Our site uses cookies to give you the best experience.
or continue shopping if you're happy. Accept & closeA showstopping dessert using Nutella, strawberries and easy-to-make meringue.
Medium
8-10 people
15 minutes
1 1/2 to 2 hours
"This beautiful dessert is easy to bake and a true crowd pleaser. Even though it is easy to throw together, it has a long baking time but you can bake the meringue layers up to a day in advance. Once filled it needs to be consumed quickly but suspect you won’t have any trouble with that!"
Baking tip: make sure the bowl of your stand mixer is scrupulously clean and free of grease otherwise the meringue will flop.
For the meringue
Filling and topping
Preheat the oven to 150C. Use a cake tin to trace two 20cm circles on two pieces of baking paper and place on two heavy baking trays.
Put the egg whites, cream of tartar and vanilla paste in the clean bowl of your stand mixer. Use a balloon whisk to mix together until frothy.
Fix the bowl on your stand mixer and start whisking on medium-low speed for one minute.
Increase the speed to maximum and continue whisking until you have soft peaks and the mixture is almost doubled in size.
Start adding the sugar, a tablespoon at a time, while whisking at high speed. Continue to whisk until you have firm peaks about 5-7 minutes. You need to whisk until the meringue is glossy and sugar has dissolved completely.
Transfer the meringue into a piping bag fitted with a large star tip. Using the circles you traced as a guide, pipe two large circles.
Pipe small meringue ‘kisses’ around the perimeter of one of the circles – this will be your top layer.
Reduce the oven temperature to 140C (120 Fan) and bake the meringues for an hour and a half. Watch the meringues are not colouring too much and swap the trays around so that they bake evenly.
Once baked, the meringues should feel dry and firm to the touch – if they are still soft, continue to bake for up to 2 hours.
Turn the oven off and leave the meringues to cool in the oven with the door slightly ajar.
To make the filling, beat the mascarpone and Nutella together using a silicone spoon until smooth.
Place the bottom meringue layer on a cake stand or platter and spread with the filling. Scatter half the chopped strawberries over the filling. Top with the second meringue layer – be gentle with it though as they can easily break.