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Midsummer is almost here!
Somehow, June has flown by, and midsummer is almost here! Midsummer is celebrated across the Nordic countries, and you can read all about the various Nordic midsummer traditions in this blog post if you’re interested. It’s probably most popular in Sweden, though, where a huge meal is typically enjoyed with friends and family during the midsummer weekend. You can read more about what the Swedes like to eat at Midsommar in this blog post. And you may also be wondering: what does it celebrate? It celebrates the season of fertility, or, more generally, the start of summer. Unsurprisingly, it’s tied directly to pagan traditions celebrating the summer solstice.
A showstopping meringue layer cake for summer
That’s where this recipe comes in! With midsummer celebrations comes lovely summer meals enjoyed in a bit of sunshine (hopefully) with family and friends. We’re always inspired at this time of year to create lovely, fresh desserts that you can make for large gatherings, or just for yourself, with flavors that scream summer. Of course, as Danes, we absolutely love a classic Danish lagkage, or layer cake. If you’re unfamiliar, here’s our recipe – passed down from our great-grandmother! And we also love a pavlova in the summertime. So we thought we might as well combine the two and create a meringue layer cake with delicious fresh fruit that is light but so full of flavor!
Seasonal flavors ready to impress, but adaptable
When thinking of seasonal fruit to use, apricots came to mind pretty quickly. Why? Well, they’re in season in June and July, so that’s when they’re at their sweetest. And a juicy, ripe apricot is pretty delicious. Plus, they’re a fruit we don’t use too often, because they aren’t as readily available as berries or apples. But you could easily replace the apricots with another fruit if you can’t get your hands on any! For a meringue-based recipe, it’s always good to find a flavor that is tart enough to balance out the sweetness of the meringue, and apricots are exactly that. So even when they’re sweet, they still provide a nice tart flavor that goes so well with the meringue. If you’re looking for other well-balanced flavors, some suggestions would be rhubarb, lemon curd, cherries, or any berries you like.
Meringue layers – crispy and chewy
The other layers to this meringue layer cake are pretty simple – meringue and creme diplomat, or a combination of vanilla pastry cream and whipped cream. The meringue layers are as you would expect them to be, both crispy and chewy at the same time. The vanilla creme diplomat is so nice and creamy and fluffy, and it’s a great texture when combined with the apricot jam and crisp meringue. You also really can’t go wrong with a strong and clean vanilla flavor to go with the sharp apricot – it’s well-balanced and so tasty.
Ingredients you’ll need for this meringue layer cake
There are three main components to this cake: the meringue layers, the creme diplomat filling, and the apricot jam. For the meringue, you’ll need egg whites, lemon juice, sugar, and vanilla extract. For the cream, you’ll need to make a vanilla pastry cream ahead of time, which includes egg yolks, sugar, cornstarch, milk, lots of vanilla, and butter. Then, you just need heavy whipping cream, which will get whipped up and added to the pastry cream to create the creme diplomat. For the apricot jam, you’ll need apricots, sugar, vanilla, and salt. As mentioned earlier, feel free to replace the apricot jam with another jam or compote if you prefer. You can also use just whipped cream or pastry cream as the filling if you don’t want to make creme diplomat.
How to make this summer showstopper
To start, make the meringue by whisking the egg whites while adding the sugar one spoonful at a time. The mixture should eventually reach stiff peaks, and the sugar should be dissolved. Spread this out into 3 layers on baking sheets, and then bake. Let them cool in the oven, and in the meantime, prepare the apricot jam and vanilla pastry cream. Make sure to save 2 or 3 apricots to slice up and decorate the top of the cake. Once everything is prepared and cooled, fold whipped cream into the vanilla pastry cream, and assemble the cake! Decorate however you like, but simple is best, so adding some sliced fresh fruit and additional garnish is what we prefer. This is truly such a fresh and flavorful dessert, and we really hope you give it a try this summer!
Apricot and Vanilla Meringue Layer Cake
Layers of crisp meringue, tart apricot jam, and smooth vanilla creme diplomat make this meringue layer cake a summer showstopper!
Ingredients
MERINGUE
- 4 egg whites, from large eggs
- 200 grams granulated sugar
- Splash of lemon juice
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
APRICOT JAM
- 390 grams apricots, cut into pieces
- 200 grams granulated sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla bean paste
- Pinch of salt
PASTRY CREAM/CREME DIPLOMAT
- 1 portion kagecreme (danish pastry cream)
- 300 ml heavy whipping cream (you can also use just 100ml for decorating the top if you prefer!)
