Meringue Treasure Chest Recipes

MERINGUE TEASERS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C). Cover cookie sheets with foil.
• Beat egg whites in small bowl until foamy. Gradually beat in sugar until meringue forms stiff peaks. Add food coloring, if using. Add vanilla and salt. Stir in chocolate chips and nuts.
• Drop meringue by teaspoonfuls onto prepared cookie sheets. Place in preheated oven. Turn oven off. Do not open door for at least 6 hours or overnight.

MERINGUE TREASURE CHEST

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Trace a 9-inch circle on parchment paper and turn over; set aside.
• Beat egg whites in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment until foamy. Add salt, vanilla powder, and lemon juice; beat to combine. With the mixer running, gradually add sugar; beat until stiff peaks form and sugar has dissolved. Using a rubber spatula, transfer egg whites to circle traced on parchment, mounding in the center.
• Transfer to oven and bake for 1 1/4 hours. Turn off oven heat and let meringue cool completely in oven.
• Place chocolate and 2 tablespoons water in a small microwave-safe bowl. Microwave until melted. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment beat together heavy cream and confectioners' sugar until soft peaks form. Whisk in vanilla. Gently fold chocolate mixture into whipped cream.
• Remove meringue from oven and, using a serrated knife, cut in half horizontally and remove top portion; set aside. Mound whipped cream in the bottom half and top with remaining half. Serve immediately.

TREASURE CHEST

Steps:

• In a bowl, cream shortening and brown sugar. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Combine flour, baking powder and salt; add to the batter and mix well. Stir in nuts and chocolate chips. Spread into a greased 15x10x1-in. baking pan. Bake at 350° for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on a wire rack. With a sharp knife, cut into four 7-1/2x5-in. pieces. Center one piece on a 15-in.-square covered board; frost the top. Repeat layers twice. Top with the last piece., Cut ends from the oatmeal container and discard; cut remaining portion into a 7-1/2-in. piece. Cut in half lengthwise to form lid (discard remaining pieces). Cover lid with foil. Frost to within 1 in of one long side. Carefully insert the unfrosted edge between second and third layers of chest. Frost top and sides of chest., Cut two licorice pieces into 7-1/2-in. lengths and two into 5-in. lengths; place horizontally around top edges of chest. From the remaining licorice, cut six 2-3/4-in. pieces and six 1/2-in. pieces. Press one 2-3/4-in. piece onto each corner and two vertically on the front of the chest., For handles, center a Lifesaver on the front and each side of chest; press two 1/2-in. licorice pieces on either side of Lifesavers. Press three jelly beans on either side of front chest handle between licorice pieces (see photo). Fill the top of the chest with chocolate coins, remaining jelly beans and lollipop rings if desired. Sprinkle brown sugar around chest for sand., To serve, remove and discard lid. Divide candy among plates. Cut treasure chest with a sharp knife and place on plates.

MERINGUE CRUST

Steps:

• In a large bowl, beat egg whites, cream of tartar, and salt until soft peaks form. Add vanilla, and slowly beat in sugar until very stiff and glossy. Spread mixture into a 9 inch pie plate to form a shell.
• Bake at 300 degrees F (150 degrees C) for 50 minutes. Turn oven off, and leave meringue in oven for 1 hour. Cool.

FORGET-IT MERINGUE TORTE

Steps:

• 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 2 1/2 cups of sugar. Add the vanilla and almond extracts, and beat to stiff, glossy peaks.
• 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.
• 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.
• In a bowl, combine the raspberries, remaining 1/2 cup sugar and kirsch. Stir until the sugar is dissolved. Serve the cake sliced with the sauce spooned on the side.

TREASURE CHEST CAKE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F (325°F for dark or nonstick pan). Spray bottom only of 13x9-inch pan with baking spray with flour. Make and bake cake mix as directed on box for 13x9-inch pan--except use 1 cup water, the oil and eggs. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pan to cooling rack. Cool completely, about 1 hour.
• From center of cake, cut one 3-inch crosswise strip (see diagram). Cut the strip diagonally in half to make two 9-inch triangular wedges. (Discard 1 cake wedge or reserve for another use.)
• On tray, place a 9x5-inch cake piece. Stir food colors into frosting to make golden yellow. Spread 1 tablespoon of frosting on 1 edge of triangular wedge of cake. Attach wedge, frosting side down, to 9x5-inch cake piece on tray, placing wedge along top edge of larger cake piece. Freeze all cake pieces 1 hour.
• Spread 1 tablespoon of frosting on top edge of triangular wedge of cake. Attach remaining 9x5-inch cake piece to cake wedge to look like partially opened treasure chest. To seal crumbs, frost cake with a thin layer of frosting. Refrigerate or freeze 30 to 60 minutes to set frosting. Spread remaining frosting evenly over entire cake. Pull fork through frosting to look like wood grain.
• Use pull-and-peel licorice to make handles and straps. Fill chest with chocolate coins, candy necklaces, and other hard candies. Add gummy ring half for clasp. Store loosely covered.

ULTIMATE MERINGUE

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 110C/ 100C fan/gas ¼.
• Line 2 baking sheets with non-stick liner or parchment paper (meringue can stick on greaseproof paper and foil).
• Tip 4 large egg whites into a large clean mixing bowl (not plastic). Beat them on medium speed with an electric hand whisk until the mixture resembles a fluffy cloud and stands up in stiff peaks when the blades are lifted.
• Now turn the speed up and start to add 115g caster sugar, a dessertspoonful at a time. Continue beating for 3-4 seconds between each addition. It's important to add the sugar slowly at this stage as it helps prevent the meringue from weeping later. However, don't over-beat. When ready, the mixture should be thick and glossy.
• Sift one third of the 115g icing sugar over the mixture, then gently fold it in with a big metal spoon or rubber spatula. Continue to sift and fold in the remaining icing sugar a third at a time. Again, don't over-mix. The mixture should now look smooth and billowy.
• Scoop up a heaped dessertspoonful of the mixture. Using another dessertspoon, ease it on to the baking sheet to make an oval shape. Or just drop them in rough rounds, if you prefer.
• Bake for 1 ½-1 ¾ hours in a fan oven, 1 ¼ hours in a conventional or gas oven, until the meringues sound crisp when tapped underneath and are a pale coffee colour.
• Leave to cool on the trays or a cooling rack. (The meringues will now keep in an airtight tin for up to 2 weeks, or frozen for a month.) Serve two meringues sandwiched together with a generous dollop of softly whipped double cream.