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:
Or at Fishpond (free shipping Australia)