DECORATION (OPTIONAL)
- 2-3 sliced apricots
- 2-3 tbsp granulated sugar
- Basil leaves, mint, sprinkles, anything else you'd like to decorate with!
Instructions
- Make apricot jam ahead of time (even the day before!) by combining apricots, sugar, a pinch of salt, and vanilla paste in a small pot.
- Heat over medium heat, stirring often, until the apricots start to release their juices.
- Once bubbling, lower the stove temperature to low and stir frequently. The jam should cook for around 15-20 minutes until thickened; the apricots should be totally broken down. Remove from the heat and place in a separate container to let cool, transferring to the fridge to fully cool down.
- Prepare Danish pastry cream (kagecreme) at least one hour in advance of preparing the cake; you can also make this the day before! It needs to be fully chilled in the fridge prior to use – you can use an ice bath to cool it down faster if necessary.
- Preheat oven to 220F (105C).
- Make the meringue by combining egg whites and a splash of lemon juice in the bowl of a stand mixer (or a large mixing bowl if using a handheld mixer!).
- Whisk together until the egg whites begin to look frothy.
- Add sugar slowly one tablespoon at a time, waiting in between additions until the sugar has dissolved. You will probably have to stop the mixer to scrape down any sugar that sticks to the sides. Add in vanilla extract.
- Once all the sugar has been added, keep whisking for at least a few more minutes or until you reach stiff peaks (dip the whisk attachment into the mixture, then pull it straight up and turn it upside down – the meringue should have a point and not flop over!). This could take a little while longer! Keep scraping down the sides and continuing to whisk as needed.
- Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Once the meringue is ready, divide the mixture into three piles – two on one sheet, and the last one on the second baking sheet.
- Spread the meringue into round disks, around 7-8" in diameter (19-20cm).
- Bake for an hour; turn off the oven and let the meringue layers cool for at least 15 minutes in the oven. Then crack the oven open to let the meringues cool down for another 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool completely. This process helps keep the meringues from cracking and collapsing so they don't immediately break when we assemble the cake.
- While the layers are cooling, make the whipped cream by adding heavy cream and vanilla extract to a stand mixer or mixing bowl. We don't sweeten our whipped cream for this recipe because the meringue is so sweet, but if you want to, add some sugar as well! Using the whisk attachment or a whisk, whip the cream until it reaches stiff peaks.
- Please note: If you want a more structural cake, you do not have to add whipped cream to the pastry cream, just use the pastry cream on its own, and use about ⅓ the amount of whipping cream to make whipped cream for decorating.
- Remove about one third of the whipped cream from the bowl (for decorating the top).
- Add the totally chilled pastry cream to the bowl of the stand mixer with the whipped cream, and whisk until it comes together.
- Fold a few times with a spatula to make sure the pastry cream and whipped cream is totally incorporated. Now you've made a creme diplomat!
- Before decorating, slice 2-3 apricots and place in a bowl with a few tbsp of sugar. Let sit and stir occasionally – it should turn syrupy.
- Now it's assembly time! Place one layer of meringue first, then spread a thick layer of the creme diplomat over the top, all the way to the edges. You'll need to divide the creme diplomat between two layers and a little bit extra for the top; so we usually add a little less than half to the first layer. Then, add a layer of apricot jam over the top and spread to the edges. About 3-4 tbsp should suffice.
- Repeat with a disk of meringue, creme diplomat (again, a little less than half of the total amount), and apricot jam (3-4 tbsp).
- Place the final disk of meringue on top.
- If you have any remaining creme diplomat, spread it over the top.
- Layer on apricots, whipped cream, and any additional jam you would like to make a beautiful topping for the cake.
- This is a cake best enjoyed immediately! The slices will be messy to cut if you press on the cake too hard, so try your best to cut carefully with a sharp knife without too much pressure. Worst case, you can serve in a bowl (seriously, if everything falls apart, put it all in a bowl and call it a trifle). Chilling for about 10-15 minutes can also help the layers set up a bit better, but too long in the fridge and the meringue will get soggy and you risk collapse.
- Enjoy and store any leftovers in the fridge!
