You know that moment when you want to bake something that`s scrumptios, easy and quick? Then, my friend, you have come to the right place. From now on, this is my hands down go-to recipe if I have guests coming over and no time for fancy desserts that involve creams or stuff like that.
Both the texture and the taste are excellent. I mean it! I honestly can`t stop adoring the crunchy meringue, the moist layer beneath it and the cake base. All three of them are easy to achieve and the best part: you don`t need experience to get it perfect. How does that sound to you?
Oh, by the way, you needn`t worry about the cake base, it`s moist (but not wet, as you can see in the pictures) and has and amazing flavor thanks to the orange I added to it. These citrus fruits really work wonders.
My mom said the cakes left sort of an aroma in your mouth a couple of seconds after you tasted one. She was right, altough I can`t figure out what from that "after" taste came from.
However, it was out of this world!
If you are curious what I used for cutting these little wonders: a half moon shaped cookie cutter. But a round glass works as well. Just make sure you dip you cutting tool in hot water before each cut.
Of course, you can give your cakes other shapes if you like it-hearts,squares,rectangles,triangles, you name it. But, as the name of the recipe says...they are half moons.
Wait, aren`t you drooling yet? Ok, here`s a fact that might convince you: the ingredient that makes the meringue oh-so-good are the walnuts. Exactly! Ground or very finely chopped walnuts. I suggest using almonds or hazelnuts for an even better taste. It just happened that I am the owner of 8 kg (16 lbs) of walnuts and I didn`t know how to use them.
The picture above is a close-shot, so you can see better how perfect it is.
- Moist, flavorfull cake base
- Soft, slightly sour jam+meringue layer
- Crunchy meringue crust
Additional advice? Before beating the egg whites, make sure your bowl and beaters are grease free and there is no trace of egg yolks or other forms of fat because you will not be able to beat the meringue stiff. What I do is take a napkin, dunk it lightly in vinegar and rub my tools with it. Don`t worry, unless you use more than a few drops of vinegar, your meringue won`t have vinegary taste.
Ingredients:
For the cake base
5 egg yolks
2 egg whites
140 gr soft butter
210 gr. white, all purpose flour
juice and grated peel from half and orange
100 gr granulated white sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Additional: 1/2 cup of jam-use a slightly sour one for best results: apricot, rhubarb, raspberry, blackberry, blueberry works fine.
1. Preheat your oven to 375 F/180 C. Line the bottom of a medium rectangle pan with parchment paper for easy removal and to prevent the cake from sticking to the bottom. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, whip the egg whites with a pinch of salt until stiff peaks form. Set aside for now.
3. In another bowl, beat the softened butter for 2 minutes. Add the sugar and beat for 3 more minutes or until light and fluffy. Blend in the yolks, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Then pour in the orange juice+grated peel, vanilla extract and set aside.
4. Gently incorporate the butter-egg yolk mixture into the beaten egg whites. Don`t stir or you`ll deflate the egg whites! After you have done so, sift the flour and baking soda and fold it in.
5. Spread the cake batter into the prepared baking pan and spoon the jam over it. Set aside while you whip the meringue.
For the meringue:
3 egg whites
200 gr white caster or granulated sugar
pinch of salt
150 gr ground or very finely chopped walnuts
1. In a large bowl, beat the whites with the pinch of salt until soft peaks form. Add the sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating well after each addition. At the end you should have stiff peaks and the sugar should be dissolved.
Fold in the walnuts.
2.Spread the meringue carefully over the unbaked cake, trying to avoid incorporating meringue or jam too deeply into the batter.
Bake the cake for 20 minutes into the preheated oven until you see the meringue is brown. Test the cake with a toothpick in the center: if it comes out with no wet cake batter (shiny jam traces are ok) than you know it`s done. Remove it from the oven and let it cool completely before cutting it into half moons.
