Blood Orange Meringue Cake
This original creation is a wonderful interplay of tastes and textures. The tangy, vividly colored blood orange curd—adapted from a recipe by Richard Sax, he of Chocolate Cloud Cake fame—is beautifully balanced by sweet Italian Meringue Soft layers of Butter Sponge Cake lightly brushed with a delicate, orange-scented syrup, provide the perfect structure.
For the finishing touch, the meringue is piped in our signature pattern and lightly browned with a kitchen torch.
The path to this cake was somewhat circuitous. I was initially drawn to a recipe for an Orange Mousseline Cake in a baking book from the Culinary Institute of America.
After testing several components in small, three-inch cakes, I found both the cake and the orange curd base for the filling to be disappointing. Still intrigued by the idea of an orange variation on a Lemon Meringue Cake, I moved forward with new component recipes.
I’m very glad I persisted—Blood Orange Meringue Cake is a dessert I’m truly proud of.
Blood Orange Meringue Cake
| Yield: 1 8″ cake | Number of Servings: 10 | Difficulty: Advanced |
Ingredients:
Orange Curd:
¾ cup fresh blood orange juice, or regular fresh orange juice
¼ cup fresh lemon juice
12 ea. large egg yolks
1 cup (7 oz / 198 g) granulated sugar
1 cup (8 oz / 227 g) unsalted butter, cold, cut into pieces
Grated zest of 2 blood oranges
Cake:
1 recipe Butter Sponge Cake
Finishing:
1 recipe Simple Syrup
Fresh orange juice, to taste
1 recipe Italian Meringue
1 cup (8 fl oz) heavy cream, softly whipped
Special tools and equipment needed:
- One 8″ by 2.5″ cake pan
- One 8″ by 3″ stainless cake ring
- Small offset spatula
- 21″ plastic pastry bag fitted with a #825 or #826 open-star tip.
- Kitchen torch
Pre-recipe preparations:
- For the cake, butter an 8″ by 2″ or 8″ by 2 ½” cake pan. Line the bottom with a parchment circle, butter the entire pan including the parchment circle. Dust with almond flour or all-purpose flour. Set aside in the refrigerator.
- Prior to final cake assembly, place a countertop mixer bowl and the whip attachment, or a medium mixing bowl and a hand whisk in the refrigerator.
Directions:
Blood Orange Curd
- In heavy bottomed saucepan, place juices, egg yolks, and sugar. Cook over low heat until thickened, about 190°F.
- Off heat, whisk in butter, a few pieces at a time. Whisk in orange zest. Taste for additional sugar.
- Stain into a clean container.
- Place a piece of plastic wrap against the top and refrigerate overnight.
Cake:
- Following the directions in the Butter Sponge Cake recipe, bake an 8″ cake. Let cool. If making ahead, wrap well and freeze.
Finishing:
- Whip the cream to soft peaks and gently fold into 1 cup of the Blood Orange Curd. Place in the refrigerator.
- Place the vanilla or Grand Marnier in 1 cup of the simple syrup. Set aside.
- Place an 8″ cardboard circle in the bottom of the cake ring.
- Slice the sponge cake into three layers. Place the bottom layer in the bottom of the cake ring. Brush lightly with the flavored syrup.
- Using the small offset spatula, spread 1 ½ cups of the Blood Orange Curd over the cake.
- Gently press the second cake layer on the curd. Lightly brush with the syrup.
- Spread the whipped cream lightened curd mixture. Gently press the top cake layer on top and lightly brush with syrup. Place a parchment circle, or plastic film against the top cake layer and refrigerate for a few hours, to let the cake set.
- Make the Italian Meringue. Remove the cake from refrigerator and torch the outside of the cake ring to remove.
- Seal the entire cake, sides and top, with a thin layer of meringue. Fit the pastry bag with meringue.
- Pipe bars straight up the sides of the cake. Pipe a pattern of your choosing on top, or simply a series of rosettes, covering the top.
- Brown the meringue with the kitchen torch. Store cake in refrigerator until served. Cake is best enjoyed the same day, although it can be held, refrigerated for another day or so.
Baking tips:
- Reminder to bring egg whites to room temperature when making the Italian Meringue.
- 8″ stainless steel cake rings are available from very good specialty supply stores – WebstaurantStore: Commercial Supplies & Restaurant Equipment and Bakery Supplies & Restaurant Supplies, Pastry tools, bakery & restaurant equipment. And the giant Seattle store.
