How long to bake meringue? Meringue recipe at home in the oven

2024 Author: Isabella Gilson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:14

Another name for this popular French dessert is meringue. Outwardly, it is often compared to a cloud - the cake turns out to be light and snow-white. It crunches pleasantly on the teeth leaving an unforgettable aftertaste. The dessert is based on just two ingredients: sugar and beaten egg whites. To make the cake crumbly, you need to bake the meringue for a very long time. How much exactly it needs to be kept in the oven and at what temperature, we will tell in our article.

The nuances of making the famous dessert

Translated from French, the word "meringue" is translated as "kiss". And it is no coincidence that this dessert was given such a comparison. Tender, melting in the mouth, soft inside and crispy outside, the meringue has a refined taste. Due to the fact that the dessert requires only two main ingredients, it seems that it is easier to preparesimple. In fact, this is far from the case. If you do not know how much to bake meringue and other nuances, meringue will not work. The intricacies of making the perfect French dessert are as follows:

1. To obtain a fluffy mass, the proteins are cooled together with a bowl and whisks before whipping. Even sugar is recommended to be placed in the refrigerator for a while. The lower the temperature of the ingredients, the better the dessert will turn out.
2. Dishes and whisks from the mixer should be perfectly clean, without a drop of fat. During whipping, the mass increases in volume by 4–5 times, so the container must be deep enough.
3. It is not recommended to beat egg whites in a metal bowl. Otherwise, the protein mass will darken.
4. Determining whether whites are well beaten is quite simple. You need to lift the whisk and see if the mass falls off. You can also turn the container upside down. If the mass does not flow down the walls and is firmly held in the bowl, then the whites are beaten well.
5. The meringue should be deposited with a pastry bag or a tablespoon and only on a baking sheet covered with parchment. It is recommended to use clean paper for each new serving of cakes.

How long to bake meringue?

Meringue cooking time depends on the size of the cakes and the characteristics of the oven. Each experienced housewife has her own proven secret that determines how much and at what temperature to bake meringues. But you can give general recommendations for preparing a dessert:

1. Meringue tray should beput in an oven already preheated to 100 ° C.
2. Do not open the door for the first 30 minutes to prevent the egg whites from falling off.
3. If the meringue begins to darken, acquiring a coffee tint, the temperature can be reduced to 80 ° C.
4. Bake meringue at low temperature for at least 2 hours. After that, the finished cakes can be left in the oven to cool completely.
5. The finished cakes are light, with a strong crust on the outside, and are easily removed from parchment paper.

Three ways to cook meringue

Meringue can serve as the top of another dessert or served on its own as a sophisticated cake. There are three ways to prepare meringue: French, Italian and Swiss. There are significant differences between them.

The French way of making meringue is considered the easiest. It is ideal for beginner pastry chefs. With it, you can cook delicious meringue of simple shapes, without subtle patterns. It makes no sense to deposit the mass obtained as a result of whipping with the help of a pastry bag and nozzles. An ordinary tablespoon will be enough - with a high degree of probability, the meringue will still spread over the baking sheet, if not immediately, then in the oven. As for how long to bake French meringue, it usually takes 1.5 hours.

The Italian way differs from the French one in that not sugar is added to the proteins, but a hard boiled hot syrup. Beat the mass for a long time until the sugar syrup cools down. The result isstable protein cream, which can be used to decorate desserts, fill eclairs, grease cake layers. Italian meringue does not float even when mixed with butter. But such a cream is rarely baked.

Swiss meringue is cooked in a water bath. The resulting mass is strong, the cakes keep their shape well, do not crawl along the baking sheet. Ready-made cakes are crispy and slightly crumbly.

Easy Electric Oven Meringue Recipe

To master this method of cooking is within the power of every housewife. To do this, it is enough to clearly follow the step-by-step instructions on how to bake meringues in an electric oven:

1. Separate the whites of 3 eggs from the yolks and pour them into deep glass, ceramic or plastic dishes.
2. Prepare ¾ cup sugar. It should be set aside for a while, and not poured immediately to the proteins.
3. Starting with the minimum speed and gradually increasing it, beat the whites with a mixer.
4. As soon as the mass becomes white and acquires some density, literally add sugar by dessert spoon.
5. Beat the protein foam until the crystals are completely dissolved.
6. When the mass stops falling off the spoon, it must be transferred to a pastry bag.
7. Put cakes on parchment-lined baking sheet.
8. Bake the meringues in a preheated oven at 100°C for 1-2 hours depending on the size of the meringues and the desired texture of the cakes inside.

Swiss meringue

With this method, you can also bake a meringue cake, as in the previous version. But unlike French meringue, Swiss meringue is prepared in a water bath. The sequence of actions in this case will be as follows:

1. In a fairly wide saucepan on the stove, bring water to a boil.
2. Place another dish on top, after adding proteins (2 pcs.) to it and pouring out sugar (2 tbsp.). An important condition: the bottom of the second container should be heated only by water vapor, and not in contact with water.
3. Start the process of whipping the egg whites with the mixer at low speed. As soon as the sugar dissolves, the speed should be increased to maximum. After another 2 minutes, the cream will become dense, white, thick.
4. The finished mass can be put on a baking sheet in the form of cakes or used immediately to decorate desserts.

How to bake meringue in a gas oven?

The above meringue recipes are perfect for an electric oven. But in gas, difficulties often arise when baking protein cakes. Meringue turns black, burns on top, but remains raw inside. Here's how experienced housewives recommend baking meringue at home in the oven:

1. Meringue recipe will suit anyone, both French and Swiss. From the ingredients indicated in it, beat a lush and strong foam.
2. Prepare a baking sheet, use a pastry bag or a tablespoon to deposit cakes on it.
3. Preheat oven to minimumtemperature provided by the gas oven (usually 150-160°C).
4. Send the meringue pan to the oven. After a couple of minutes, open the door almost wide open and, without closing it, continue cooking the meringue for 1.5 hours.
5. After the time has elapsed, turn off the oven, close the door and leave the baking sheet with the products to cool completely, that is, for at least 3 more hours.

How to properly store meringues?

To keep meringue crispy, cakes should be stored in a dry place. Otherwise, they will fill with moisture, which will adversely affect the taste of the dessert.

Meringue can be stored either in a glass jar with a lid or in a tightly sealed plastic bag. It is important to cool them well before placing them in a container. The shelf life under such conditions should not exceed 7 days.