Meringue Girls

The book

I first discovered the Meringue Girls at the Cake and Bake Show at Earls Court in September 2013. I fell in love with their gorgeous stand and beautifully coloured meringue kisses and immediately bought a box of each of their flavours. Ranging from traditional Chocolate and Vanilla, to the more unusual Gin and Tonic and Strawberry and Black Pepper flavours, the Meringue Girls experience is both pretty and yummy.

Fast forward to Christmas and my Mum bought me their first book which is full of stunning photos and unique recipes and flavour combinations. From the simple but effective meringue kisses and lemon meringue pie to more complicated desserts and centre pieces, there are so many recipes that I can't wait to try. The book is split into seasonal dishes so it ranges from refreshing pomegranate and mint meringue traybake to a cosy grilled peaches and Amaretto meringue dessert.

Display at the Cake and Bake Show

First attempt at meringue kisses!

I thought I would start simple with the meringue kisses and chose cinnamon as my flavour. The mixture was easy to make up and made a lovely smooth meringue. Although I love baking, piping is not my bag (excuse the pun!), so I did find it tricky to get the hang of piping my desired shapes, but I got there in the end. I did also find it extremely messy while I got into the flow of filling the bag and piping, but this gets much easier with experience and the second time I made them, there was hardly any mess at all!

There are some great tips in the book, which if you follow them, all will go well. Just make sure that your oven temperature is low enough and that you have plenty of time, as they do take a while to construct and then bake. You can't rush the process at all!

I have so many baking books and often use them for inspiration for my own bakes, so my last meringue make used several ideas from the Meringue Girls book. I made a cheesy Valentine's Day dessert, piping heart shapes with my rose infused meringue mixture and  painted red food colouring stripes in the piping bag for the colour effect. To complete the dessert I flavoured some whipped cream with icing sugar and garnished with fresh strawberries and mint sugar. Sadly they only lasted for a few moments in my house before they were all devoured. I love making themed bakes and can't wait to try the Easter egg meringues from the book.

My rose infused meringue hearts

The dessert presentation

While the book is brilliant, I have found that there are a couple of instructions missing from the recipes occasionally. They are often quite obvious, but it would be good to have them written there for reassurance and would be helpful for novice bakers. I would also recommend watching the video below if you are making the kisses, as it explains the food colouring process a lot better than the book.



Overall I love this book, it is colourful and brightens up my kitchen and even if I don't have the time to bake, reading through this book for just a few minutes is a relaxing experience.
I also love the fact that there is a section on ideas to use up the remaining egg yolks. I hate throwing food away, so I have started to make my own lemon curd which is delicious. I either use it for flavouring cupcakes, as a filing for a lemon drizzle cake or enjoy it on toast or scones.

Find out more information on the Meringue Girls here and be sure to try some of their delicious meringue kisses which are available from Selfridges.

Cake and Bake Show display