Strawberry Meringue Cake is a lovely way to end a spring meal!
Of all the desserts I’ve ever eaten, this is on my top 5 list. I found the recipe in Nigella Lawson’s book, Forever Summer, many years ago and made it one evening on a whim. I had invited a dear friend and her children over for dinner. Her husband had deployed to an overseas location that day so I wanted to do something to help her get through that first day.
We had a lovely meal out on the back porch. The kids ran around in the yard, we enjoyed great conversation and we closed the evening with this strawberry meringue cake. Between the two of us and our kids, we devoured the cake in one sitting. It was just that good.
I’ve since adapted the recipe so it’s grain-free and still just as delicious. Two thin cake layers are topped with meringue and almonds and baked until just golden brown. When cooled, you invert one on a cake plate, cover it with honey-sweetened whipped cream and berries and then put the other cake layer on top. It’s subtly sweet, decadent and makes for a lovely presentation.
Strawberry Meringue Cake (Grain-Free)
Adapted from Forever Summer. I’ll admit, if I’m having guests over and I want a purely white meringue, I’ll use 1/3 cup of organic evaporated cane juice for the meringue. This is also a cheaper alternative to maple sugar and creates a lighter meringue. Sugar is sugar, so sometimes for a special occasion, I will pull out the lighter colored variety. Sometimes a girl’s just gotta have a proper meringue! 🙂
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Diet: Gluten Free
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup coconut flour
- 1/3 cup tapioca flour
- 1/3 cup arrowroot flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 2/3 cup maple sugar, divided
- 4 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 4 tablespoons whole milk
- 1/4 cup slivered almonds (omit for nut-free)
- 1 1/2 cups heavy cream (I prefer unprocessed/unpasteurized)
- 2 tablespoons raw honey
- 1 pint strawberries, sliced
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F and adjust rack to middle position. Line and butter two 9-inch springform pans.
- Whisk together the coconut flour, tapioca flour, arrowroot flour and baking powder in a medium bowl.
- Place the butter and 1/3 cup maple sugar in the bowl of a standing mixer. Using whisk attachment, whisk on medium-high speed for 5 minutes, until light and fluffy. Separate the egg whites and yolks and beat the yolks into the butter mixture. Stir in the vanilla and milk. Fold the flour mixture into the butter mixture until incorporated. Divide the batter between the two prepared springform pans and spread evenly in the pans.
- Pour remaining 1/3 cup maple sugar into a coffee or spice mill and grind until it is a fine powder. Whisk the egg whites until soft peaks form. Slowly add the powdered maple sugar until incorporated. Spread a layer of meringue on top of the cake batter in each pan, and sprinkle the almonds evenly over.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes, until golden brown. Cool completely.
- Whip the cream and honey until soft peaks form. Remove one cake from the pan and invert onto a cake plate. Top with berries and cream. Place the second cake on top, meringue upward and press down very gently to secure. Serve.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: Serves 8-10
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