Meringue is one type of dessert that appeared originally in France although it is believed that Gasparini, an Italian chef, invented meringue sometime between the 17th and early 18th centuries in the town of Meiringen in Switzerland.

Meringue is a very sweet and light dessert, which is also considered a candy. It is generally made from sugar and whipped egg whites. The typical measurement is half a cup of caster sugar and 2 beaten egg whites. Meringue recipes sometimes call for small amounts of flavor extracts, for example, half a teaspoon of almond and/or vanilla extracts. Basically, the sugar is dissolved into the beaten egg whites to make meringue. This mixture will harden when baked but easily melts in the mouth.

In the Italian version of making meringue, you will whip warm sugar syrup into gently beaten egg whites until this mixture is stiff. This version makes meringue that can be used without the need for cooking as the air will not let out for quite a while so you can use it on pies and other desserts.

Meringue is in fact often used as a substitute to the top crust of creamy pies. The most popular example of this is the lemon meringue pie. Some other examples are orange meringue pie, melon meringue pie, caramel and chilled grapefruit meringue pie, chocolate meringue pie, and apple meringue pie.

Meringue that is used as a pie topping has a softer texture than the baked ones intended to be eaten individually. The secret to a meringue pie topping is using a lesser amount of sugar in the meringue mix because sugar is what makes meringue crispy. To achieve a soft texture with lightly browned tops, cook the meringue at a higher temperature at less the time.

The key to making perfect meringue is in the correct whipping of the egg whites. You will know that you have done it right if the egg white foam form peaks or stays upright when it drips off a fork. Once you have achieved this, you can start stirring in the sugar.
Add the sugar gradually so that it dissolves into the egg white mixture. Although you can use table sugar, the best sugar to use is confectioner’s sugar because it is very fine and will dissolve much easier.

When storing baked meringues, it is important to keep moisture away because they will turn your dessert treats into gummy sugar pastes. A good idea is to place baked meringues in zip-locked bags but, keep in mind, not to refrigerate them.

The allure of the cupcake has gone beyond children’s party fare. All the world, it seems, has a passion for cupcakes these days. Cupcake bakeries are opening across the country. Cookbooks devoted to the art of the cupcake are turning up in bookstores.

When a cupcake crosses with a brownie, a satisfying, deep chocolate flavor is presented in the form of a little cake. Brownie cupcakes make a deliciously dense cake, especially tasty with a sweet addition of natural raisins. The recipe comes together quickly in a single pot on the stove top, a great option for quick cleanups.

Top the cupcakes with a sprinkling of powdered sugar or a drizzle of glaze, excellent for lunchboxes. For the full cupcake effect, traditional butter cream frosting dresses up the brownie cupcakes for a party.

Ingredients:
3 oz. (3 squares) unsweetened chocolate
1/2 cup butter or margarine
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 cup Sun-Maid Natural Raisins
Dash of salt
2 to 3 tablespoons milk

For buttercream frosting
1 stick (8-oz.) butter, softened
1 box (16-oz.) powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:
Heat oven to 350°F. Grease or line 12 (23/4-inch) muffin cups with paper baking cups.

In large saucepan, over very low heat, combine chocolate and butter; heat just until melted, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat. Stir in sugar; blend well.

Blend in eggs and vanilla. Stir in flour, walnuts and raisins. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups, filling almost full.

Bake at 350°F. for 30 minutes. Cool on wire rack. Sprinkle with powdered sugar or frost as desired. Makes 12 cupcakes.

Making the frosting
In small mixing bowl, combine first four ingredients and 2 tablespoons of milk. With electric mixer, combine on low until blended. Continue to beat on high until fluffy, adding additional milk as needed for spreading consistency.

You really don’t need a special occasion to decorate a cake, but some events that can be made unforgettable and extra special with a decorated treat are holidays, birthdays, graduations, religious occasions, showers, weddings, and other personal special events.

Here are some cake decorating ideas that will help you make any occasion special:

New Year’s Champagne Toast

Bake one 9-in. round and one 9×12-in. rectangle cake.

Cut the round in half. Use one half for the top of the champagne glass.

Cut a 2 or 3-inch long strip for the stem of the glass and a 2 x 4-inch section for the base of the glass. Piece them together to form the champagne glass. To be sure all the pieces stay together, lightly frost each piece separately before you piece them together.

Place the pieces on a cake board. Ice the top part (straight edge) of the half-round cake and the stem and base sections in white icing. Ice the bottom part (rounded edge) of the half-round cake in light yellow or light pink icing to resemble champagne.

