Meringue Mushrooms

It took me two attempts to get these little meringue mushrooms right, but I am glad that I persisted because they absolutely completed the presentation of my Buche de Noel cake.  You can serve these sweet treats on their own if you like (without the cake); they look so realistic and people haven’t always seen them before so it is a bit of a talking point!

I would recommend watching Chow’s You Tube clip to see how to actually pipe the meringue.  I found it very helpful!  Allow yourself at least 3 ½ - 4 hours to make the meringues (around 3 hours of this time is when they are in the oven).  The assembly takes around half an hour in addition to this.

What you need

3 large egg whites, at room temperature

1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar

3/4 cup granulated sugar

2 teaspoons unsweetened cocoa powder

50gms chocolate (you can use whatever you like, but I used dark chocolate because I was using it for the bark decoration on my cake)

How to make them

Heat the oven to 100°C and arrange the racks to divide the oven into thirds. Line 2 baking sheets with baking paper or aluminum foil; set aside.

Place the egg whites and cream of tartar in a clean, dry and use an electric mixer to on medium speed to start to whisk the egg whites.  Make sure there is no egg yolk or shell in the whites (I recommend separating them in different bowls to the one you are using to mix them).

Increase the speed to high, gradually add 1/2 cup of the sugar about a tablespoon at a time, and continue to mix until stiff peaks form.

Using a rubber spatula, fold in the remaining 1/4 cup of sugar. Transfer the meringue to a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch round tip.  I recommend using a large tip.  You can buy disposable piping bags from the supermarket and they have 5 tips in the box.  

I used the largest tip from that box even though I have a lovely piping bag set!  I also recommend setting up your pastry bag in a tall glass to fill it so it is easier to fill (you are not actually holding it when you fill it).  Don’t over fill your bag and twist the top of it closed before you start the next step.

Start by piping the stems of the mushrooms by piping half of the meringue into pointed “kisses” about 1 inch high to make the stems on one of the prepared baking sheets. (Don’t worry if the tips bend over or sag.)

Then, to make the caps, pipe the remaining meringue into domes to make mushroom caps on the second baking sheet (make sure you have an equal number of stems and caps).  I would also suggest making a few additional stems in case some of them fall over!

Place the cocoa powder in a fine-mesh strainer (I used a tea strainer) and lightly dust it over the stems and caps. Fan or blow on the cocoa powder vigorously to blur it and give the mushrooms a realistic look.

Place both baking trays in the oven and bake until the meringues are crisp and completely dry, rotating the sheets from top to bottom and front to back halfway through (after 1 hour).  Now many recipes suggest cooking the meringues for 1 or 2 hours, but I actually left mine in for 3 hours (this was the main reason I had to make these a second time).  

When the meringues are ready they will feel dry to touch (if they are soft of sticky to touch I would leave them in a bit longer).

Remove the meringues from the over and transfer the baking paper (with all the meringues on them) to wire racks and let them cool completely. If you’re not assembling the mushrooms immediately, store the cooled caps and stems in an airtight container to prevent them from becoming moist and sticky.  I did this a couple of days before I needed them and just assembled them when I was assembling my cake.

To assemble the mushrooms, place the chocolate in a small bowl over a saucepan of simmering water (just half fill the saucepan). Stir the chocolate until it is melted and smooth.  Turn off the heat.

Use a sharp knife to cut the pointy end of the mushroom stems off, making a flat surface to the angle you want to place your mushroom cap.

Using a knife, coat the flat side of a few mushroom caps with melted chocolate. Then fix the stem to the middle of the cap.  Place the mushroom cap down (so upside down) on a flat surface. Continue with the rest of the mushrooms. Set the assembled mushrooms aside until the chocolate has hardened, the caps and stems are firmly attached, and the mushrooms have completely cooled. Store the mushrooms at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 4 weeks.

The tricky part of this is getting the meringues cooked so just allow the time for this... (don’t start making these at 8pm like I did… particularly if you like to be in bed before midnight!) 

Also, be patient with the beating of the whites – it does take some time to form peaks in them!

Bûche de Noël (YULE LOG) Step-by-step!

 

This was a wonderful challenge, set for me by my sister-in-law for our early family Christmas lunch.

I was particularly proud of myself for putting this together so I am excited to share it!  I used a Nigella Lawson recipe for the cake itself and then looked around and experimented with other recipes for the meringue mushrooms, bark and pine cones.  In this post I will publish the cake recipe and bark, then, in a follow up post, I will publish the meringue mushroom recipe (otherwise it will be a super long post!).

