Supplies

  • 8 egg whites, at room temperature
  • Large pinch cream of tartar
  • 415g caster sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla essence
  • Pink food colouring
  • For the cream
  • 200ml double cream
  • 250g mascarpone
  • 50g icing sugar
  • Pink food colouring
  • Zest of 1 lemon
  • 115g raspberry jam

Steps

  1. Preheat oven to 120°C/100°C. Draw three 18cm circles on 2 sheets of baking paper. Turn, ink-side down, onto 2 baking trays. Line a third tray with baking paper.
  2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with the whisk attachment, whisk the egg whites and cream of tartar until firm peaks form. Gradually add the sugar, a little at a time, beating constantly until the mixture is thick and glossy. Finally, beat in the vanilla.
  3. Place 1/4 of the meringue onto each circle you have drawn on the baking paper, leaving 1/4 of the meringue in the bowl. Use a palette knife to carefully spread and shape the meringue until each disc is even. Bake, swapping the trays halfway through cooking, for 1 hour 40 minutes or until meringues are crisp and dry. Turn oven off. Leave meringues in oven, with door closed, to cool completely.
  4. For the meringue kisses, carefully stand a piping bag with the tip cut off in a tall glass. Use a small paintbrush to very lightly paint even stripes of pink food colouring into the length of the bag. Carefully spoon the remaining 1/4 of the meringue mixture into the piping bag and pipe kisses onto the prepared tray. Bake the kisses for 30 minutes or until the meringues are crisp and dry. Turn oven off and leave meringues in oven, with door closed, to cool completely.
  5. When the meringues and the kisses are cooked and you are ready to assemble the layered meringue cake, whisk the cream, mascarpone, lemon zest and icing sugar in a bowl until thick and tint lightly with pink food colouring.
  6. To assemble, place a meringue disc onto a serving surface and spread 1/2 of the cream on top. Top with 1/2of the raspberry jam and spread out to the sides. Repeat with the remaining meringue discs. When you reach the top layer, only spread the cream on top, not the jam. Top with the meringue kisses and finally sprinkle with freeze-dried raspberries. Serve immediately.