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In some areas of Central Italy, there is still a custom of going from house to house adorned with garlands on the first night of May, playing and singing merry tunes to welcome the warm season.
I’m bringing this up – kind of randomly – because this morning I woke up with a verse stuck in my head: it’s from an Italian children’s poem about the months of the year that I learned in kindergarten, and the part about May goes “Maggio di canti risuona” (May resonates with songs).
While I’m not the type to go around the neighborhood with a lute serenading strangers (my fellow Manhattanites would call the police), I am all for celebrating this beautiful month, which I associate with a variety of pleasant concepts.
At last, the sun is out, the bees are buzzing, the birds are chirping, and the flowers in Central Park are blooming…. but not only that: at the risk of sounding very self-involved, I’m excited because my birthday and Mother’s day also come this month. I’m not sure about resonating with songs – but it sure will smell like cakes!
Now, talking about birthdays, I am turning 44 and becoming a little nostalgic. I became twenty in the Eighties, and while here in the US the cake that best represents that era of excess is probably cheesecake -in some 7-layer variation -, in Italy we had Meringata, a sinfully rich dessert made of layers of meringue combined with tons of whipped cream – the Pavlova’s Italian cousin.
Meringata was the dessert of choice to share with your date in any Northern Italian piano bar or panini bar. The main downside of those types of cakes (besides the fact that they can induce a diabetic coma) is that they need to be assembled a short time prior to consumption, or the meringue will dissolve in the cream. That’s why I picked this alternative, which tastes less sugary and can be made the day before and transported easily.
Cakes made of layers of pan di Spagna (genoise) or pastafrolla (pastry dough) alternating with whipped cream and strawberries or other berries are also served in many areas of Italy for the Jewish holiday of Shavuot, which coincidentally falls in May.
In case you really need one more excuse to indulge.
Ingredients
- Ingredients:
- (Cake)
- 3/4 cup cake flour (or mix AP flour and potato starch)
- 4 large eggs
- 1/2 cup super-fine or granulated sugar
- 4 Tbs. unsalted butter, melted?
- (Syrup and finish)
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 3 or 4 tsp. confectioners’ sugar
- 1 lb raspberries (or you can use strawberries),
- 1 cup water
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- zest of 1 organic lemon
- a dozen meringues, possibly pink
Directions
You can buy the pink meringues or make them with this recipe: http://www.cookingchanneltv.com/recipes/rachel-allen/pink-meringues-with-raspberry-cream.html
Preheat an oven to 360°F. Line the bottom of a 9- inch springform pan with parchment.
Whisk the eggs and sugar just until combined in the bowl of your stand mixer. Place the bowl over (not touching) a pot of simmering water, and whisk gently for about 3 minutes. Transfer the bowl to the mixer and whisk at high speed until pale, frothy and fluffy (7-8 minutes).
Sift the flour over the mixture in 2 separate additions (incorporate the first half with a spatula, before adding the second half). Add the melted butter.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 20-25 minutes or until the top of the cake is golden (do the toothpick test). Allow to cool completely on a wire rack before inverting it. Cut the cake into 2 equal layers before removing the parchment. Put the first layer (cut side up) on a platter.
To make the syrup, boil the water with the granulated sugar and the lemon zest for about 3-5 minutes. Set aside and allow to cool.
Whip the cream with the confectioners' sugar until it forms soft peaks. Place half of the raspberries or cut strawberries in a bowl, and combine them with about one-fourth of the raspberries. Brush the first cake layerwith syrup and spread with the cream/berry mix.. Top with the remaining cake layer, cut side down, and peel off the parchment. Brush the top with more syrup, spread the top and sides with the remaining whipped cream.
Arrange the remaining berries and meringues on top and around the cake. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
https://dinnerinvenice.com/2013/05/02/raspberry-cake-with-whipped-cream-and-pink-meringues-2/
my mom is gonna love this!!!!!!
My KIDS are loving it!
Wow!!! What a cake!!!
Happy Mothers Day Ale!!
To you too!!!!
Those cookies look too much like fingers it is a bit scary, but it also looks delicious.
Hahaha! Tamar, they were supposed to look like CANDLES!!!!
I feel like if you like strawberry shortcake you will love this! aka i will love this!
Yes! Come by for a taste?
First off, you don’t look a day over 35 and that’s the Gd’s honest truth. Secondly, if ever I get brave with my baking, this will be the cake!
Whitney, Even if you are just trying to be nice, keep it coming :-))
So rich and indulgent indeed. Beautiful too. Happy birthday. I am older than you and find each year more liberating than the last.
Hey Ronnie, you are inspiring!
You had me at the photos…Thanks for an incredible recipe that looks amazing! E buon compleanno!
Absolutely gorgeous. Many more happy years of baking and blogging!
Lovely cake!! So perfect for mothers day
This looks delicious, happy birthday!