We all know this cake, we've all seen this cake, and anyone's who's tried it knows how amazingly addicting it can be. Every time I walk by it in the display case at Fortinos I try to think of any reason to justify buying it, the first Tuesday of the month is cause for celebration right? Well ladies and gentlemen this recipe tastes almost exactly like La Rocca's famous Caramel Crunch Cake. Recipe adapted from Getting My Just Desserts.
For the Meringue:
Preheat oven to 250 F
300 grams egg whites (this is roughly 8-10 eggs deepening on the size of your eggs, it's best to weigh)
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 cup ground pecans (you can use hazelnuts as well but I stuck with the original and ground up the pecans with a food processor)
1/4 teaspoon salt
Using a clean and dry bowl and electric mixer, whip the egg whites on medium speed just until they are frothy (about 1 minute). TIP: It's crucial that your bowl and mixer are completely dry otherwise the egg whites won't do their thing and will remain flat.
Once frothy, add the salt and slowly add the sugar. Continue to beat on medium speed until the mixture is smooth, glossy and stiff peaks have formed. This will take about 10 to 12 minutes.
Take a large piece of parchment paper and a 9 inch pan and use a pencil to draw a circle around the pan. Make two of these, this will be your guide for the meringue so they will be the same size. Flip the parchment paper over so you are not putting the meringue on the side you drew on.
TIP: I had an issue with my meringue sticking to the parchment paper after it had cooled so I recommend greasing the parchment paper at this point. If your meringue does stick you need to reheat it slightly to help remove the paper from the bottom.
Once your meringue has finished whipping, carefully fold in the ground nuts with a spatula. Spoon the meringue into a piping bag and pipe it into the circles you traced earlier. The meringue will spread slightly in the oven so make sure you use all of the meringue and divide it equally among the two circles, otherwise it might be too thin once it is cooked.
Using an offset spatula smooth the top of the meringue and place into the oven for approximately 2 hours or until the meringue has browned ever so slightly and it sounds hollow when you tap it gently.
Turn the oven off, open the door and allow the meringue to fully cool in the open oven, this will take a few hours.
While the meringue is cooking you can begin the caramel.
For the Caramel:
1/2 cup salted butter
2/3 cup heavy cream
1 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
In a saucepan melt the butter over medium heat and add the brown sugar. Whisk until smooth and continue to simmer over medium heat for 5 minutes, stirring constantly.
Add the cream and continue to simmer and stir for another 5 minutes. Remove from heat and add the vanilla. Let it completely cool. It may seem runny at this point but it will thicken considerably once it cools.
For the Whipped Cream:
2 cups heavy cream
1/3 cup powdered sugar
1 packet unflavoured gelatine
1 tablespoon boiling water
Whip the cream and the sugar until medium peaks begin to form.
In a small bowl mix the boiling water and the gelatine, mix until completely dissolved. Add the gelatine mixture to the whipped cream, beating the mixture as you add otherwise it will get very lumpy. Continue to beat until stiff peaks form, this will only take about a minute or less once the gelatine is added.
Assembly:
Dab a small amount of caramel on to a cake board and place a layer of meringue on to the caramel. Spread 1/3 of the caramel mixture onto the layer of meringue.
Spread 1/2 the whipped cream mixture onto the caramel and smooth using an angled spatula.
Place the second layer of meringue on top of the whipped cream and layer with another 1/3 caramel and the remaining whipped cream. Decorate the top layer of the whipped cream by drizzling with the remaining caramel. Tip: it's easier to decorate the top if you place the caramel into a squeeze bottle.
This cake is best assembled the day of or eaten within a day of assembling, the meringue layers begin to soften after that. Any left over should be kept in the fridge, although I doubt you'll have any left overs.
Try it and let me know what you think? Is it just as good as the one you buy or is it even better?