In the art of cooking, it is important not only to cook food deliciously, but also to serve it beautifully. The French claim that people eat with their eyes. And if the food is appetizing, purely psychologically it seems tastier than it really is. And if the dish looks messy, then the eater will turn his attention to him last, even if it is the most delicious dish on the table. Appearance for sweets is especially important: they are a solemn component of a festive feast and should correspond to the moment. To make a cake beautiful will help wet meringue. This cream is perfectly combined with any dough and layers between the cakes, is flexible at work, does not spread, keeping its shape - just an ideal design material.
Wet Meringue for Cake Decorating: Recipe
The cream is done by the hostesses in several variations. But the base is always the same, only the ratio of components is modified, and even not so significant ingredients are added. The technology by which "wet meringue" is prepared in the main steps is similar to the method of creating a protein cream.
For starters, proteins are separated from four eggs and cooled as much as possible. They whip until light foam. No need to achieve its stability - if only the mass acquired uniformity. Pour into proteins: a glass of granulated sugar, a bag of vanilla and a little citric acid (about a quarter of a large spoon). The workpiece is stirred, and a bowl with it is placed in a water bath. When the bottom is just starting to boil, actively whisk the future meringue. The process should not stop for a second and continue for about a quarter of an hour. Then the cream is removed from the stove and whisked for another five minutes. The output should be a dense substance that does not settle and is easily held on a fork or whisk.
Subtleties and secrets
To someone who has not yet prepared a wet meringue cream, the recipe may seem elementary. However, the result can be very upsetting if you do not know some tricks.
- Squirrels should be cold, almost to the point of freezing. Experienced chefs advise them to clean in the refrigerator in the evening, on the eve of cooking.
- Protein dishes should be clean and completely dry. The smallest droplet of foreign liquid will not let you beat them to the desired consistency. The same applies to particles of yolk trapped in proteins. It is better to separate each egg over a personal cup, so as not to spoil the mass already obtained.
- How long to hold the cream in the bath depends on the temperature of the water in it. Readiness for removal from the fire is determined by the consistency of the cream: if it sticks, becomes thick and comes off in whole chunks - it is time to proceed to the final stage.
- In no case should you bring "wet meringue" to a boil! To prevent it, you need to work with the mixer continuously.
If you do not immediately start decorating, you need to hide the cream after cooling in the refrigerator.
Than paint
Since wet meringue is used to decorate the cake, you may need to have colorful versions of it. There are also a number of rules.
- Neither syrups nor juices are suitable for staining - they will violate the consistency, make the cream too liquid and fluid. Food coloring only!
- In the dry state, it is impossible to fill the dye, it will not dissolve in the meringue. If there is no liquid, a 5-gram sachet of powder is diluted in a teaspoon of vodka and only after that is added to the cream.
- The dye is introduced at the very last moment, after removing the pan from the stove, drip, with intermediate whipping.
To tint “wet meringue” in beige and brown tones, you can instant coffee. It is diluted in half a spoonful of water and mixed until completely dissolved. Softer shades are obtained with the introduction of cocoa, brewed in a minimum amount of milk. The main principle in both cases is as little fluid as possible.
Terms of use
In order for the wet meringue to fulfill its task with honor, it must be properly cooled before application. Firstly, in hot form it can melt the top layer if it is made of caramel or glaze. Secondly, chilled "wet meringue" more easily accepts and holds the shape you conceived.
All designer delights are created only with dry auxiliary objects, whether it be a knife or a pastry syringe. Moisture will violate the planned density of the cream, and it will begin to creep.
If you want to make the cake more durable, after coating it with cream, you can hold the treat not in the refrigerator, but even dry it in a warm oven. “Wet meringue” will become common, will serve as an additional “shell”, although it will be more fragile.
Interesting refinements
If you are planning to erect something monumental on your cake (for example, a magic castle), the classic "wet meringue" may not sustain its own mass. To make the cream more durable, structural and embossed, you need to change the proportions. You need to take sugar in double weight compared to protein. Naturally, for this they will have to be weighed. It is pointless to continue to change the dose of sugar; it will not dissolve in excess.