Life is beautiful pastel rainbow meringues

Life is beautiful, how amazing is our world, how lucky are we that we have all the colors of the rainbow.

We should grab hold of life embrace it and not let the little everyday things let us forget that.

This week I had a little whinge on my facebook page about some really insignificant things that happened making my day 'bad'. Really my day was still awesome despite those couple of little things that happened, I just needed to focus on the simple everyday lovely things.

So I made up these little pastel rainbow cakes with sprinkles and frosting swirls.

and guess what - they are gluten free....ummm maybe not the sprinkles I used, I'm not positively sure, but y'know you can get gluten free ones.

Pretty much they are a pavlova (meringue) with whipped white chocolate ganache.

Sweetness alert - they are really sweet. Like really, really, really sweet!

Of course you could make them with regular cake which would reduce the sweetness, or maybe serve with a tart berry sauce or some passion fruit, which would be my preference.

Life is Beautiful rainbow soft meringue cakes (makes 6 - plus extra meringue for snacking)


Pavlova (soft meringue)
Make the pavlova the night before - I find that sitting it in an airtight container overnight makes pressing out the circles easier.

6 extra large egg whites
1 1/2 cups caster sugar (US use a gently heaped  1 1/2 cups super fine sugar)
1 1/2 tsp white vinegar
Yellow, Pink and Blue food color

Preheat oven to 140 C ( 285 F)

Line 2 trays with parchment paper and grease and sprinkle with cornflour

In a large bowl of a stand mixer on medium high speed beat egg whites until soft peaks form. Mix in the sugar about 1/8th of a cup at a time beating well until all the sugar has dissolved before adding the next batch of sugar. This will take at least 15 minutes in total. Once all the sugar is incorporated beat in the vinegar.

Divide the mixture into 3 equal portions. Add a couple of drops of yellow food color to one, pink to the second and blue to the final batch. Mix each batch until the color is incorporated well.

Spoon the  yellow mixture onto one of the prepared trays and shape the pavlova into a rectangle.around 16cm X 21cm (6.5" X 8.5"). You should be able to get 2 rectangles per tray.

Place the pavlovas into the oven and bake for around 25 to 30 minutes or until the shell is firm to touch and dry, the pavlova should not be browning.

Allow pavlovas to cool to room temperature pick up still on paper and store in an airtight container at least overnight. Can be stored for 3 days.

White Chocolate Ganache

300 grams (10.5 oz) white chocolate
100 grams (3.5oz) heavy cream
1/4 tsp salt

Cut the white chocolate up into small pieces. Pop in a microwave safe dish, add salt, pour the cream over the top and microwave at high for 1 minute. Remove from microwave, allow to sit a couple of minutes and then use a fork or whisk to mix together until no lumps remain. If you can not get all the lumps to melt, return to the microwave for short bursts. Allow the mixture to set to room temperature and then whip in the bowl of an electric mixer at high until smooth and light. Divide mixture into 3, color one section purple, one section green and leave the other plain (or you can add a little white).Use immediately.

Assembly

6cm (around 2 1/4") round cutter
3 x piping bags
pastel sprinkles
piping tip (I used Wilton 2D)
pink, yellow and blue pavlova
white, green and purple white chocolate ganache

Place each of the pavlova rectangles on a flat work surface, top with another piece of parchment paper and then carefully place a cutting board on top and flip the whole thing over. Remove the parchment paper that the pavlova was baked on.. Rub a little cornflour onto the cutter and press down gently while twisting the cutter from side to side. If you just press down you will flatten the meringue. You should get six rounds from each rectangle, you can save the off cut pavlova to snack on.

Pop the green ganache into a piping bag with the tip and starting in the middle working outwards in a tight circle and applying light pressure to the piping bag,  pipe a rosette onto each of the yellow pavlova rounds. Finish piping the rosette by letting go of the pressure to the piping bag and pulling the tip away. Top with a blue pavlova round and gently press into place trying to ensure the meringue is as evenly placed as possible.

Pop the purple ganache into a new piping bag and once again starting in the middle and working outwards in tight circles pipe a rosette onto the top of each blue pavlova. Carefully top with the pink pavlova circle.

Finally place the plain white chocolate ganache into the last piping bag and starting in the middle of the meringue pipe a rosette by piping a tight circle working outwards. Add some rainbow sprinkles to the top of each tower.

Can be made up to a day ahead and stored in an airtight container in the fridge. Remove from fridge around 15 minutes before serving.

Linda Vandermeer is a blogger, baker, maker and author of the cookbook ' Sweets on a Stick': More than 150 kid friendly recipes for cakes, candies, cookies and pies on the go!. Published in the US the book is available at most online book stores:

Link to Amazon:

Sweets on a Stick: More Than 150 Kid-Friendly Recipes for Cakes, Candies, Cookies, and Pies on the Go! 

Or at Fishpond (free shipping Australia)

 

 Sweets on a Stick: More Than 150 Kid-Friendly Recipes for Cakes, Candies, Cookies, and Pies on the Go!

Raspberry Cream Meringues

A bit of a sad story to these meringues. I actually made them for an Enjo party I was hosting, but on the day I was unwell and had to cancel it.

I had planned on filling these with a lemon curd and vanilla cream, ahhh they would have been delicious.

Instead they sat unfilled in an airtight container for a week. By then I had moved on from the lemon and decided to rework the white chocolate raspberry filling from the original recipe in Sweets on a Stick by folding in a cup of whipped cream.

They turned out pretty yummy, so actually not so sad at all in the end.

The Meringue recipe is from Sweets on a Stick as is the Raspberry White Chocolate filling......just modify by folding in 1 cup of whipped cream to the cooled filling and pop into the fridge until chilled.



