MERINGUE CAKE

Steps:

• Oven: 350°F/180°C.
• (The extra tablespoon butter is because the original recipe is metric and asks for 125g butter, which is slightly more than 4oz).
• Use a rectangular cookie tin, about 12 x 9 inches or slightly smaller.
• Grease it well and line with baking or wax paper, and make sure there is a good overhang to provide you with a grip to lift out the cake later.
• Cream butter and 3 1/2 oz (125 ml) of the superfine sugar very well until pale and thick. Add the egg yolks and whisk in very well.
• Sift the flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt into a bowl. Add the vanilla to the milk.
• Add the soft butter and milk in turns to the dry mixture, and whisk in well.
• Spread this mixture evenly into the prepared pan: it will be a thin layer.
• Whip the 2 egg whites until stiff, then add to it the remaining 4 1/2 oz of superfine sugar, and whisk in until you have a glossy meringue.
• Crush the nuts: a mixture of walnuts or pecans, plus almonds taste very good.
• Spread the meringue over the cake layer. Sprinkle over the nuts.
• Bake 20 minutes or a little longer (my sister said the original recipe says 20 minutes but she felt it was a bit short).
• Cool cake completely in the pan. Then slide out carefully with the help of the paper overhang and perhaps a spatula if needed, to a cake rack.
• (Even if cake cracks it does not matter: it won't be seen!).
• Halve the rectangular cake.
• Whip the cream until very firm. Put all of it on one half of cake and then put other cake half on top of the cream layer. This cake needs no topping, but you could sieve over some cocoa.