Date, Apple & Brown Sugar Meringue Cake
This cake is probably my favourite cake I’ve ever made (so far) ! Bare with me as it’s gonna seem like a lot of moving parts, but if you prep them ahead of time, it's super simple and makes for the most beautiful layers of texture and flavours!
The first step is to get the cake baking in the oven. And while it’s baking, you can easily prep the rest of the cake elements and set them aside for assembly.
Takes: 1.5 hrs + cake cool down 1-2 hours
Serves: 10-12 slices
Date cake:
300g pitted dried dates, roughly chopped
1 1/2 cups boiling water
1 tsp baking soda
125g butter, at room temp
160g brown sugar
3 eggs, at room temp
225g self-raising flour
1 tsp ground ginger
Method:
Preheat oven to 150 degrees C. Grease and line a 20cm round cake tin with baking paper.
Place chopped dates in a heatproof bowl. Add boiling water and stir in baking soda. Set aside for 20 minutes or until the mixture has cooled slightly.
Transfer to a food processor or blender. Process until smooth.
Use an electric beater or stand mixer to beat the butter and sugar in a bowl until light and creamy. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Fold in the date mixture. Sift over the flour and ground ginger and fold until combined. Spoon batter into the prepared pan.
Bake for 65-70 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Let it sit for 20 minutes and turn out onto a wire rack to cool down completely.
Prepping the elements:
Do this ahead of time to make assembly quick and easy!
Ginger crumble
alternatively, you could crush up 2x gingernut biscuits
If making the ginger crumble:
2 tbsp plain flour
1 tbsp brown Sugar
15g butter, softened
1 tsp ground ginger
Combine all ingredients into a small mixing bowl, and rub the butter into the flour, sugar, and ground ginger until a rough-lumpy-sand texture forms. Spread out onto a lined tray and bake for 10 mins at 160 deg until golden. Leave out onto the tray to cool completely and store in a small container.
Stewed apple:
1 large green apple, peeled and cut into small 0.5-1cm in size pieces
1 tbsp maple syrup
1/4 tsp cinnamon
Add apple pieces into a pan with the maple syrup, and cinnamon. Simmer on low to medium heat until the apples start to soften. Remove from heat and set aside until assembly.
Make right before assembling the cake:
Whipped vanilla mascarpone:
300g mascarpone
2 tbsp icing sugar
1 tsp vanilla bean essence
Hand whisk the mascarpone with the icing sugar and vanilla.
Brown sugar meringue frosting:
2 egg whites
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
pinch of fine sea salt
Add egg whites, cream of tartar, salt, and sugar into a heat-proof bowl that is larger than a small pot of water. Double boil on low heat whisking until the sugar is melted (test by rubbing between fingers). Once melted use a stand mixer or electric beater to whip on high, adding vanilla 1 minute into whipping. Whip until firm peaks form.
Assemble:
Use the end of a round-handled wooden spoon to poke holes in the cake (approx. handle that is 1cm round).
Note: I like to do this so the mascarpone gets down into the cake, this step can be optional though!
Dot the mascarpone over the holes and use a spoon to push it down to fill the holes. Spoon the remaining mascarpone over the cake and spread evenly.
Add stewed apple bits over the top, followed by the ginger crumble.
Smear the meringue over the cake and torch to toast! My favourite part!'
Enjoy!
