Cherry Meringue Cake

The cherry meringue cake is a delicious dessert that combines the sweetness of cherries with the lightness of meringue. Here is the recipe:

Ingredients

• 500 g of fresh cherries, pitted
• 3 eggs, yolks separated from whites
• 200 g of granulated sugar, plus a little extra for the meringue
• 100 g of soft butter
• 130 g of all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon of baking powder
• 1 pinch of salt
• Icing sugar (for decoration, optional)

For the meringue:

• 3 egg whites (from the eggs separated above)
• 150 g of icing sugar
• 1 teaspoon of lemon juice

Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 180 °C.
2. In a bowl, whisk the egg yolks with 200 g of granulated sugar until you get a light and fluffy mixture.
3. Incorporate the soft butter and continue whisking.
4. Sift the flour with the baking powder and add it to the egg mixture, stirring well until you have a smooth and homogeneous batter.
5. Butter and flour a 22-24 cm diameter cake pan and pour the batter inside, leveling it with a spatula.
6. Distribute the pitted cherries on top of the batter, slightly pressing them in.
7. Bake the cake for about 35 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare the meringue.
8. Beat the egg whites until stiff with a pinch of salt. Once they start to become frothy, gradually add the icing sugar and lemon juice, continuing to beat until you have a shiny and firm meringue.
9. Take the cake out of the oven, spread the meringue on top, creating peaks with a spatula or the back of a spoon.
10. Put the cake back in the oven and cook for another 10-15 minutes or until the meringue is golden.
11. Let it cool completely before removing it from the pan.

Curiosity

This cake is a meringue version of the classic cherry pie, typical of Anglo-Saxon pastry. The meringue adds a touch of elegance and lightness to the rich base dough. It can be dusted with icing sugar before serving for an even more delicious effect.

For an Italian touch, you can enrich the batter with a vial of almond extract or a splash of Amaretto di Saronno, to intensify the flavor and create a pleasant contrast with the cherries. Buon appetito!