Jubilee baking - My crowning glory

I made biscuits yesterday which required egg yolks, so I was left with 5 egg whites and decided  I would make meringues with them.

Now on the theme of jubilee baking I decided red/white/blue had to be in keeping with the jubilee theme, so having got my thinking cap on I did some internet searching and found this picture and decide to try and recreate it as best I could. How much more regal could I make?



I made the meringue then use the Wiltons gel to colour one third red and one third blue and cooked the three pieces in three six inch baking tins lined with greaseproof paper. I prefer meringue made in baking tins rather than individually piped as they stay nice and gooey in the middle.

I layered them up with cream piped in between. I used Lactofree cream as I cant eat normal cream, and it whips up just the same, and also used blueberries, pears and strawberries as a red, white and blue fruit in the layers as well.

So I give you my crowning glory

from the top

the unpiped side so you can see the layers. 

the piped side with fruit

Deliberately only piped and added fruit to some of the edge to enable me to get a better photograph. 

Remember if you have an egg allergy you can also make this egg free, would look fabulous either way on a party table.

Ingredients

 for meringues

4 egg whites

220g caster sugar

Wiltons red gel colouring

Wiltons blue gel colouring

 Filling

strawberries

blueberries

tinned pears

1/2 pt whipping  cream

2 tablespoons sugar

whisk egg whites until stiff, add half of caster sugar and whisk again till stiff, then fold in remaining sugar.

Split into 3 portions, adding blue colouring to one portion and red to another, leaving third white. 

Place each portion into a lined 6 inch sponge tin.

cook for 1hr at 120 oC , then switch oven off and leave for 2 hrs for a gooey result or overnight for crisper

When  ready to serve decorate whip cream and sugar together to stiff peaks, lay red meringue on a serving plate adding cream and blueberries, then place white one on top. add more cream and top with sliced pears and then place the blue layer on top. pipe cream round to look like a crown and decorate each cream curl with a sliver of strawberry, place a whole strawberry on the top and serve.