Enjoy the fluffy layers of homemade Pinocchio Cake - Swedish Meringue Cake with a light egg yolk sponge cake base and meringue topping that is baked together and sandwiches a whipped cream and fresh berry filling for a fresh and fruity dessert.
Table of Contents
The beauty of this Swedish dessert is how you can easily prepare it and how pretty it is to serve up for loved ones. You can definitely prepare the cake portion a day ahead and the assembly of layers and filling are quick and this is definitely a family friendly recipe to make together.
Ingredients and substitutions for Swedish Meringue Cake
- Eggs: The eggs should be room temperature, particularly the whites because they allow for better aeration at room temperature resulting in a fluffier meringue.
- Plain flour: Plain or all purpose works best here for a nice texture to the base, however, you could use bread flour in equal measure here if thatโs all you have on hand.
- Butter: Unsalted softened was used here as this is fresher than salted, however, you could absolutely substitute salted butter here.
- Sugar: As a result of using superfine or caster sugar, the nice fine granules dissolve into our sponge and meringue and add sweetness without adding additional flavors.
- Baking powder: This helps our base rise so it is nice and light.
- Berries: Fresh strawberries and raspberries are best here. The easiest way to clean them before use is in a bowl filled with filtered water and 1 tablespoon of white vinegar. Rinse and dry them off and they will keep for several days covered and refrigerated.
See recipe card for quantities.
How to make Swedish Meringue Cake:
Step 1: Whip: The butter and sugar until pale and fluffy.
Step 2: Add: One egg yolk and whip until combined, repeat with the remaining yolks.
Step 3: Dry ingredients: Stir the flour and baking powder in a separate bowl.
Step 4: Batter: Add ยผ of the flour mixture into the egg yolk mixture and ยผ of the milk and fold until smooth. Repeat with remaining portions until you have a batter.
Step 5: Whip the whites: Whip the egg whites until soft peaks form. Add the sugar in stages, until stiff peaks form and the sugar has dissolved.
Step 6: Spoon and spread: Over your lined baking tray marked out to ยผ inch thickness .
Step 7: Spoon and shape: The meringue evenly on top of your egg yolk mixture and bake until the exterior is lightly golden.
Step 8: Whip the cream: Whip the cream until soft peaks form and smear over the top of one of the cakes set on your serving plate.
Step 9: Spoon: The jam evenly before sprinkling over ยพ of the strawberries and raspberries.
Step 10: Finish: The second cake on top and finish with the remaining fruit.
Step 11: Slice: Serve up and dig in!
FAQโs for the best Swedish Meringue Cake
Most recipes for this dessert donโt recommend drawing an outline, rather simply spreading your mixture onto a baking tray with a slight lip (think, a rectangular pizza tray with a 1 inch / 2 centimeter lip) and simply cutting in half, however, this dessert rises as it bakes and having an outline to work with will mean less work after baking.
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Pinocchio Cake - Swedish Meringue Cake
Ingredients
Base
- 100 grams / 3.5 ounces butter softened
- 50 grams / ยผ cup superfine/caster sugar
- 45 grams / 3 medium egg yolks room temperature
- 78 grams / ยฝ cup - 1 teaspoon plain flour
- 4 grams / 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 30 grams / 2 tablespoons milk
Meringue
- 90 grams / 3 medium egg whites room temperature
- 100 grams / ยฝ cup superfine/caster sugar
Topping
- 265 grams / 1 ยผ cups - 1 tablespoon heavy cream whipped to soft peaks
- 105 grams / โ cup strawberry jam
- 400 grams / 14.1 ounces fresh strawberries hulled and roughly chopped
- 400 grams / 14.1 ounces fresh raspberries
Instructions
Base
- Preheat your oven to 180C/350F and line a baking tray with greaseproof paper with two equal rectangular outlines marked for the dessert (I used an 11 centimeter / 4 inch x 20 centimeter / 8 inch loaf tin to stencil onto my paper (see FAQโs). Set aside.
- Place the butter and sugar into a bowl and beat until pale and fluffy, approximately 3 minutes.
- Add in one egg yolk and whip until combined.
- Repeat with the remaining egg yolks.
- In a small separate bowl, toss the flour and baking powder and stir together.
- Add ยผ of the flour mixture into the egg yolk mixture and ยผ of the milk and fold until smooth.
- Repeat by adding in the flour and milk in portions and folding until your batter has been formed.
- Spoon batter and spread evenly to ยผ inch thickness within the marked areas on your tray and set aside.
Meringue
- Meanwhile, place the egg whites into a clean and dry bowl and whip until soft peaks form, approximately 3 minutes.
- Continue whipping, adding in 1-2 tablespoons of the sugar until dissolved, approximately 30-45 seconds of whipping.
- Repeat with the remaining sugar until fully incorporated and your meringue is stiff and glossy.
- Spoon the meringue evenly on top of your egg yolk mixture.
- Bake in the oven until the exterior is lightly golden, approximately 25 minutes.
- Remove and allow to cool completely.
Topping and Assembly
- Place one of the desserts onto your serving plate and top with whipped cream evenly.
- Spoon over the jam evenly before sprinkling over ยพ of the strawberries and raspberries.
- Lay the remaining dessert on top and finish with the remaining fruit.
- Slice and serve.
- Dig in!
Video
Notes
- Eggs: The eggs should be room temperature, particularly the whites because they allow for better aeration at room temperature resulting in a fluffier meringue.
- Berries: Fresh strawberries and raspberries are best here. The easiest way to clean them before use is in a bowl filled with filtered water and 1 tablespoon of white vinegar. Rinse and dry them off and they will keep for several days covered and refrigerated.
- Outlining your cake shape: Most recipes for this dessert donโt recommend drawing an outline, rather simply spreading your mixture onto a baking tray with a slight lip (think, a rectangular pizza tray with a 1 inch / 2 centimeter lip) and simply cutting in half, however, this dessert rises as it bakes and having an outline to work with will mean less trimming and shaping post baking.
Nutrition
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Made it and loved it?
If you have made this recipe, it would mean so much to leave a review below to help more people find this.
Brooke
This is by far and away my favourite cake recipe! The difference in textures between the cream, meringue and sponge is honestly amazing. I cannot get enough of this cake! With good strawberries it is even better too, the sweetness and texture of the strawberries really complement the cake. Thank you so much for the recipe!
Sylvie Taylor
So great to hear you love this Brooke! Thanks so much for your response.