Schaum Torte handed down from my Mother and Grandmother

By constanceschweiss

Ingredients

• 6 egg whites
• 1 tablespoon water
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 2 ¼ cups sugar - divided
• ½ teaspoon cream of tartar
• 1 tablespoon white vinegar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Details

Preparation time 20mins
Cooking time 90mins

Preparation

Step 1

1 .With an electric mixer on medium-high, beat the egg whites, water and salt till the mixture begins to stiffen and forms a point when beater is pulled out.
2. Continue beating and add, very slowly (over 2-3 minutes), 1 cup sugar, cream of tartar and vinegar.
3. Add the other 1 1/4 cups of sugar, again very slowly, and vanilla.
4. Beat for 10 minutes on medium speed.

To make one full-size Schaum Torte:
Follow the first 4 steps as written. Then, transfer the meringue to a 9-inch buttered springform pan. Bake at 250 degrees for 1 hour, turn off heat, and leave shell in the oven for 1 hour more (instead of 30 minutes).

OR

Drop large spoonfuls of meringue onto the circles on prepared sheet pans and hollow out the centers with a teaspoon or follow directions in step 5 for piping.
For piping, snip off a corner of a large zippered plastic bag or decorating bag. Place a large (I use a Wilton 1M) decorating tip into the corner opening. Spoon about 1/2 of meringue into the bag and twist the top closed. Starting in the center of each circle and moving in a circular pattern fill in each circle with meringue. Continue piping around outside edges, forming walls. I usually go around 2 or 3 more times, depending on how tall I want my Schaum Tortes. Use your finger to smooth out the top where the piping stops.
Place in preheated oven and bake 1 hour, then turn heat off and leave Schaum Tortes in oven for another 30 minutes. Remove and store in an airtight container, or serve with fresh berries or ice cream.