I do think I made them a bit big, I swirled the rosettes using a large 1M Wilton tip starting in the center and working my way out. Next time I'll be using a smaller size tip so the finished meringues are more petite bite sized.

Hopefully I'll have it worked in time for the rescheduled party.

Recipe modified from Sweets on a Stick by Linda Vandermeer:

Or here at fishpond (Aus/NZ)

Individual Pavlova with Passion Fruit Curd perfect for Australia Day (and it's gluten free)

Pavlova is one of my favorite desserts.

It's kinda an Australian icon (Or New Zealand depending where you are from) and I don't pretend to know whether it originated in Australia or NZ but I know I have been making it since before I was a teenager.....and in fact using this very recipe I'm about to share.

If you have not tried pavlova before it's pretty much a meringue like mixture which is soft on the inside.

This particular pavlova recipe has a crisper thicker more meringue like shell than some which I find good for withstanding lots and lots of topping.

When I bring a pav (that's Pavlova for short just in case you didn't catch on) to my mum's house I usually just make a big one instead of the individual ones I have shown in these pictures. I take it around undecorated and after dinner we decorate it with the cream and passion fruit at the last minute just before serving.

Often we just use fresh fruit like passionfruit, raspberries, blueberries or strawberries on top of cream sweetened with a little sugar and vanilla, but for something a little special I have created a passion fruit curd recipe you can make in the microwave in a few minutes. 

and I've also included instructions so you can make some individual push up pop versions at the bottom of the recipe. Cute!

Pavlova makes 10 individual pavlovas

If you would like to make one large pavlova instead just spread all the mixture onto one tray in a circle around 25cm (11") and bake 1 to 1 1/4 hours. Leave in the oven with door ajar to cool.

4 extra large egg whites
1 1/4 cups (265g) caster sugar (US use a gently heaped  1 1/4 cups or 9 1/4 oz of super fine sugar)
1 tsp white vinegar

Preheat oven to 140 C ( F)

Line 2 trays with parchment paper and grease and sprinkle with cornflour

In a large bowl of a stand mixer on medium high speed beat egg whites until soft peaks form. Mix in the sugar about 1/8th of a cup at a time beating well until all the sugar has dissolved before adding the next batch of sugar. This will take about 15 minutes in total. Once all the sugar is incorporated beat in the vinegar

Shape the pavlova into 10 equal mounds about 10cm (4 ") in diameter on the parchment lined trays.

Place the mini pavlovas into the oven and bake for around 25 minutes or until the shell is firm to touch and dry, the pavlova should not be browning (but if it does don't get too stressed it will still taste good).

Allow pavlovas to cool to room temperature, carefully remove from paper and store until needed. You may store for 2 days at room temperature in an airtight container.

When ready to serve top whipped cream and Passion Fruit Curd (recipe follows) or fresh fruit.

Passion Fruit Curd (microwave version) makes just over 1 cup
2 eggs
1 egg yolk
1/3 cup sugar (2 1/2 oz) or 70g
1/3 cup passion fruit pulp (3 oz ) or 85g approx 3 to 4 passion fruit
65g (2 1/4 oz) unsalted butter

In a medium microwave safe bowl mix together the egg, yolk and sugar until combined. Add passion fruit and butter and heat in the microwave at 50% (medium) heat for 1 minute, remove from microwave and mix.

Return to microwave and heat for another minute at 50% (medium) heat and once again remove and mix with whisk.

Continue to heat and mix another 3 times (5 minutes total) until the mixture is thick and coats the back of a spoon.

Pop into a clean jar and refrigerate overnight until needed. Will keep up to 5 days in fridge.

and now for something a bit different..........

Pavlova Push Up Pops makes about 12

If you want something a bit different and have a batch of plastic push up pops sitting around doing nothing you can make Pavlova Push Up Pops. I picked up my push up pops and the see through stand I use in the pictures from Popular Treats in Australia. Apparently they are reusable :)

Pavlova mixture
Passion Fruit curd
300ml cream
12 raspberries
Cookie cutter 4.5cm (1 3/4")
12 push up pops
2 Piping bags
12 raspberries

Mix up the Pavlova mixture as per recipe and then shape the uncooked mixture into a rectangle around 30cm X 22cm (12" X 9") on a greased, corn flour (corn starch) dusted lined tray.

Bake for around 30 minutes. Allow to cool top with another piece of parchment paper and then carefully place a cutting board on top and flip the whole thing over. Remove the parchment paper that the pavlova was baked on.

Using a round cookie cutter cut out 24 round shapes and set aside until needed.

Whip up 300ml cream and place in a piping bag.

Put the passion fruit curd in another piping bag

Place one of the pavlova round into the bottom of the push up pop. Then carefully pipe some passionfruit curd into the push up pop, then some cream. Pop in another pavlova round, more passion fruit curd, swirl a dollop of cream on top and top with a raspberry.

Best served immediately, otherwise store in the fridge for up to a couple of hours.


What - you say you don't have any push up pops around. That's ok, you can just use mini shot glasses for a similar effect. Just find a cookie cutter to match your glass size :)

Just a tip everyone that ribbon is stuck on with double sided tape

no way would the spoon hold up otherwise.

Thanks for reading, if you love my cooking you might like to check out my book Sweets on a Stick. It's a cookbook that includes recipes for all types of Sweets on a Stick, from pies to cakpops, cookies to fruit and candy - all on a stick. The recipes are kid friendly. It's a US release for measurements and ingredients although it does have a conversion table in the back for metric. Available here at Amazon:

Or here at fishpond (Aus/NZ)