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Vegan Gooseberry Meringue Cake
Welcome to a new episode of „Julia bakes things that almost drive her crazy“. Did you miss the last episodes? Then check out the previously published episodes later, aka our recipes for vegan Baumkuchen, Baked Alaska, homemade croissants, and our DIY gingerbread house. But for now, here's an exciting new story about a vegan gooseberry meringue tart.
We're not beginners when it comes to vegan meringue. Isa has already baked a redcurrant meringue cake, and we also used chickpea water aka aquafaba for our vegan chocolate kisses and those above Baked Alaska chickpea water aka aquafaba, was whipped up. So a gooseberry meringue cake can't be that difficult, I thought. After all, it's not a classic in the sense of Bienenstich or a Black Forest gateau, where there are more precise instructions on how they should be prepared. And no, this cake isn't necessarily difficult, but I underestimated the combination of vegan meringue and the oven a little and was back in the kitchen week after week to get one test cake after the next out of the oven that didn't satisfy me. Here are my findings and tips, layer by layer.
The pastry bases: Most cakes of this type are baked with sponge, but of course, this is not specified anywhere. I have tried both a sponge and a sponge base and found the greasier sponge base to be the best in combination with the other ingredients. However, if you prefer a fluffier batter, you can study our recipe for vegan sponge cake here and swap it for the following meringue cake recipe. A vegan shortcrust pastry could also be an option. In this case, however, I would recommend modifying the recipe so that you lay out the pastry once in the entire springform tin, including the sides, then pre-bake it and spread the cream and meringue layer in it after baking and cooling, i.e., without a second shortcrust pastry layer.
An extra tip for our actual recipe: before you place the second base on top of the cream layer, you can divide it into cake pieces and then put them together like a jigsaw puzzle. This will save you from having to cut the cake when serving, which can cause the cream to squish underneath.
The gooseberry layer: There are no fixed instructions here either, so I tried out a few options during the test cooking. I found a cream layer made from pure vegan whipped cream to be too loose and unstable because the rest of the cake already has a bit of mass. That's why I added vegan quark, which stabilizes the cream but doesn't make it too heavy. I also tested several options for the gooseberries and ultimately opted for the simplest version - simply folding the gooseberries into the cream. However, it is also possible to make a jelly layer with them by thickening the juice of the gooseberries with custard powder or cake glaze. I really liked the look and taste of this, but as we're already working with several layers and vegan meringue here, there's no need to make it unnecessarily elaborate, is there? After all, we don't want a nervous breakdown at the end; we just want to eat a delicious piece of cake.
The meringue layer: And that brings us to the „problem child“ among today's cake layers. Of course, you already know that you can whip the liquid from chickpea cans. And that in itself is anything but complicated. With a little lemon juice, vanilla and powdered sugar, it doesn't taste like chickpeas and is fabulously fluffy. It gets some stability from cream of tartar baking powder, but I also used xanthan gum, a thickening and gelling agent that we have always been very happy with in previous recipes. However, I needed larger quantities of it so that it would still be firm after baking - but then the meringue layer thickened so much that the cake was more like a big sticky vegan marshmallow fluff, which I didn't like when eating. So in the end, I decided not to bake the meringue layer, but to spread it on the cake later. At least our flambéing device provided a bit of „fire“, but that's optional. You can also toast sliced almonds in a grease-free pan beforehand to add a little crunch.
