Strawberries & ‘Cream’ Vegan Meringue Cake

14 October 2019

Aquafaba creates a less stable meringue than egg white, so it’s best to make the layers for this stack

Strawberries & ‘Cream’ Vegan Meringue Cake (Image courtesy of Faith Mason)

in advance, then assemble just before serving.

HANDS-ON: 1 HOUR

BAKE: 2 ½ HOURS

SERVES: 20

400ml aquafaba

1 tsp cream of tartar

540g caster sugar

seeds of 1 vanilla pod

2 tsp xanthan gum

100g vegan white chocolate drops, melted

FOR THE COCONUT CREAM

3 x 400ml cans of good-quality coconut milk, refrigerated overnight

2 tsp vanilla paste

TO DECORATE

650g, strawberries, hulled and sliced (reserve a few whole and halved fruits for decoration)

YOU WILL NEED

4 baking sheets, greased, then lined with baking paper

large piping bag fitted with a large closed star nozzle

large cake-decorating paintbrush

1 ) Heat the oven to 120°C/100°C fan/235°F/Gas 3/4. Draw a 20cm circle on each sheet of baking paper lining the trays, and turn the paper upside down so that the marking is on the underside.

2) To make the meringue, pour the aquafaba into a stand mixer fitted with the whisk. Add the cream of tartar and whisk on medium speed for 3–5 minutes, until foaming. Increase the speed to high and whisk for 5–10 minutes to stiff peaks.

3) Add the sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, whisking between each addition to a stiff meringue. Add the vanilla seeds and sift the xanthan gum over the meringue. Whisk for a further 30 seconds.

4) Spoon the mixture into the large piping bag fitted with a star nozzle and pipe four discs of meringue with a decorative edge, using the circles you’ve drawn on the paper as guides, onto the baking sheets.

5) Bake the meringue discs for 2½ hours, until crisp and firm (they may still feel a little soft underneath). Remove from the oven and leave on the trays to cool.

6) Carefully turn over each disc and peel off the baking paper, leaving the meringues’ undersides upwards.

7 ) Melt the chocolate in a bowl set over a pan of gently simmering water, then gently paint the chocolate over the base of each meringue and allow the chocolate to set.

8) To make the coconut cream, spoon out the layer of solid coconut milk at the top of each chilled can into a bowl (taking care not to add any of the watery liquid at this stage). Add the vanilla and whisk with an electric hand whisk until smooth, adding 1–2 tablespoons of the coconut water to loosen, if necessary.

9) To assemble the cake, place the first disc on a cake plate. Neatly spread one quarter of the coconut cream over the meringue, all the way to the edge. Place strawberry slices around the edge in a neat ring. Fill the middle of the ring with a layer of strawberries to cover the cream, using about one third of the strawberries altogether.

10) Place another meringue disc on top and repeat the process of spreading cream and placing strawberry slices as in Step 9. Repeat for another layer, then top with the last meringue disc. Spread over the remaining coconut cream and decorate the top of the cake with the reserved whole and halved strawberries. Serve immediately.