Tropical Sorbet And Meringue Stack Cake Recipes

RAINBOW SORBET CAKE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 185 degrees. Cut a 7-inch circle from a 10-inch square of 1/4-inch-thick cardboard or Foamcore. Set circle aside to use for bottom of cake, and reserve the cut-out square as a template. Cut three 11-by-17-inch rectangles out of parchment paper, and set parchment aside.
• Fill a medium saucepan with 2 inches of water, and bring to a simmer. Place sugar and egg whites in the bowl of an electric mixer. Hold bowl over simmering water, and whisk until warm to the touch and sugar has dissolved, about 3 minutes.
• Using the whisk attachment, beat egg whites on medium speed until stiff and glossy, about 4 minutes; do not overbeat.
• Place the template over one end of a piece of parchment. Scoop 1 cup egg-white mixture into the center. Using an offset spatula, spread the mixture into an even layer. Remove the template. Make another disk on other end of parchment. Create three more disks on remaining two pieces of parchment. Slide each piece of parchment onto a 11-by-17-inch baking sheet.
• Transfer the meringue disks to the oven, and bake 1 1/2 hours, making sure they don't brown. Turn off heat, and let the disks dry completely in oven, 6 hours to overnight.
• Place one meringue disk on the reserved 7-inch cake round. Using a gelato paddle or a large spoon, build up an even layer of mango sorbet on top of the disk. Top with a second meringue disk. Continue the layering process, returning cake to the freezer to harden, as needed. Use remaining grapefruit, raspberry, and green-apple sorbets and the meringue disks. Top with a disk. Transfer cake to freezer, and freeze until hardened. Let soften slightly before serving. Serve with a spoon in bowls.

TROPICAL-SORBET-AND-MERINGUE STACK CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 250°F, with racks in upper and lower thirds. Stir together sugar and cornstarch. In the bowl of a mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat egg whites with lemon juice and salt on low speed until frothy. Increase speed to medium-high and gradually add sugar mixture, beating until stiff, glossy peaks form, 8 to 10 minutes.
• Draw two 5-by-10-inch rectangles on a sheet of parchment, spaced at least 2 inches apart. Turn parchment upside-down on a baking sheet and adhere corners with masking tape or tiny dollops of meringue. Repeat with another sheet of parchment and baking sheet, so you have 4 rectangles total. Divide meringue evenly among rectangles; spread to edges with an offset spatula.
• Bake until meringues are crisp and dry on outsides, but not developing any color, about 1 hour. Turn oven off (do not open door); let cool and continue drying in oven at least 2 hours and up to 1 day.
• Temper sorbets in refrigerator until softened but not melting, about 15 minutes. Transfer one meringue layer to a freezer-safe plate or tray. Gently spread one pint of sorbet evenly to edges of meringue. Repeat with remaining meringue and sorbet layers, topping with last meringue layer. Freeze until firm, at least 3 hours or, wrapped in plastic, up to 2 days.
• Beat cream to soft peaks on medium-high speed. Spread over top of cake; sprinkle with berries, coconut, and seeds. Slice and serve immediately, or cover with plastic wrap and return to freezer until ready to serve, up to 4 hours.

MERINGUE BOXES WITH SORBET

Steps:

• Heat oven to 200 degrees. Use a pencil to trace six 3-inch squares and twelve 2-inch-by-3-inch rectangles on a piece of parchment paper, and place, pencil side down, on baking sheet.
• Reserve 1 1/2 cups of the meringue for later use. Fill a piping bag fitted with a coupler, with a tip of your choice, and pipe out the meringue in desired patterns. The piped lines or designs should connect, but you want to leave plenty of open spaces in between the piping. Cover the remaining meringue with plastic, and set aside.
• Bake piped meringue 15 minutes. Reduce the heat to 175 degrees, and bake an additional 35 minutes or longer, until the meringue is dried but still white.
• Return the remaining meringue to electric mixer, and rewhip until light, fluffy, and glossy. Fill a pastry bag with the meringue and a plain tip. On a parchment-lined baking sheet, assemble the boxes by piping the meringue along edges of bottom square and piping meringue between side rectangles. Change the tips, and pipe out a decorative pattern on the outside joints to hide your work. Do not attach the top of box.
• Return the baking sheet to the oven, and bake until the second piping of meringue is hard and dry, about 45 minutes. Remove from oven, and let cool completely.
• Scoop the sorbet into each box, and serve with top to the side or placed over sorbet.

