Montenegro

MONTENEGRO: Šampita

Ooh la la! Italian meringue in a pie. What’s not to love! ❤️

INGREDIENTS:

For the cake

6 large egg yolks
6 tbsp sugar
3/4 tsp vanilla extract
3 tbsp milk
1 tbsp + 1/4 tbsp vegetable oil
5 tbsp flour
3/4 tsp baking powder

For the meringue:

2-1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup + 2 tbsp water
6 egg whites
3/4 tsp vanilla extract
Pinch (small) of salt

Topping:

1 tbsp cocoa
1 tbsp sugar
Directions

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 325F. Grease a 9.5″ springform pan, line the bottom with parchment paper, then grease the paper.

Combine the egg yolks, sugar, and vanilla and beat until pale and fluffy. Combine the milk and oil and add to the yolk mixture in a steady stream. Mix the flour, baking powder, and salt together in a bowl; gently fold into the yolk mixture until just combined. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean, about 25 minutes. Set aside.

To make the meringue, place the sugar in a large saucepan, then gently add the water. DO NOT STIR. Set over high heat and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to medium-high and boil the syrup to soft-ball stage, about 235 degrees. (If you’re at elevation the temperature is a bit lower; at 5000 ft, 224-230 is recommended.) Remove pan from heat and let cool 2 minutes.

While the syrup cooks, beat the egg whites, vanilla and salt until the egg whites hold fluffy, stiff peaks. With the mixer running on medium-high speed, slowly drizzle the hot syrup into the egg whites, avoiding the whisk/beaters. Continue beating after all the syrup is incorporated, until the mixer bowl is barely warm, about 15-20 minutes.

The sponge cake will have “sunk” in the pan and very likely the center is lower than the outer edges. With the cake still in the pan, press the outer edges of the cake down gently with a wooden spoon or spatula to achieve a more even layer. Spread the meringue on top of the cake; it will be quite thick. Ideally the meringue will come just up to the top of the pan. Combine the cocoa and sugar and sift over the top of the meringue. Refrigerate, still in the pan, overnight, preferably up to 24 hours. To serve, carefully run a knife around the edge of the cake, then remove the sides of the pan. It is best not to try to remove the whole cake from the pan bottom; just slice and serve.

Optionally serve with fresh berries; raspberries with a little sugar and a touch of lemon juice can be quite good, or a smooth raspberry sauce.

Instead of cocoa/sugar sifted on top, you can use shaved dark chocolate.

The longer it is refrigerated, the better it gets.