Scrumptious Strawberry Meringue Cake

Throw together a little pavlova, meringue, macaron, and what do you get? An out-of-this-world, pillowy, marshmallow-textured strawberry meringue cake! Layers of meringue baked to perfection with a delicate crust and soft and supple inside, mascarpone whipped frosting, fresh strawberry slices, and finished with tea-infused homemade whipped cream make this cake seven layers of heavenly perfection. I promise you, this is an easy-to-make cake that will not only impress your tastebuds, but your party guests, too!

Meringue Madness

The Swiss, English, or Polish – who is responsible for the creation of meringue? It is a little unclear, as the history books will tell us that a Swiss pastry chef was the first to invent this airy delight... or perhaps it's an English recipe handed down centuries ago. Maybe it was created by a chef for King Stanislas I Leszcynski in Poland. Regardless, we know the tell-tale sign of a successful meringue lies in the perfection of stiff peaks created from a heavy base of egg whites.

I’m thankful to live in a time where we all can walk through the historical timelines together and have pristine clarity on the “how-to's” and “how-not-to’s” of making the perfect meringue. I can offer you a few tips to ensure you whip and bake this to perfection. Let’s layer it down, together!

First off, make sure your egg whites are room temperature. This is key to getting the correct density required to fluff up this stuff. It’s also important that you slowly add in the sugar so that you incorporate it well and it doesn’t leave a gritty texture or weigh down the egg white mixture.

One last word of caution: When it comes time to removing your cooled baked meringue layers, be extremely delicate with them. Treat them like you would a newborn baby. Not kidding (well, perhaps a little). Either way, be gentle as they crack easily. If they do, it’s not the end of the world. I say it adds a little character!

Follow these few key tips and you’ll be well on your way to making this strawberry meringue cake.

Mascarpone or No Mascarpone

Always, always mascarpone! One of the beautiful elements to this cake is the addition of a mascarpone whipped cream frosting. A little cheese, sugar, cream, and vanilla extract – need I say more?

Mascarpone is an Italian cheese that is made by curdling milk cream with citric acid. The result is a buttery, soft, and divine cheese that is essential in other desserts like cheesecake. If you ever decide to make your own mascarpone, I hear the process isn’t too difficult. Maybe some day we’ll venture down this road together, but for now, I recommend visiting your local grocery store – or, in my case, our local and world-renowned dairy cheese shop – to pick up some mascarpone for this cake.

Did Someone Say Party?

It wouldn’t be a party if we didn’t throw in some other wonderful dishes to make it a true feast. A few I’d like to recommend serving with this cake include a salad, a dip, and a main dish.

Time to introduce our Arugula Salad with Candied Pecans, Parmesan Peppercorn Party Dip, and our Honey Thyme Quiche with Chicken and Cheddar. You cannot steer wrong when you balance a party with a light but tasteful salad, grab-and-go dip with chips or crackers, and a timeless but hearty main dish. Of course, this is all a prelude to the star of the show: this scrumptious strawberry meringue cake.

When it comes time to pair tea, there are a few I’d recommend brewing a pot or two of. For the savory courses, try Healthy, Wealthy, and Wise herbal tea with bergamot and sage or the Rejuvenation Blend ginger and lemon herbal tea. With the dessert, you cannot go wrong by pulling from the tea-infused whipped cream atop this cake and brewing up Royal Wedding black tea.