time, whisking until stiff after each addition. Gently fold in most of the ground pistachios (reserving 2 tablespoons) and the vinegar.
3. Spoon the meringue equally between onto the baking paper circles, smoothing out the tops. Sprinkle with the reserved ground pistachios. Bake for 1 hour 15 minutes, swapping the top and bottom trays around halfway through. Turn the oven off and leave the meringues inside to cool completely (about 4 hours, or overnight is ideal).
   
   
4. Meanwhile, make the coulis. Put the apricots in a large pan with the sugar, orange juice and 100ml water. Bring to a gentle simmer then cook over a low heat for 8 minutes, or until very soft. Remove the apricots with a slotted spoon to a food processor and place the pan with the syrup over a high heat for 3-4 minutes to reduce by half. Purée the syrup with the apricots until smooth, sieve and set aside to cool, then chill.
5. Whisk the mascarpone to loosen it, then add the cream, vanilla bean paste, icing sugar and 5 tablespoons of the cold coulis. Continue whisking to soft peaks.
6. To assemble, place one of the meringues on a cake stand, spoon over a third of the mascarpone cream, some of the remaining coulis and some sliced apricots. Repeat these layers, then chop the remaining pistachios and sprinkle on top. Drizzle with honey and serve

Source    https://www.sainsburysmagazine.co.uk

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