Amarena – cake with meringue

Ingredients for 1 servings:

• 125 g butter, soft
• 100 g sugar
• 1 packet of vanilla sugar
• 4 egg yolks
• 100 g flour
• 50 g cornstarch
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 4 tbsp milk
• 4 egg whites
• 150 g powdered sugar
• 1 pinch of salt
• 500 g quark, low-fat
• 200 g mascarpone
• 1 packet of vanilla sugar
• ½ lemon(s), untreated, zest and juice
• 4 sheets of gelatin
• 150 g cherry(s) (Amarena cherries), drained weight
• 5 tbsp syrup (amarena syrup)
• 250 ml whipped cream, well chilled

Instructions

Working time approx. 1 hour 15 minutes; Total time approx. 1 hour 15 minutes

For the batter, cream together the butter, sugar, and vanilla sugar until light and fluffy. Add the egg yolks one at a time and beat until creamy. Mix the flour, cornstarch, and baking powder, sift them over the cake, and briefly mix in with the milk. Pour the batter into a 26cm diameter springform pan lined with baking paper and level the surface. Meringue: Beat the egg whites and a pinch of salt until stiff. Continue stirring, then add the icing sugar until stiff, smooth, and glossy. Spread the meringue in waves over the batter and bake in a preheated oven at 175°C (top/bottom heat) for about 25 to 30 minutes until golden brown. Allow the base to cool. In the meantime, prepare the filling. Pour the amaretto cherries into a sieve, let them drain, and collect the syrup. Chop the amaretto cherries. Soak the gelatine in cold water for 10 minutes. Whisk together the quark, mascarpone, vanilla sugar, lemon zest and juice, finely chopped amaretto cherries, and amaretto syrup. Squeeze out the gelatin and heat it in a small saucepan over low heat (do not boil!) until dissolved. Add about 2 tablespoons of the quark cream to the dissolved gelatin, mix well, and then add the gelatin-quark mixture to the remaining quark cream while stirring. Whip the whipped cream until stiff peaks form and fold in. Cut the cooled cake base in half horizontally. Place the bottom half on a cake plate and enclose it with a cake ring (or springform pan). Spread the amaretto cream on top, smooth it out, and cover with the meringue base. Refrigerate the cake for at least 4 hours before serving – preferably overnight – then remove the cake ring. Golden drops usually form on the meringue overnight. Tip: Amaretto cherries are easy to make yourself. You can find a great recipe for this in the database at: http://www.chefkoch.de/rezepte/494081144002367/Amarenakirschen.html