Wet meringue is an egg-white cream whipped right over a pot of simmering water, coming out dense, springy, and stable. It's perfect for smoothing and decorating cakes, piping swirls onto cupcakes, and filling tartlets. I recommend using only gel food coloring - enjoy!
Wet Meringue
An egg-white cream whipped over simmering water: dense, springy, and stable - for smoothing and decorating cakes, cupcakes, and tartlets.
Ingredients
Method
- Pour the egg whites into a clean, grease-free, heatproof bowl with plenty of extra room - the cream turns out quite voluminous. Whip with a mixer until lightly foamy.
- Add all the sugar and the citric acid and whip with the mixer until smooth, no more than a minute.
- Set the bowl over simmering water so it doesn't touch the water, and whip on high speed for 8-10 minutes. The mixture will triple or quadruple in volume and become firm and springy.
- Remove the meringue from the heat and keep whipping for another couple of minutes to cool it down. The finished cream is springy, holds together, and curls neatly around the whisk. Tint with gel food coloring if desired.
- Transfer the cream to piping bags fitted with tips and decorate as desired. White cream holds its shape longer than tinted cream.
Notes
Wet meringue can be dried in the oven to make meringue decorations.
Tips
- The bowl must be clean, grease-free, and heatproof, with plenty of extra room - the cream turns out quite voluminous.
- The bottom of the bowl shouldn't touch the water - the water boils below while the bowl sits above the steam.
- Only use gel food coloring to tint the cream. White cream holds its shape best, and tinted portions "melt" faster, so pipe those right away.
- Wet meringue dries well in the oven, giving you ready-made meringue decorations.
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