Vanilla Meringue Cake (Cipriani style)

A story about meeting people..

Why do we meet with some people? What brings us close and what drives us away? How do they touch our lives and what do they give us or what do we give them?

Many questions like that I have whenever i meet someone new.

This is what happened with Jim. American of Greek descent, he moves to Athens with his kids for a project hoping that he will actually move to Greece for good.

We met and started a fast friendship with all the problems a friendship has in this day and age (busy work schedules, kids, Covid as well as our age since we are not kids any more and it takes a lot more efford to start a friendship these days.

One day I asked him, what is your favorite dessert that you cannot find it now in Greece and he told me it is the vanilla meringue cake from Chipriani...

Had no clue what was that so I asked. Find out he told me and I did...

So.. G. Chipriani works as a bartender in a hotel in Venice in Italy before WW2. One of the regulars named Harry tells him one day that his family disowned him because he drinks too much. G. gives Harry a loan and then Harry vanishes.

Four years later he comes back, finds G and gives him back the money he borrowed as well as a lot more as a present to G.

G decided to open a bar in Venice, names it the Harry's bar and yes it is the well known one where the Bellini was first made as well as where the first carpaccio was served.

Many years into the future and the Chiprinani brand has bars, restaurants and hotels all over the world and an e-shop that get' s you everything from pasta to panettone.

Anyway... so this cake Jim was talking about is a 4 tier vanilla cake ... coated with a meringue that gives it a great taste.. I knew I had to give it a try..

And I did and loved it but I had to give him some to try and let me know whether it tastes anything like the original..

I did and he said that it was close but not exactly the same..

Oh well.. I still think that I wanted to share it with you...

I did not see Jim after that day... maybe he hated my cake? Who knows...

Let's see what we will need:

Diffuculty: 3 of 3

Duration:1 hour prep and 40 minutes baking

Serves:8-12

Ingredients

for the cake (in a 23 cm cake tin)

130g sugar

5 medium eggs

130g all purpose flour shifted

360g double cream

1,5 cups of pastry cream

For the pastry cream

500g milk

5 egg yolks from medium eggs

150g sugar

1 tblsp vanilla extract

zest of a lemon

30g flour

30g cornstarch

For the meringue

200g sugar

4 egg whites

1 tblsp lemon juice

Method

For the cake

Beat eggs with sugar in mixer until very thick.

Fold in the flour

Bake in a preheated oven at 180 Celsius for 20 minutes.

Do not forget to butter and flour the cake tin.

Let it cool for 30 minutes.

Remove on a tray and let it cool completely. (can be done a few days ahead)

Cut in 4 layers.

For the pastry cream.

Bring the milk and half the sugar to a boil and remove from stove.

In the meantime in a bowl whisk the eggs with remaining sugar and both flours till creamy.

Add half of the milk mixture in the bowl a little by the take whisking all the time tempering the eggs.

Return the mixture in the pot, add the zest and vanilla, put it on low heat and stir continuously till thick.

Remove from heat, cool down quickly. (can be done in advance).

Beat pastry cream with the cream with mixer till it gets thick.

Devide the mixture between the layers.

For the meringue beat all the ingredients in a clean mixer till you get a glossy meringue.

Decorate the cake around with the meringue and use a blowtorch to give it a good color.

Serve!