Chocolate Cake with Meringue Layer (1 Viewer)

[Janey]

Morning Angie, Long time no speak lol, Would like ur talented advice please making my hubby s birthday cake this week, doing a chocolate cake with amaretto buttercream and a caramel sauce in the middle, I wanted to try and put a layer of meringue as well, would that go well with the cake? Would it stay moist in the cake, sorry for all the questions



Jane xx

 

[Angie]

Hi Jane

Lovely to hear from you.

Yes, you can put a layer of meringue in the centre or on top of the cake if you prefer. If you want the meringue to be in the centre of your cake, then line the same size tin you used for your cakes, and then pipe the meringue mixture into the lined cake tin and bake. That way, once baked it should sit perfectly between your layers.

Meringue won't be moist; it will be dried out when baked and should be crunchy and sound hollow when tapped.

Are you going to pool the caramel sauce in the centre of the cake by creating a dam with the buttercream, or will you create a layer of buttercream and then drizzle the caramel sauce over the top of the buttercream?

Moisture from the buttercream and the sauce will start to penetrate the meringue layer if you place it in the centre which will in turn lose its crunchiness, and eventually deflate and go soft and chewy. So you may be better to add a layer of cake crumbs or nuts to create a barrier first. This will slow down the moisture absorption process a little.

Or you could coat the meringue in a thin layer of white chocolate to effectively seal it. The only issue with that is I'm not sure whether that will add extra sweetness to your already indulgent cake.

I'm not sure how many layers you're doing on the cake and if you add the meringue layer then you're on a time constraint because the moisture will start to soften it.

The only two ways around that are to assemble the cake and serve it pretty sharpish with the meringue layer in the middle, or crush up some meringue and sprinkle it on the top of your cake not long before serving, or have a full meringue layer as the top of your cake exposed to the elements hopefully that way it will maintain it's crunch.

Hope that helps.

Best wishes



Angie

 

[Janey]

Hi, thank you so much for getting back to me so quickly, I think I might just stay simple and just have buttercream and caramel sauce in the middle lol, I'm making the chocolate cake recipe u gave me before in a 6 x 3inch but not done this recipe in a while, wanting it to be very moist and fudgy, any other ingredients that will help with this? Thank you xx

 

[Angie]

You’re most welcome honey.

I don’t know how you feel about wholemeal flour, but I’ve started doing some healthier half and half ranges on the site. I did it with the chocolate cake recipe and found that the cake was super moist and was really light and fluffy. I only did it in sandwich tins, so haven’t done it as a full-depth cake, but it even got my hubby having a second slice, and he’s not a lover of chocolate cake.

It's up to you if you want to try it. All I do is split the flour and wholemeal amounts equally and then add the cocoa.

This is the recipe I used:

Thread 'Chocolate Wholemeal Half and Half Cake Tutorial'

Mar 14, 2024

This chocolate cake is probably one of the nicest I've ever made. It's super moist, has an irresistible lightness and fluffiness to it, and has so much fibre-y goodness that it even persuaded my husband to indulge in a second slice!

In keeping with my half-and-half technique, I've again combined wholemeal and white flour in this recipe. This blend not only offers a delightful indulgence but also infuses a touch of wholesome goodness into every bite.



It doesn't take long to make either, and you can even use a pre-made filling, so why not give it a go?

To make this...​

• Angie
• cake chocolate fibre half and half healthier wholemeal
• Replies: 0
• Forum: Healthier Wholemeal Bakes

• 

If you do use the wholemeal, check it about 8-10 mins before normal baking time as it tends to bake a touch quicker.

 

[Angie]

I also added milk to this one too.

 

[Janey]

Can I just add oil or buttermilk but what would the quantities be?
This is the recipe
Cake ingredients:-
Light brown sugar x 200g
Self Raising Flour x 182g
Cocoa Powder x 18g
Eggs Large x 4
Stork Butter x 200g

 

[Angie]

Buttermilk is more acidic than normal milk and usually works better with a raising agent to make the cake fluffier. If you use it on its own, the cake may become slightly denser due to the lack of reaction with a raising agent. ( Sciencey bit reacts with raising agent, creating bubbles and making extra light and fluffy, on its own it doesn’t)

You can add oil to the mixture instead of milk, but then you would have to make allowances for the additional liquid you’re adding and modify the recipe. (I don’t know the ratios because I’ve never done it, milk is my go-to).

Milk is by far the easiest solution, and what I used to give me really good results. I only added a few 1.5 tablespoons just to soften up the mixture, not a lot, but it gave me good results.

If you don’t want to add milk, then stick with the original recipe and just add the stock syrup to keep the cake moist. You can even add amaretto to the syrup to make an amaretto stock syrup if you prefer to do that.

 

[Janey]

So I just add normal semi skimmed milk and keep to my recipe? X

 

[Angie]

I only added the milk to loosen the mixture because with wholemeal it gets a bit stiff, you can add semi-skimmed to the mix if you want to though, it’s entirely up to you.

You’re making me want lots of cake now.

 

[Janey]

Ha ha ha sorry

 

[Angie]

No worries, good luck with it, and let me know how you get on, I’m sure it will be scrumptious. If you need anything else, let me know.

 

[Janey]

Morning, Just want to say thank you again for ur help last week, my cake turned out beautiful and tasted amazing, my hubby loved it

 

[Angie]

You’re most welcome honey, any time. The cake looks gorgeous as always.

So glad you all enjoyed it. Thank you for the update.

 

[A Guy]

I hope you brought enough for everyone...

A Guy

 

[Angie]

Lol! Bill, you'd sniff cake out anywhere.