serves
10
prep
25 minutes
cook
30 minutes
difficulty
Easy
serves
10
people
preparation
25
minutes
cooking
30
minutes
difficulty
Easy
level
Ingredients
Pistachio meringue (dacquoise)
- ⅓ cup (40 g) coarsely chopped shelled pistachios, plus extra for sprinkling
- 1 cup (130 g) icing sugar, divided, plus extra for dusting
- 100 g almond meal (ground almonds)
- 5 large egg whites, at room temperature
- ¼ tsp cream of tartar
- ¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar
- Green food colouring paste or gel (optional)
Cream and assembly
- 1½ cups (375 ml) whipping cream
- ½ cup (125 ml) creme fraiche
- ⅓ cup (40 g) icing sugar, plus extra for dusting
- 3 tsp (15 ml) fresh lemon juice
- 1 tsp vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
- 3 cups fresh strawberries, hulled
- ¼ cup strawberry jam or apple jelly
- Chopped pistachios, for sprinkling
Makes one 3-layer 20 cm (8 inch) torte.
Instructions
1. Preheat the oven to 170°C (325°F). Very lightly grease three 20 cm (8 inch) round cake pans and line the bottoms and sides with parchment paper.
2. Pulse the pistachios with ½ cup (65 g) of the icing sugar until the pistachios are finely ground. Toss this with the ground almonds and the remaining ½ cup (65 g) of icing sugar and set aside.
3. Using electric beaters or in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whip attachment, whip the egg whites with the cream of tartar on high speed until frothy and then slowly pour in the granulated sugar while whipping. Continue to whip until the whites hold a stiff peak when the beaters are lifted.
4.Fold the nut mixture into the whites by hand in two additions (the first addition doesn’t have to be fully combined before adding the next.) Stir in food colouring, adding one drop at a time, if using.
5. Divide the batter between the pans and spread gently to level them. Dust the tops of the pans with icing sugar and sprinkle with a little bit of chopped pistachios. Bake the layers for 30 to 35 minutes, until you see browning just at the outside edges. Cool the layers in their pans on a rack.
4. To assemble, whip the cream until it holds a soft peak then whip in the crème fraiche, icing sugar, lemon juice and vanilla. Slice 2 cups of the strawberries into one bowl and quarter the remaining 1 cup of strawberries into another. Spoon a bit of the jam into each bowl (if using apple jelly, you can melt it in the microwave for about 10 seconds, until liquified) and stir the berries to coat.
5. To assemble the torte, place one meringue layer onto a cake stand or platter. Dollop and spread a third of the cream to cover this and arrange half of the sliced strawberries on top. Sprinkle this with a little chopped pistachio. Top this with the second meringue layer, followed by another third of the cream, the remaining sliced strawberries and more pistachio. Top with the third meringue layer. Dollop the last of the cream on top, but do not spread this to the edges. Spoon the quartered strawberries over the cream, trying to keep them centred but a natural tumbling down is quite pretty. Finish with a final sprinkle of pistachios and a dusting of icing sugar. Chill the torte until ready to serve.
6. The cake is best enjoyed within 6 hours of assembly – the meringue layers will soften and slice just like a traditional cake.
Cook's Notes
Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.
