MMMM Recipe · 6:27am Apr 6th, 2014

So, I put together a little recipe for the Marzipan Mascarpone Meringue Madness...

Okay, be warned, this is the hardest thing I've ever baked. Seriously, I had an easier time making Stanley Tucci's Timpano recipe for my New Year's Eve party than I had making this. About a gazillion things went wrong when I was putting this thing together, but that was mostly due to not having the proper equipment (at least with Timpano, you only need the one pan), and due to it being a quasi-original recipe rather than something pre-published. You, hopefully, will be better equipped.

INGREDIENTS:

MADNESS (cake):
3/4c. strawberry puree
1/4 cup milk (or buttermilk)
4 large eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 1/4 c. flour, sifted
1 3/4 cup sugar
4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
12 Tbsp unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks), room temp
red food coloring

MASCARPONE (icing):
475g. mascarpone cheese
1c. powdered sugar
juice from 1 lemon (about 3 tbsp)
zest from 1 lemon (1-2 tbsp)
yellow food coloring

MERINGUE (layer):
6 egg whites
1 1/4 c. granulated sugar
pinch salt

MARZIPAN
marzipan
food coloring

Head hurting yet? Okay, let's go down in order. You'll probably want to make the meringue a couple days ahead of time, and same goes for the marzipan decorations.

Let's get the meringue out of the way first, shall we?

THE MERINGUE

BEFORE GETTING STARTED: Make sure you have the following equipment:

A stand mixer (you can technically do this with a handheld electric mixer, but it'll take a good 45 minutes to beat it)
An airtight container capable of storing a nine-inch cake layer (make sure it's completely airtight)
A cookie sheet
Parchment paper

Also, make sure that your mixing bowl and beaters are completely clear of grease or fats, as even the tiniest amount can wreck a meringue. To ensure this, wipe down the mixing bowl with a small amount of vinegar or lemon juice, and dry very thoroughly, making sure to never touch any part of it with your fingers. Also, humidity is a very bad thing when making meringue.

PROCEDURE

Preheat oven to 250°F. Have all ingredients and equipment at room temperature or slightly warmer.
Line a cooking sheet with parchment paper. Trace the shape of the cake pan (a 9-inch circle) onto that parchment paper.

Beat eggs and salt until mixture is foamy, then slowly add sugar (a few teaspoons at a time) and continue beating until the meringue forms stiff peaks and you can hold a spoonful upside down without anything falling out.

Spread out the meringue onto the circle of parchment paper, as smooth and even as possible. Bake 3 hours (yes, 3 hours), rotating pan every 30 minutes to ensure cooking evenly. Remove from oven, cool for two minutes, then store.

When storing, be careful, as this thing is fragile. Place a desiccant in there with the baked meringue, to soak up moisture from the air... if you don't have a desiccant packet, just sprinkle a tablespoon of cornstarch around it. Store in a cool, dry place.

Having fun yet?

THE MARZIPAN

Uh, divide it into portions, knead in food coloring... best to use gel/paste food colorings rather than liquid ones (it affects consistency), or else you could form the decorations first and "paint" them with food coloring.

Anyway, just form the marzipan into fruit and flower shapes. Make red flowers with yellow centers to arrange on the side of the cake, then various fruits and leaves to decorate the top.

TIPS:

A lot of people will tell you to keep the marzipan moist while you're working with it. I am here to tell you otherwise. I think letting it dry out a bit makes it easier to work with (this goes double if you're painting it rather than kneading in the food coloring). Don't wait until it's brittle, of course, but letting it get a little dry makes it easier to sculpt with more precision, especially when using clay modeling tools.

If you don't have clay modeling tools, use LEGOs.

Like any clay, it's best to work with marzipan on a floured surface. Only instead of flour, use powdered sugar.

A 9-inch cake has a 28-inch (well, 28.2743 inches, to be precise) circumference. Keep this in mind when deciding how big to make the flowers and fruits.

The fun has been doubled! Okay, okay, now for the cake itself.

THE MADNESS

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease and flour 2 nine-inch cake pans, and line with wax paper.

To make puree: Chop up some very ripe (perhaps slightly overripe) strawberries, and put them in a blender until smooth. You will need 3/4c. of puree.

In a small bowl, combine puree, milk, eggs and vanilla, and mix until blended.

Sift together flour and baking powder, then add sugar and salt and mix. Add butter and mix again, until combined and resembling moist crumbs.

Add wet ingredients, and beat at medium speed for about 30 seconds. Add a few drops of red food coloring, then beat for another 30 seconds until evenly combined. Scrape down sides of bowl and beat by hand for a while.

Divide batter among pans, and smooth tops. Bake for about 25 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Let cake cool in pans for 10 minutes, then turn out onto wire racks to cool for two hours.

Thankfully, the last one is easy:

THE MASCARPONE

Just combine all the listed ingredients together, and blend until smooth and creamy.

Now, let's put it all together, shall we?

ASSEMBLY:

On a cake pedestal, place one layer of the strawberry cake, then the baked meringue, then the other layer of the strawberry cake. Clear away any stray crumbs, then apply the icing to the cake... allow to set for a moment, then place the marzipan decorations on the top and sides.

Now for a purely optional addition:

You may have noticed that there seems to be another "layer" despite the fact that I don't have a cake tier. So, what is that stuff below it? Here's my optional addition:

Place the cake pedestal on a wide plate. Lay out a ring of grape leaves (or some green leafy food item) on that plate, then arrange blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, grapes, and slices of clementine on there. Serving instructions, after cutting a piece of cake, reach down and scrape some of the real fruits and leaves onto the plate as well, to get some relatively-healthy stuff alongside the piles of sugar.

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