Easter Egg Hunt (So easy kids can do it!)

Bake 6 large muffins. Cool and frost them with green icing. Generously sprinkle green shredded coconut* on top of the frosting to resemble grass. Place colored jelly beans within the coconut so they are half-hidden. Place small bunny toppers on the top of the muffins so they look as if they are finding the jelly beans.

*To tint shredded coconut, place coconut in a plastic bag. Add a few drops of food color. Knead color into coconut. Dry on waxed paper.

Spooky Halloween Brownies (Let the kids help!)

Bake your favorite brownies. When cooled, cut into 3-inch circles, using a cookie cutter or a pattern and sharp knife. Place a Halloween stencil (available in most stores) in the center of each brownie. Sprinkle the stencil with confectioner’s (powdered) sugar. Remove the stencil. Edge the top and the bottom of brownie with tip 14 white icing stars.

Shiny Christmas Ornament

Bake a one or two-layer round cake. Ice the cake smooth with white icing. Pipe tip 5 white icing lines across the top at 1-inch intervals. Vary the shapes of the lines, making one straight, one zigzag, one curvy, etc. to resemble decorations on an ornament. Randomly pipe tip 5 icing balls and tip 16 stars between the lines also to resemble decorations.

ADULT BIRTHDAY / SPECIAL OCCASION

Let Me Call You Sweetheart

Bake a heart-shaped cake and a heart-shaped mini-cake. Ice the larger cake smooth with pink icing. Place the mini-cake in the center of the larger cake. Cover the mini cake in tip 16 red icing stars. Add a tip 14 red icing shell border at the bottom of the mini cake and a tip 16 red icing shell border at the top and the bottom of the large cake. Write your message in pink with tip 3 on the mini-cake.

KIDS BIRTHDAY

Rainbow Train

Bake four mini-loaf cakes. (about 3-1/2 x 4-1/2 inches each.)

Ice each one smooth – one with red icing, one with blue icing, one with green icing, and one with yellow icing. Use the cake iced in red as the engine: Make a smokestack for the engine with 2 large marshmallows. Frost them together with green icing. Attach the marshmallows to the top of engine with a toothpick. Using green icing, attach a piece of white curly ribbon or candy on the top of the smokestack for smoke and attach two white or yellow gum drops to the front of the engine for headlights. With a spatula, place a small mound of yellow icing on top of the yellow car; add small chocolate chips to resemble coal. Place two or three small plastic cars on top of the blue car. Stick small stick candies, such as licorice pieces on top of the green car to resemble metal parts. Decorate the sides of the cars with various small hard candies for decorations. For wheels: With icing the same color as the car, attach 4 large candy discs, such as peppermint swirls, to the bottom of each car. Connect the cars with one-inch licorice whips or pretzel sticks.

Up! Up! And Away

Bake two each: tulip, flower, butterfly and dragonfly cookies (eight total) and a 9×12-in. rectangle cake. Ice the cookies smooth in various pastel colors with thinned royal icing.** Decorate the iced butterfly cookie with tip 3 colored icing dots.

Ice the bottom half of the 9×12-in. cake smooth with green icing and the top half smooth with light blue icing to resemble grass and the sky. Place two small mounds of white icing on the blue half for clouds. Pat down “the clouds” with your fingers dipped in cornstarch. Place the tulip and flower cookies in the “grass” and pipe tip 3 green stems and leaves, if necessary. Place the one butterfly cookie near the flower cookie and the other butterfly cookie and the dragonfly cookies in the “sky.” Write your message on the cake with tip 3 white icing.

Cake flour gives the cookie a little more body than the regular unbleached flour. You may use any of your favorite brands. If you are making smaller cookies don’t forget that the baking time goes down. Baking is similar to a gigantic chemistry experiment. The best way to get the experiment right is to keep experimenting. Once you have found the best combinations of ingredients and procedures, stick with it. You can experiment with most cookie recipes to adjust to your own taste. Remember the more brown sugar you use the more chewy type cookie you create.

Ingredients:
4 cups (1 ounce) squares unsweetened chocolate
1 cup butter
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups yellow cake mix
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups white sugar
1 cup brown sugar
4 eggs
2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/4cup sour cream
3 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Melt butter and unsweetened chocolate together. Sift cake mix, flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt together.

In a large bowl, beat sugar, eggs, and vanilla. Stir the chocolate mixture into the eggs. Stir in the sifted ingredients with sour cream. Mix in chocolate chips.

Drop rounded tablespoonfuls cookie sheets.

Bake for until edges are starting to turn dark brown.