8 Egg whites 8 oz Castor or icing sugar
1/8 ts Salt 5 oz Almonds: ground
1/8 ts Cream of tartar 3 oz Hazelnuts; grated
-BUTTER CREAM-
4 Large egg yolks 5 oz Unsalted Butter
4 oz Castor sugar 2 oz Almond brittle; powdered
12 fl Milk 3 oz Hazelnuts; roasted &
DECORATION
grated
: Icing sugar
: Blanched, toasted almond
: _slivers
Preheat the oven to 140C/275F/gas mark 1. Line a large baking sheet
with Bakewell parchment paper. In a large bowl, whisk the egg whites
and the salt until the whites are stiff. Fold in the cream of tartar
and 1 teaspoon of sugar then whisk in the remaining sugar until the
mixture is satiny and voluminous. Fold in the ground almonds and
grated hazelnuts. spread the meringue mixture in 2 large discs on the
prepared baking sheet. Bake for about 1 hour, or until the meringue
is slightly browned. when the paper can be peeled away without
sticking, the cakes are done. They will be slightly chewy. To make
the butter cream, put the egg yolks in a bowl. Bring the milk to the
boil in a saucepan and pour it on to the eggs, beating thoroughly.
Pour the mixture into a clean pan and, stirring constantly, thicken
the custard over low heat without allowing it to boil. Remove the pan
from the heat and set aside to cool to tepid, beat in the butter and
the nuts and leave to become cold. Sandwich the cakes with the butter
cream. Sprinkle the top with icing sugar and the toasted almond
slivers.
This cake from Dax, the spa town near Bayonne, has conquered France to
become part of the national culinary repertoire.
Yields
6 servings