Ethereal cloudy meringue with the freshness and revitalising power of citrus fruits. The sweet acidity of orange and the bitterness of kumquat. Fragranced with the lemony scent of lemon thyme.

CITRUS CURD PAVLOVA W/ FRESH LEMON THYME

SWISS MERINGUE
120 g egg whites (approximately 5 - 6 medium to large eggs)
205 g granulated sugar

CITRUS CURD
120 ml fresh orange juice, strained
2 kumquats, muddled in the orange juice to release their oils and flavour
50 g granulated sugar
2 large eggs (approximately 120 g), room temperature
2 large egg yolks (approximately 40 g), room temperature
2 teaspoons cornstarch
90 g good quality butter at room temperature 20°C - 25°C, cut into cubes
2-3 sprigs lemon thyme (alternatively: thyme)

WHIPPED CREAM
195 ml heavy cream, chilled

DECORATION
Thin orange slices, halved kumquats and sprigs of thyme

PREPARATION

SWISS MERINGUE
Make the swiss meringue a few hours in advance or preferably the night before.
Preheat the oven at 90°C (fan function) or 100°C (conventional).
In bain-marie over medium fire, combine the sugar and the egg whites. Warm it up while stirring occasionally until all the sugar is dissolved and the temperature of the mix reaches 45°C. If you don't have a candy thermometer to measure the exact temperature, you will know that it is ready when the solution is opaque and smooth to the touch (not grainy from the undissolved sugar). When ready, beat the sugar-egg whites solution using a stand or hand mixer (whisk attachment) at a medium-high speed. Whisk for at least 7-10 minutes until the meringue cools and glossy stable peaks are formed.
Transfer on a baking tray that you have previously lined with parchment paper, distribute evenly, and form a disk of meringue. Shape an indentation in the centre of the disk to leave space for the curd. Bake for at least 1 ½ hours (90 minutes) while turning the baking tray every 30 minutes for an even bake. When ready, turn off the oven and let the meringue cool completely in the oven with the oven door closed.

CITRUS CURD
In a mixing bowl, add the cornstarch. Throw in the first egg and whisk it thoroughly until it is well combined with the cornstarch and there are no lumps. Add the second egg and egg yolks and whisk until smooth. Muddle the kumquats in the orange juice and strain. In a pan, over low fire, warm up the citrus juice, sugar and lemon thyme (or thyme) until the sugar is completely dissolved. Add the eggs - cornstarch mixture slowly to the juices while constantly stirring - using a whisk. Continue whisking until the curd is thicker (after approximately 5 minutes). Remove from fire, and add the cubed butter at room temperature. Whisk until all butter is melted and well incorporated in the curd. Pass the curd through a sieve to remove the thyme sprigs and lumps in the curd that might have formed.
Set aside and let it completely cool until you assemble the pavlova.

WHIPPED CREAM
Place your mixing bowl in the freezer for 5 minutes to acquire the ideal temperature for beating your heavy cream. When ready, beat the chilled heavy cream - using a stand or hand mixer - (whisk attachment) until soft peaks form.

ASSEMBLING THE PAVLOVA
Place the meringue on a cake stand or serving disk. Add the cooled curd in the centre and let it softly drip on the side. Decorate the circumference of the meringue with the heavy cream. You can use an icing tip if you fancy practicing your icing skills.
Decorate with the sliced orange, kumquat and lemon thyme and enjoy this dream!

Good luck guys!

Alexandra

A festive cake for the holiday season to make together with family and friends. To bond and connect while handcrafting food together.

Makes one layered cake of 16 cm Ø

_CAKE DISSECTION_

This cake consists of:

3 layers of chocolate fudge cake
a swiss meringue caramel buttercream for the layers
a caramel buttercream to cover the cake and
a caramel fudge sauce to glaze

_TIME MANAGEMENT_

Make the cake layers and the creams one day in advance. The cakes have to stay in the refrigerator overnight to rest, that is important for the layered cake’s stability. Moreover, it is more relaxed to make the creams one day in advance and not on the same day that you will build the cake.

_INGREDIENTS PER PREPARATION_

CHOCOLATE FUDGE CAKE (makes 3 layers of 16 cm Ø)

NOTE: if you don't have round spring forms of this size - use the ones you have and adjust the number of layers to two for a form with larger diameter. Alternatively bake one thicker round cake and cut it to create disks that will be your cake layers.

285 g cake flour
285 g granulated sugar
270 g good quality butter, at room temperature
190 g cocoa powder
2 + 1/4 tsp baking soda
1 + 1/2 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp sea salt
3 eggs, at room temperature
360 ml buttermilk

CARAMEL FUDGE SAUCE (for both buttercreams and glaze)

200 g granulated sugar
90 g good quality butter, room temperature
120 ml heavy cream, room temperature

SWISS MERINGUE CARAMEL BUTTERCREAM

100 g granulated sugar, extra fine
60 g egg whites (2-3 eggs)
170 g good quality butter
80 g caramel fudge sauce (recipe above)
a pinch of salt

CARAMEL BUTTERCREAM

255 g good quality butter
120 g caramel fudge sauce (recipe above)

