Groovy Meringue Mushrooms for Your Yule Log Cake! 🍔
Delicately Crafted Fungus-Shaped Meringue Cookies
Oh, these cocoa-dusted meringue mushrooms will totally fool you, looking just like the real deal thanks to a smidge of cocoa powder dusting. Check out cookbook author Alice Medrich in action as she whips up these traditional garnishes for a Buche de Noel (Christmas yule log cake) in this rad CHOW video🎥!
🛠️ Equipment: You'll want a 12-18 inch pastry bag with a ½-inch round piping tip for crafting those meringue mushroom stems and caps.
🏆 Yield: Roughly 40 mushrooms sporting 1.25-inch caps🛌️ Difficulty: Landing squarely in Medium territory🎯🕒 Time: 2 hrs 45 minutes in total
Ingredients (5):
- 3 large egg whites, room temp
- ⅛ tsp cream of tartar
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 2 tsp unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 oz bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
Instructions (9 steps):
- Preheat the oven to 200°F, splitting the racks for oven division. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment.
- Beat egg whites and cream of tartar in a stand mixer's clean, dry bowl with the whisk attachment until soft peaks emerge.
- Opt for high speed, gradually incorporating sugar (1/2 tablespoon at a time) until stiff peaks coalesce.
- Fold the remaining 1/4 cup of sugar into the meringue using a rubber spatula, then transfer to a piping bag with a ½-inch piping tip.
- Form cushy mushrooms: Half of the meringue goes into pointed "kisses" (1-inch high) to make the stem ecstatically on one baking sheet, and the remainder in mushroom caps (matching quantities) on the second sheet.
- Sprinkle unsweetened cocoa powder in a fine-mesh strainer and lightly blow over the stems and caps for a realistic vibe.
- Bake until meringues are completely crisp, about 2 hours, swapping the sheets halfway; remove from oven and allow to cool completely. If you won't be assembling mushrooms instantly, stash stems and caps in an airtight container to prevent moistness.
- Melt chocolate in a small bowl resting directly in a wide skillet of barely simmering water.
- Trim 1/4- 1/2 inch from the tip of each stem to flatten the base. Coat the flat base of several mushroom caps with melted chocolate, allowing it to partially set (2 minutes), then affix the trimmed stem and repeat with remaining stems and caps. Both garnishes should be cooled before handling.
Pro Tips:✨🌇 Coffee Meringue Mushrooms: Stir 1 1/2 tsp instant coffee or espresso powder into the portion of sugar integrated with the egg whites.
🌰 Chestnut Meringue Mushrooms: Mix 3 tablespoons chestnut flour with the 1/4 cup of sugar folded in at the end.
- These Groovy Meringue Mushrooms, perfect for a Yule Log Cake, are categorized under pastry recipes due to their use in a Buche de Noel.
- Nutrition-wise, these meringue mushrooms primarily consist of egg whites, sugar, and a small amount of cocoa powder and chocolate.
- For assembling these mushrooms, you'll need equipment such as a pastry bag with a ½-inch round piping tip.
- These meringue mushrooms come with cool tips and techniques, like using coffee or chestnut flour to add unique flavors, making the recipe more than just a traditional garnish.