![R915 Vegan Gooseberry Meringue Cake](https://assets.zuckerjagdwurst.com/es0ao1jxqb64o77of225w58abjnr/1110/825/65/true/center/R915-Stachelbeer-Baiser-Torte-hoch2.jpg?animated=false)
![R915 Vegan Gooseberry Meringue Cake](https://assets.zuckerjagdwurst.com/rnwo3ofw84lervirs0hu0uqluood/1110/825/65/true/center/R915-Stachelbeer-Baiser-Torte-hoch1.jpg?animated=false)
![R915 Vegan Gooseberry Meringue Cake](https://assets.zuckerjagdwurst.com/am21xjsv1adwetahouqaycna1jqw/1110/825/65/true/center/R915-Stachelbeer-Baiser-Torte-hoch3.jpg?animated=false)
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Vegan Gooseberry Meringue Cake
Ingredients
For the batter:
- 375 g (3 cups) wheat flour (type 405)
- 175 g (0.75 cup) sugar
- 16 g (1.5 tbsp) baking powder
- 10 g (1 tbsp) cornstarch
- 8 g (1.5 tsp) vanilla sugar
- 1 pinch salt
- 275 ml (1.25 cups) plant-based milk
- 40 g (1.5 oz) apple puree
- 225 ml (1 cup) neutral vegetable oil
For the gooseberry cream layer:
- 680 g (1.5 lb) canned or jarred gooseberries (drained weight 390 g / 14 oz) or fresh gooseberries
- 200 g (7 oz) vegan heavy cream for whipping
- 8 g (1.5 tsp) vanilla sugar
- 8 g (2 tsp) cream stiffener
- 200 g (7 oz) vegan curd
- 1 lemon (zest)
For the meringue layer:
- 100 g (0.5 cup) aquafaba (canned chickpea water)
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp vanilla paste
- 0.5 tsp xanthan gum
- 2 tsp cream of tartar
- 100 g (0.75 cup) powdered sugar
Also:
- 50 g (1.75 oz) slivered almonds
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 180 °C/ 355 °F (convection heat). For the cake batter, mix the flour, sugar, baking powder, cornstarch, vanilla sugar and salt in a large bowl. Then add the plant-based milk, apple sauce and vegetable oil and mix to a smooth batter.
Pour the batter into a greased and floured springform pan (line the base with baking paper if necessary) and bake at 180 °C/ 355 °F (convection heat) for approximately 30–40 minutes until it is cooked through. To check, test with a skewer: Insert a wooden skewer into the cake at an angle and pull it out again. If no dough remains stick to it, the cake is done. Then leave the cake base to cool completely.
In the meantime, carefully drain the gooseberries. Whip the vegan whipped cream with the vanilla sugar and cream stiffener until stiff. Stir the vegan quark in a second bowl until smooth, then fold in the stiffly whipped vegan cream. Finally, fold in the lemon zest and the drained gooseberries. Chill the cream.
For the meringue layer, beat the aquafaba well with a hand mixer or food processor for approximately 5 minutes. Then add the lemon juice, vanilla paste, xanthan gum and cream of tartar baking powder and continue to beat. Finally, sieve in the powdered sugar and continue beating until you have a firm meringue.
Halve the cooled cake and place the base back in the springform pan. Place a cake ring around it. First, spread the gooseberry cream on top, then precut the second base into pieces and place on top - this is optional, but it will make it much easier for you to cut the cake later because you won't crush it. Spread the top of the cake with meringue and sprinkle with sliced almonds. Flambé if desired. Place in the fridge for a few hours before serving.
![R915 Vegan Gooseberry Meringue Cake](https://assets.zuckerjagdwurst.com/azb5vfmbesh2mmxt0gi61yaofjbl/1110/825/65/true/center/R915-Stachelbeer-Baiser-Torte-hoch4.jpg?animated=false)
![R915 Vegan Gooseberry Meringue Cake](https://assets.zuckerjagdwurst.com/4w6uo89erj85gug20dskp22rwc0g/1110/825/65/true/center/R915-Stachelbeer-Baiser-Torte-hoch5.jpg?animated=false)
![R915 Vegan Gooseberry Meringue Cake](https://assets.zuckerjagdwurst.com/ujp5gozchmua8b1evvhdwz7pprkm/1110/825/65/true/center/R915-Stachelbeer-Baiser-Torte-hoch6.jpg?animated=false)
![R915 Vegan Gooseberry Meringue Cake](https://assets.zuckerjagdwurst.com/jfq7dtsoj4fs5rpfji20t8d5kwp1/1110/740/65/true/center/R915-Stachelbeer-Baiser-Torte-21.jpg?animated=false)
![R915 Vegan Gooseberry Meringue Cake](https://assets.zuckerjagdwurst.com/sdimk38ar48lvnpe1dik5bqfm7cg/1110/825/65/true/center/R915-Stachelbeer-Baiser-Torte-hoch7.jpg?animated=false)
![R915 Vegan Gooseberry Meringue Cake](https://assets.zuckerjagdwurst.com/fij3bcyp4fx1odu9mx8lph6nemzf/1110/825/65/true/center/R915-Stachelbeer-Baiser-Torte-hoch8.jpg?animated=false)