Brazo de Mercedes Recipe

Brazo de mercedes is a type of jelly roll dessert made with a pillowy meringue rolled around a rich custard filling. Although initially I was intimidated by what I thought to be a very complicated process, it turned out to be a pretty simple cake to make. I breezed through the custard center easily enough but the meringue outer layer did prove a little tricky. My egg whites fell flat on my first try and I had to read up on how to whip whites properly before my next go. Hep, hep, hooray! After googling tips and tricks, my beaten egg whites stood proud and stiff. Here are a a few guidelines to remember.

• Let egg whites stand at room temperature for about 30 minutes before beating.
• Use a copper, stainless or glass bowl. Avoid aluminum bowls as they can turn egg whites to gray.
• Use very clean and dry bowls and beaters. Fats or any residue can affect the eggs’ volume.
• Do not overbeat! You know they have reached stiff peaks when the whipped whites no longer slide around when the bowl is tilted.
• To prevent the egg yolks from curdling, make sure to cook the custard over low heat.

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Brazo de Mercedes

Prep Time: 40 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour

Total Time: 2 hours, 40 minutes

Yield: 4 to 6 Servings

Ingredients

For the Meringue
• 10 egg whites
• 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 1 cup superfine sugar
• 1/4 cup powdered sugar
For the Custard Filling
• 10 egg yolks, beaten
• 1 (14 ounces) can condensed milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• zest of 1 lemon

Instructions

1. In a double broiler over low heat, combine milk, vanilla extract, egg yolks and lemon zest. Cook, stirring regularly until mixture thickens into a spreadable paste. Transfer custard into a bowl and cover with wax paper until ready to use.
2. In a bowl, combine egg whites, cream of tartar and vanilla. Using an electric mixer, beat at low speed. As the egg whites start to turn opaque and begin to fluff into a thick foam, gradually add the sugar in small amounts and continue to beat while gradually increasing speed of mixer until stiff peaks form. The whipped whites will be smooth and glossy, with no sugar grains.
3. Line a 14 x 16 baking sheet with wax paper and lightly grease surface of paper. Transfer meringue onto prepared baking sheet and using a spatula, spread evenly across into about 1/4-inch thick. Bake in a 350 F oven for about 20 minutes or until meringue is set and top has turned to light brown. Remove from oven and allow to cool. Using a fine mesh sieve, light dust top with powdered sugar. Place another layer of greased wax paper and another baking sheet over meringue. Gently invert meringue onto the new baking sheet and peel the wax paper on top. Spoon custard on top and spread evenly on cooked meringue, leaving about 1/4 without filling. Starting on the filled side, carefully roll meringue into a log. Cover both ends of the brazo de mercedes with wax paper and chill in the refrigerator for about 1 hour. To serve, cut into desired thickness.

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