Merveilleux
It took me a while to understand the way these highly-praised cakes are made – much, much later than when I was introduced to them by my friend Claudia over 10 years ago while visiting Paris. I remember eating them the first time - so light, so airy, and so special. I most probably did not give too much thought to the preparation process as I know I felt intimidated by the way they looked - so perfect in Aux Merveilleux de Fred, a must-visit when in Paris, Lyon, and many other cities in France and all over the world. Yet, a big surprise to me was the fact that my meringue recipe (that I have been baking since 2007) is almost the same as theirs and the rest was easy. Although I still love to go and buy their creations (the shop is way too close to my home), I am happy that I can make some of my own sometimes. And you can too.
120 g egg whites, room temperature
pinch of vanilla powder
pinch of sea salt
120 g white caster sugar
120 g confectioners’ sugar
1 portion créme Chantilly
Heat the oven on convection to 100°. Line two pans with baking paper.
In a bowl, add egg whites and salt and beat on medium-slow speed until soft peaks and small bubbles start to form. This might take 2-3 mins. Continue beating at the same speed, add 1 tbsp caster sugar, and wait 30 seconds. Continue in the same manner until all the sugar has been added. Then raise the speed to medium and continue beating for 8-10 mins until the eggs are stiff and glossy. Add the confectioners’ sugar and fold in gently.
Put meringue in a piping bag - 6-9 mm diameter, whichever you have. Pipe discs measuring the size you wish your cakes to be. You can make one large cake and, in that case, you can pipe discs around 20-22 cm. I like to do individual cakes and I measure my discs around 8 cm.
Place in the oven a bake for 2h. Take them out and let them cool to room temperature.
When cool and you are ready to assemble, make the cream. Spread the cream on the base of one ring, top with another one, and spread the cream all around the cake. Coat with either chocolate or waffles and serve right away or place in the fridge and serve in a few hours, but definitely the same day.