Apricot-Cream-Merengue

So, this week is another merengue cake. The original recipe uses rhubarb, but because I very recently made a cake with the combination of rhubarb and merengue, I decided to try fresh apricots instead.

Ingredients:

28 cm or 11- inch springform

Some grease

Crust:

200 g wheat flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

100 g butter (1 stick)

75 g sugar

1-2 tablespoons milk

Optional: 1 egg

Filling:

500 g - 1 kg fruit (1-2 pounds)

3 egg yolks

50 g sugar

40 g potato starch

200 g whipping cream

Topping:

3 egg whites

120 g confectioner's sugar

Preparation:

1. In a medium bowl mix flour and baking powder. Add remaining ingredients for crust and knead with the knead hooks of an electric mixer until a dough has formed. Using your hands quickly shape dough into a ball and refrigerate covered with plastic wrap for about 30 min.

2. Prepare fruit:

Canned fruits: Drain well

Fresh fruit: Wash and drain well, core and/or cut into smaller pieces

For this recipe I used fresh apricots. I poured boiling water over them, then skinned and halved them.

3. Grease bottom of springform, preheat oven to about 175 degrees Celsius (330 F). Take about one half of the dough and roll on bottom of springform. Take the second half of the crust dough and form a long roll. Line the edge of the springform with the roll of dough and using you fingers form an edge about 3 cm (1.5 inches) high.

4. Lay fruit on top of crust dough on springform bottom.

5. Prepare filling: Using an electric mixer briefly mix all ingredients, then pour over fruit.

6. Bake cake for about 45 min or until cream mixture has been properly baked.

7. In the meantime prepare the topping: Beat egg whites with an electric hand mixer until stiff. Slowly add confectioner's sugar and keep beating until the merengue is almost stiff. Add merengue on top of cake and bake until merengue has turned light golden in color.

Comments:

1. Again, I prepared the crust without an egg, but used two rather than 1 tablespoon milk. It works well without the egg, the dough doesn't crumble as easily, and can be used immediately, no chilling required.

2. The original recipe uses rhubarb, but because I very recently made a rhubarb merengue I used fresh apricots in this recipe. I am sure any type of fruit can be used, but for canned fruit make sure to drain them well. Because the merengue topping is rather sweet tart fruits like rhubarb, gooseberries, red currants and others will work well.