Fresh Strawberry Meringue Cake

By gina62_cooks

Ingredients

• 1 cup chopped pecans
• Parchment paper
• Masking tape
• 2 TBSP cornstarch
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 2 cups sugar, divided
• 7 egg whites, at room temp
• 1/2 tsp cream of tartar
• 2 (8 oz) containers mascarpone cheese
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 3 cups whipping cream
• 4 1/2 cups sliced fresh strawberries
• Halved fresh strawberries

Details

Preparation time 60mins
Cooking time 260mins

Preparation

Step 1

Heat oven to 350.
Toast pecans 10 to 12 minutes or til fragrant, stirring halfway thru. Remove from oven, and cool completely (about 10 minutes). Reduce oven temp to 250.
Cover 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper. Draw 2 (8-inch) circles on each piece of paper. Turn paper over; secure with masking tape.(Tape won't melt at this temp.)
Process cornstarch, salt, pecans, and 1/2 cup sugar in food processor 40 to 45 seconds or til pecans are finely ground.
Beat egg whites and cream of tartar at high speed til foamy. Gradually add 1 cup sugar, 1 TBSP at a time, beating at medium-high speed til mixture is glossy, stiff peaks form, and sugar dissolves (2 to 4 minutes: do not overbeat). Add half of pecan mixture to egg white mixture, gently folding til blended. repeat procedure with remaining pecan mixture.
Gently spoon egg white mixture onto circles drawn on parchment (about 1 1/2 cups mixture per circle), spreading to cover each circle completely.
Bake at 250 for 1 hr, turning baking sheets every 30 minutes. Turn oven off; let meringues stand in closed oven with light on 2 to 2 1/2 hrs or til surface is dry and meringues can be lifted from paper without sticking to fingers.
Just before assembling cake, stir together mascarpone and vanilla in a large bowl just til blended.
Beat whipping cream at low speed til foamy; increase speed to medium-high, and add remaining 1/2 cup sugar, beating til stiff peaks form. (Do not overbeat or cream will be grainy.) Gently fold whipped cream into mascarpone mixture.
Carefully remove 1 meringue from paper; place on a serving plate. Spread 1/4 mascarpone mixture (about 2 cups) over meringue; top with 1 1/2 cups sliced strawberries. Repeat layers 2 times; top with remaining meringue, mascarpone mixture and halved strawberries. Serve immediately or chill up to 2 hrs. Cut with sharp, thin-bladed knife.