Meringue Cherry Cake

To prepare the meringue cherry cake, first make the compote. Wash and pit the cherries 1, place them in a pot and add the sugar 2, the seeds from the vanilla bean 3,

the whole bean, and the grated zest of one lemon 4. Then squeeze the lemon 5, strain the juice, and pour it into the pot 6.

Mix the mixture with a spatula 7, and let it cook over medium heat until it boils. Then take a bit of the cherry liquid from the pot, dissolve 5 g of agar-agar in it, and add it to the mixture to achieve a thicker consistency. At this point, lower the heat and let it cook for at least 40 minutes 8, stirring occasionally, until it reaches a temperature of 226°F using a kitchen thermometer 9.

When it reaches this temperature, the compote will be ready, so remove the vanilla bean and set aside to cool 10. Meanwhile, prepare the shortcrust pastry. Start with the sanding: in a blender, place the sifted flour 11, a pinch of salt, and the butter just taken out of the fridge, coarsely chopped. Blend everything until you get a sandy and floury mixture 12;

Pour the obtained sanding on a work surface and add the sifted powdered sugar 13. Create a fountain shape and pour the grated lemon zest 14 and the egg yolks 15 in the center.

Then start mixing everything first with a fork 16, then when the eggs have absorbed the flour well, you can continue by hand 17. Knead briefly, just enough to compact the dough, to prevent the pastry from heating too much with the warmth of your hands and remaining crumbly. Form a dough ball and flatten it before wrapping it in plastic wrap 18;

place it in the refrigerator to firm up for at least 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, roll out the shortcrust pastry with a rolling pin to a thickness of about 1/2 inch 19, then place the dough in a 9-inch diameter mold 20, remove the edges protruding from the mold 21,

then prick the dough with a fork, cover the mold with a piece of parchment paper 22 and pour ceramic baking beads, then proceed with blind baking 23. Bake for 30 minutes at 356°F in a preheated static oven (if using a fan oven, bake for 20 minutes at 320°F), then remove the beads and bake for another 10 minutes removing also the parchment paper to brown the base 34.

Now focus on preparing the meringue. Pour the water into a small saucepan, add the sugar and cook over low heat 25, stirring to dissolve it. Insert the food thermometer 26 and continue cooking until it reaches 250°F. When the syrup temperature reaches 237°F, place the egg whites in a stand mixer with a whisk attachment 27,

and whip them at medium speed 28. When the syrup reaches 250°F, lower the speed of the mixer (to avoid syrup splattering on the walls of the bowl), pour half of the syrup into the egg whites 29 and then increase the speed again. Wait a few seconds, then continue pouring the syrup in a thin stream and whip until the meringue cools completely. The obtained meringue should be very dense, smooth, and shiny 30,

so once ready, transfer it to a piping bag with a star nozzle 31. Take the baked shortcrust, pour the now lukewarm cherry compote over it 32 and level it well 33.

Decorate with the prepared meringue 34 until covering the entire surface of the cake 35 and bake for 3-4 minutes at 464°F, just enough to brown the meringue. Your meringue cherry cake is ready to be enjoyed 36!