So ive made meringue before (specifically marshmallow meringue from egg whites, marsmallow cream & cream of tartar) but only right before it was to be used. So i have a wedding cake to make (4 tiers) with meringue on the outside also to be toasted ( i assume with a torch ). So yesterday i made some meringue and threw it in the fridge in a tupperware and today it was totally sepereated in to liquid and foam. Now my question is, if i make the wedding cake and put the meringue on a day ahead, will this happen then too or was it from the fridge? im going to make the cake as close to deliver time as possible but i know ill still need some buffer time...like a day, esp since the delivery is 2 hours away... any help here?

Can you make real meringue without marshmallow creme? If you think about it, it holds up for days on a pie.

This is a recipe as to what leah_s is speaking of. Look at it and read what it says as to how long it will last. etc. hth


http://cakejournal.com/recipes/white-meringue-frosting/

You can bake the cakes and chill them 2 days ahead. You can crumb-coat with the cooked meringue from the link, one day ahead. The cake will absorb any small amount of weeping. I don't know about filling the cakes with this, it isn't particularly stiff for 4 tiers. But a meringue buttercream would stiffen up perfectly for the filling.

That way you only need to add the meringue coating the day of the wedding. Use the same cooked meringue recipe, or make a classic cooked 7 minute frosting (same thing) if you have made that before. It is stable for at least a day.

Use a kitchen butane torch NOT a propane jobbie from the hardware store. The kitchen torch burns hotter and has much better control of the flame.

well the problem is they specifically asked for a marshmallow meringue, not just a regular meringue...so im not sure what to do really.....

this is the recipe they want me to use:

5 large egg whites, at room temperature
10 tablespoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 tablespoon marshmallow cream
1 teaspoon vanilla or 1 teaspoon lemon extract


Does this look like im going to have to make it all the day of?

i should also mention, im using buttercream for the filling, so the meringue is only on the outside

It's late and this may be a stupid question, but...how will they know which meringue recipe you used?

Anyway you could use "their" list of ingredients but you cook the egg whites and sugar as the recipe in the link describes. Then you fold the marshmallow creme in at the end. That gives you a nice stable material to finish four tiers. It will pipe like a dream. But I'm afraid it still means making and applying meringue on the day of the wedding.

VERY important: cooking the meringue in the double boiler sterilizes the egg whites which prevents other kinds of trouble. The only way to avoid both separation and cooking is to use meringue powder that has additives to allow you to re-whip it a day after you make it. But that isn't "their" recipe...

So tell me something else: if this order required you to brown the meringue on these four tiers in the oven, would you have agreed? The point that I am trying to politely make is that customers who don't know about baking large cakes should not be telling you (the cake pro) which recipe to use.

I have done special diet cakes, where I ask for a list of ingredients that are to be totally excluded, and I respect those orders scrupulously. I have even decorated a kosher cake in the customer's kosher kitchen to keep it totally kosher.

But I don't feel comfortable for a customer to tell me to use an icing that would fall off the cake or maybe harm some guests. Sorry it's MY job to know and use the correct recipe.

There are 3 types of meringue: French, Swiss, and Italian. They are cold (just whipped whites and sugar), warm (double boiler-ed), and hot (sugar syrup). You can use the same basic recipe for each but French is the least stable (as you saw when it separated overnight), Swiss in the middle, and Italian the most stable. #1 you can modify the procedure to use the recipe they want you do and change/add the cooking method. #2 there is only one tablespoon to 5 whites and 10T sugar - there's no way in hell they're gonna know you left it out

I agree with KoryAK.

My Italian meringue, totally food safe too, tastes just like a marshmallow and torches beautifully. It will also hold up for days.

I also agree not to let a customer compromise the stability or flavor of your cake. It's still your reputation on the line.

you guys are totally right! i more meant that im fine changing it as long as it has a nice "marshmallow" taste....and since i have hardly any meringue experience im mainly looking for the best, most stable meringue i dont have to make and ice in one day!

so that is the italian?

scp - wats ur recipe?

Sleepy, for just meringue, I use a Martha Stewart recipe. But I do take my syrup to 245 degrees.

http://www.marthastewart.com/892738/meringue-frosting

This is Italian Meringue. It browns perfectly with a kitchen torch. I have it on my site on the Lemon Meringue Cupcakes:

http://www.justdessertsdelivered.com/lemon-meringue-cupcakes/

And in case it didn't say, I use cream of tartar, about 1/8 tsp per egg.