I love the birthdays of my friends, because it gives me the chance to think up a fitting birthday Cake. This is based on Laura’s favourite Cake from our favourite bakery here in Freiburg. Layers of Hazelnut Meringue, with the first Raspberries of the season, and a creamy Mascarpone filling.
If you don’t know what to do with the left over Egg Yolks then freeze them for a later date, the same with Egg Whites leftover when you have used only Egg Yolks. They freeze really well! I actually used defrosted Egg Whites for this recipe.
You could also prepare the Meringue a day or two in advance, wrap it well in cling film, and then just fill it with the Cream on the day you will need it.
It’s going to give you about 12 slices.
Ingredients
For the Meringue
200 g Egg White, about 7 Egg Whites
200 g Hazelnuts
300 g Raw Cane Sugar
Pinch of Salt
For the Filling / Garnish
500 g Mascarpone
100 g Quark
200 g Cream
Pinch of Salt
500 g Raspberries
7 Tsp Sugar
75 g Dark Chocolate
Method
Preheat the oven to 180 Degrees. Put the Hazelnuts on a baking tray, and bake them for 12 minutes until they are golden brown and the skins are starting to peel away. Put the Hazelnuts into a clean tea towel, close up the sides and rub the Nuts between the towel to remove the skins. Don’t worry if not all the skins are removed. Place the cooled Hazelnuts into a mixer and finely ground.
Now heat the oven to 180 Degrees and prepare a large baking tray with greaseproof paper.
Put the Egg Whites into a clean bowl, add a pinch of Salt, and whisk with a hand mixer, until you have fluffy peaks. Gradually add in the Sugar and continue to whisk until it is all mixed in and the peaks have turned glossy. Finally fold in the ground Hazelnuts. Spread the Meringue evenly over the baking tray and place in the oven for about 18 – 20 minutes. It should be crisp to the touch and lightly golden brown in colour, the meringue should be cooked through but still quite soft. Allow to cool slightly, then carefully flip it over onto another piece of baking paper using a wooden board or another baking tray, and peel off the baking paper from cooking. Leave to cool completely.
Take 250 g Raspberries and puree them with 2 Tsp Sugar (you can leave this out if they are sweet enough, but mine were the first in the season and were still quite sour). Pour the puree through a sieve in to a bowl, to remove the seeds.
Put the Cream into a measuring jug and whisk using a hand mixer until you have soft peaks that hold their form.
In a large bowl add the Mascarpone, Quark, the 5 Tsp Sugar, and a pinch of Salt and using a wooden spoon mix them together. Now fold in the whipped Cream, and finally the Raspberry Puree. Spread over the Meringue, leaving a 2 cm empty frame around the entire edge of the Meringue empty.
Put a few Raspberries to the side, and cut the rest in half. Scatter them over the Cream. Next roll the Roulade starting with the longest edge. Use the baking paper to help you roll the Meringue, over and over. Don’t worry about any cracks in the Meringue. Use the baking paper to help you move the Roulade on to a board or plate, and then you can slide the paper out from underneath.
Roughly chop the Chocolate. Put the Chocolate into a small bowl that sits well on top of a small saucepan. Put a some water into the Saucepan and heat gently with the bowl sitting on top. Allow the Chocolate to melt gently over the steam. The water should not be violently boiling. Once the Chocolate is melted use a spoon to drizzle the Chocolate over the Roulade. Decorate with edible Flowers and the remaining Raspberries.
If you make this Cake, let me know how it goes in the comments below!
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