TROPICAL CAKE

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine the cake mix, pudding mix, soda, eggs, and oil; beat on low speed for 30 seconds. Beat on medium for 2 minutes. , Pour into a greased 13x9-in. baking pan. Bake at 350° for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Place on a wire rack. , In a small saucepan, combine the sugar, flour, eggs, butter and pineapple. Cook and stir over medium heat until mixture is thickened and a thermometer reads 160° or is thick enough to coat the back of a metal spoon. Remove from the heat; stir in coconut. Spread over warm cake. Cool on a wire rack for 1 hour. Cover and refrigerate.

MERINGUE TORTE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 225 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. With an electric mixer, beat egg whites, cream of tartar, and salt in a large bowl until soft peaks form. With mixer running, add 3/4 cup sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating until stiff peaks form.
• Meanwhile, in a small bowl, stir together remaining 2 tablespoons sugar and the cornstarch; beat into egg-white mixture. Beat in vinegar and vanilla.
• Drop dollops of mixture in a line down center of prepared baking sheet. With a flexible spatula or a wet spoon, spread into a 6-by-14-inch rectangle. Make a 1-inch-deep well down the center, leaving a 1-inch-thick border around edges.
• Bake 2 hours; turn off oven, and let stand (in oven) for 2 hours or up to overnight. Fill with sorbet; top with peaches or almonds, if desired. Cut into pieces with a serrated knife.

TROPICAL FRUIT CAKES

Steps:

• Grease and lightly flour eight 1-cup fluted tube pans or six 4-1/2x2-1/2x1-1/2-inch individual loaf pans and set pans aside.
• In a medium bowl combine flour, baking powder, and baking soda; set aside.
• In a large bowl beat butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds, add brown sugar; beat until combined.
• Add eggs, one at a time, beating on medium speed until combined (The batter may appear curdled).
• Combine 1/4 cup rum or pineapple juice, 1/4 cup pineapple juice, the corn syrup, ginger, and vanilla.
• Add flour mixture and rum mixture alternately to butter mixture, beating on low speed after each addition just until combined.
• Fold in fruit bits and nuts.
• Spread batter in prepared pan.
• Bake in a 325 degree oven for 20 to 25 minutes for fluted tube pans or 30 to 35 minutes for loaf pans or until a toothpick inserted into centers comes out clean.
• Cool cakes in pans on wire racks for 10 minutes. Remove from pans; cool at least 1 hour on racks.
• Poke holes in cakes using a wooden toothpick or bamboo skewer.
• Soak eight or six 8-inch-square pieces of double thickness 100-percent cotton cheesecloth with the 1/3 cup rum or pineapple juice and wrap each cake in rum- or juice-soaked cheesecloth.
• Wrap each cake tightly in foil or seal in a plastic bag.
• Chill in refrigerator for 24 hours.
• Remove foil or remove cakes from bags; drizzle with 1/4 cup rum or pineapple juice. Rewrap with foil or return to plastic bags and refrigerate at least 24 hours.
• Remove cheesecloth before serving.
• If desired, sprinkle with sifted powdered sugar. Makes 6 or 8 cakes (24 servings).
• Make-Ahead Tip: Prepare Tropical Fruit Cake as directed through until the 24 hr chill, except refrigerate up to 5 days. (Or prepare Tropical Fruit Cakes as directed through up to 24 hr chill, except do not sprinkle with powdered sugar. Place in self-sealing freezer bags. Seal, label, and freeze up to 3 months.)
• To serve, thaw frozen cakes in freezer bags in the refrigerator overnight. Serve as directed.