Rosewater, Raspberry and White Chocolate Vacherin:

Ingredients:

For the Meringue Layers:

5 eggs

1 tbsp rosewater

280g icing sugar

For the Filling:

500ml whipping cream

250g raspberries (could also use strawberries)

2 tbsp raspberry jam

rosewater to taste (about a 1 tbsp)

150g white chocolate

For the Pretty:

The petals of 2 food grade roses (some snipped fine, but the smaller petals left whole).

100g raspberries

Directions:

Meringue:

Preheat oven to about 130 Celsius

Beat the eggs white until stiff

Beat in half of the sugar 1tsp at a time

Beat in the rosewater 1tsp at a time

Fold in the remaining sugar

Line two baking sheets with baking paper.

Pipe the meringue mixture into the shape of 4 discs of about 17cm diameter onto a lined baking sheet (two per baking sheet). To make this easier you can trace the circles of this diameter onto the baking paper first and use this as your guide when you pipe.

Place both baking sheets into the oven for about and hour and fifteen minutes (until the centre of the disc is firm to the touch and the discs move easily off the paper). Rotate the position of the sheets half way through.

While the discs are cooling on a wire rack, melt the chocolate over a double boiler.

Once the chocolate has melted use the end of a spoon to dribble it over the tops of the discs (and to stick any broken bits back together).

The Pretty Part One:

Choose one of the meringue discs to be the top of your vacherin and scatter some of rose petals and some of the raspberries over the top of the white chocolate while it is still melted. (Remember to keep some petals and raspberries for the sides). Use the end of teaspoon to dribble a fine stream of white chocolate over the top of the scattered rose petals and raspberries and leave to set.

Raspberry, Rosewater Cream:

Whip the cream with the jam until slightly thickened.

Beat in rosewater 1 tsp at a time until it tastes rosy and lovely (I used about a tb sp)

Bash up the raspberries a bit (to release some of their colour) and fold them into the cream.

Constructing the Tower:

Choose a disc to be your base and place this onto your serving dish (you won’t want to move the meringue cake once it’s constructed). Spread a third of the cream on top, followed by a disc and then some more cream etc. (until you top the tower with your already decorated top meringue disc).

I only used 4 discs but they are so light you could easily go higher.

Pretty Part Two: Final Touches:

Place the remaining raspberries and petals around the sides of the vacherin (using the cream to hold them in place).

Now apologise to the world for creating something so monstrously pretty, tie your hair back with a pink ribbon and get stuck in.

Serve the cake within an hour of constructing it.

*Courtesy of:  https://thephilosophyofdelight.wordpress.com/2013/04/29/rosewater-raspberry-and-white-chocolate-vacherin-meringue-cake/