PREPARATION: CHOCOLATE FUDGE CAKE
Preheat the oven at 170 °C (conventional oven) or 150 °C (fan function).
In a large mixing bowl sieve in the cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, cocoa powder and salt. Mix well and set aside.
In a stand (or hand) mixer, with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar. Start with beating the butter a few seconds and then start incorporating the sugar. Beat for at least 10 minutes until fluffy and lighter in colour.
Add the eggs one by one making sure that the one is incorporated before you add the next one. Continue beating with the paddle attachment until you get a stable and smooth consistency of the emulsion.
Add ⅓ of the dry ingredients mix that you prepared in the beginning and ⅓ of the buttermilk portion and blend. Repeat the process another 2 times by using ⅓ of the quantity of the dry ingredients mix and buttermilk each time. Blend well until a smooth consistency of the cake dough.
Divide the batter in 3 round spring forms of 16 cm Ø or larger.
Bake the cakes for 40-45 minutes and until you insert a toothpick into the centre of the cake and it comes out clean. The baking times might differ depending on your oven and on the thickness of your cakes so always keep an eye on them during the baking process.
When ready place them on a cooling rack and let them cool completely. Afterwards, wrap them in plastic individually and place them in the refrigerator overnight.

PREPARATION: CARAMEL FUDGE SAUCE (for both buttercreams and glaze)
In a pan, over medium fire, pour a thin layer of granulated sugar and wait until it melts. Continue with the rest of the sugar little by little until all the sugar is melted. Wait until the caramel takes an amber colour and immediately remove it from fire.

NOTE: This is a fast process and you will need to slightly swirl the contents of the pan to ensure that the caramel browns evenly. It is very important to not use any utensil to stir the melted sugar to prevent crystallisation.

When caramel has turned amber, remove it from fire and carefully add the heavy cream little by little. It might spatter due to the large difference in temperature so be careful not to burn yourself. Swirl the contents of the pan until the cream is well incorporated in the caramel. Continue with the butter. Swirl the pan continuously and see the butter melting and blending in with the rest of ingredients. Set aside to completely cool before using it for the buttercream’s and as the final glaze of the cake. Store it in the refrigerator overnight and let it rest at room temperature (25°C) before using it for making the creams.

PREPARATION: SWISS MERINGUE CARAMEL BUTTERCREAM
In the stand (or hand) mixer - using the paddle attachment - beat the butter until fluffy and lighter in colour (at least 7 minutes). Then add the caramel fudge sauce and the pinch of salt. Beat for another 3 minutes until all ingredients are well incorporated and set aside.
In a ‘double boiler’ over medium fire combine the egg whites with the granulated sugar and whisk until all the sugar is dissolved. When the temperature of the egg whites reaches 45°C (or when all the sugar is dissolved, the texture is not grainy due to the unmelted sugar, and the mix is hot to the touch) remove from the fire and transfer the egg whites mixture in a stand (or hand) mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat for at least 5-7 minutes until glossy stable peaks are formed and the temperature of the meringue drops.
Then change to the paddle attachment and fold the meringue in the beaten butter - caramel gently (low-medium speed) for a few seconds until all ingredients are well incorporated. Transfer it in an icing bag or an airtight container and set aside. You can store it in the refrigerator overnight and let it rest at room temperature for 1-2 hours before building the cake.

PREPARATION: CARAMEL BUTTERCREAM
In a stand (or hand) mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter for at least 7 minutes until fluffy and lighter in colour. Add the caramel fudge sauce and beat for another 3 minutes.
Transfer the buttercream in an icing bag or an airtight container and set aside. You can store it in the refrigerator overnight and leave it at room temperature before using it for building the cake.

NEXT DAY

Get ready to assemble the cake. Take the cake layers and the creams out of the refrigerator and let them rest at room temperature. If the buttercreams are stiff after resting you can beat them for a few seconds with the mixer (paddle attachment) to make them lighter again. Cut the uneven tops of the cakes to create stable bases for your layered cake.
Select a plate/serving tray that is going to be your layered cake base and apply a small portion - the size of a bean - of the swiss meringue caramel buttercream between the plate and the first cake layer to secure the cake on it. Apply evenly the swiss meringue buttercream on the first cake layer and place the next layer on top making sure that your cake is straight and stable. Continue with another layer of buttercream and place your last cake layer on top.
Transfer the layered cake in the refrigerator for at least half hour for the buttercream to set.

NOTE: if you want you can slightly soak every layer with light corn syrup or simple syrup . It is usually used to secure the humidity of the cakes to keep them fresh for longer. However, the buttercream cover in this recipe will prevent the cakes from drying out, so simple syrup can be omitted.

Take the cake from the refrigerator and carefully cover it with the caramel fudge buttercream creating a straight and even surface - using a spatula. Let the cake rest in the refrigerator for another half hour. While waiting, slightly warm up the caramel fudge sauce to a more fluid consistency by paying attention that it is not too hot when you glaze the cake because the buttercream will melt. Caramel fudge holds best (not too runny, not too stiff) at around 30°C.

Take the cake from the refrigerator and finalise it with a generous portion of caramel fudge sauce. So good! Cut + serve…

Good luck you guys!

X Alexandra

P.S. post your comments + questions you might have over the recipe below in the comment section below!