Protein cream for custard cake

Cooking method

1. Step 1:

   

   To make this cooked meringue cream, measure out the sugar and water exactly. I use large eggs. Very carefully separate the whites from the yolks, making sure not a drop of yolk gets in.

2. Step 2:

   

   The cream is cooked with boiling syrup. To make it, pour the water into a small saucepan and add the sugar. Set it over the heat and bring to a boil.

3. Step 3:

   

   Meanwhile, pour the egg whites into a mixing bowl and turn the mixer on to high speed.

4. Step 4:

   

   Beat the whites for a few minutes, until they hold a stable, fluffy mass.

5. Step 5:

   

   Cook the syrup to 248°F (120°C). If you don't have a kitchen thermometer, drop a little syrup into cold water — if you can roll it into a soft ball, the syrup is ready. If not, keep cooking. If you'd like a slight tang in the finished cream, add a couple of pinches of citric acid to the syrup; it'll soften the sweetness a bit.

6. Step 6:

   

   Then, without stopping the mixer, pour the boiling syrup into the whites in a thin stream and keep beating the cream for a few more minutes so it cools down a little. This way the whites are cooked by the syrup and fully heat-treated. As you beat, the cream becomes very stable and glossy.

7. Step 7:

   

   The finished cream holds its shape perfectly, and you can make any cake decorations with it. For that you'll need an assortment of piping tips.

8. Step 8:

   

   The cream can be tinted with food coloring and piped into flowers or leaves.

9. Step 9:

   

   You can decorate a cake with little rosettes.

10. Step 10:

    

    This cream is great for decorating cakes with shaped piping. You can also use it to fill puff pastry tubes or shortbread tartlet shells. This amount is enough to decorate a cake weighing about 4.5 pounds (2 kg). If you need more or less cream, just scale the proportions up or down. Use the finished cream right after making it. If it sits, the texture changes and it becomes harder to work with. Happy baking!