This is a wonderful alternative (or addition) to the Christmas dessert and I think children would really love it too.  If you are going to embark on this challenge, I would recommend preparing it at least a day or two before you need it.  This recipe requires patience and a bit of time, but if you add these things to the list of “what you need” you will have a beautiful masterpiece at the end.

So, here we go…

What you need

cake

6 large eggs (separated)

150 grams caster sugar

50 grams cocoa powder

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

5 teaspoons icing sugar (to decorate)

icing

175 grams dark chocolate (chopped or at least broken into squares)

250 grams icing sugar

225 grams soft butter

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

bark

1 packet of melting chocolate (at least 300grams).  I used the chocolate melts, available at most supermarkets.  You can use any chocolate you like, but I would stick to something that isn’t overly high in cocoa content.  Also, it depends what colour you want your bark to be!

How to make it

Preheat the oven to 180°C.

In a large, clean bowl whisk the egg whites until thick and peaking, then, still whisking, sprinkle in 50g / ¼ cup of the caster sugar and continue whisking until the whites are holding their peaks.

In another bowl, whisk the egg yolks and the remaining caster sugar until the mixture is moussy, pale and thick – it will look like cake batter. Add the vanilla extract, sieve the cocoa powder over, then fold both in.

Add a couple of dollops of the egg whites to the yolk mixture, folding them in robustly. Then add the remaining whites in thirds, folding them in carefully to avoid losing the air.

Line a Swiss roll tin with baking parchment, leaving a generous overhang at the ends and sides, and folding the parchment into the corners to help the paper stay anchored.  I used a 34cm x 28cm Swiss roll tin.

Pour in the cake mixture and bake in the oven for 20 minutes. Let the cake cool a little before turning it out onto a generously dusted (with icing sugar) clean tea towel.  

Gently roll the cake up using the tea towel.  Leave the cake on a cooling rack to completely cool (for at least half an hour).  You can use this time to make the bark and icing.

To make the bark, melt the chocolate in a bowl that is resting over a saucepan (half filled) of simmering water.   When completely melted, pour the chocolate onto a large baking tray that is lined with baking paper.  Use a spatula to spread the chocolate out.  Don’t worry about making it completely smooth as the lines will be a great effect when you break it all up later.

Place in the fridge until completely set.

Break the chocolate into thick strips.  This is your bark!

To make the icing, melt the chocolate – either in a heatproof bowl resting over a pan of simmering water.  Once the chocolate is melted, set it aside to cool.

Sift the icing sugar into a bowl and add the softened butter.  Mix with an electric mixer until smooth.  

Add the cooled (it will still be warm), melted chocolate and the tablespoon of vanilla extract and mix again to make a smooth icing.

Now, back to the cake…

Gently unroll the cake and either place it on the tray you would like to serve it on or on a piece of baking paper. Spread some of the icing thinly over the sponge, going right out to the edges.

Start rolling the cake up from the long side facing you, taking care to get a tight roll from the beginning, and roll up to the other side. Pressing against the tray or platter, rather than the tender cake, makes this easier.  Don’t stress if the cake cracks a little as you are about to completely cover it in icing!

Cut one or both ends slightly at a gentle angle, reserving the remnants.  If you need to, this is where you should transfer the cake onto the plate you wish to serve it on (I just rolled it up on mine). Use the pieces you have trimmed off to create branch off-shoots and place these where you want them.

Spread the cake with the remaining icing.  I covered one end of the cake, but left the branches and one end without icing.  If you are not using the chocolate bark you can create a wood-like texture in the icing by marking along the length of the log with a skewer.

If you are not using the chocolate bark, you can simply serve the cake as it is or dust it with icing sugar using a tea strainer or other small sieve.

I actually placed the iced cake in the fridge overnight and decorated it with the bark the next day.  I presume if you had the bark pre-prepared and it was completely set, you could decorate it straight away.

To do so, simply place the bark on the iced cake, arranging it roughly and breaking as you need to.  Then, when you are about to serve the cake, sprinkle with icing sugar.

TIPS:

Preparing beforehand?  I would definitely recommend preparing the bark a day or so before you make and assemble the cake.  And I would also recommend making the cake the night before you need it (but you could absolutely make it on the same day for an evening dessert if you have the time).

How long will I need?  Allow at least three hours to make and assemble this cake (this is not including time for meringue mushrooms).

The pinecones?  If you like the look of the pinecones, these are simply 50cent-size balls of marzipan with sliced almonds stuck into them.  Edible yes, but probably really just decorations… Be generous with the icing sugar sprinkling on these too.

Oh, and it is much easier to cut this cake if you take off the bark first.

Have fun with this one!