Great British Rhubarb Meringue Cake
A recipe and special Just a Bite interview from Benjamina Ebuehi
Cake friends,
This week in the newsletter, we’re sharing a special Just a Bite interview with Benjamina Ebuehi, a baker and cookbook author who you may know from the mega popular Great British Bake Off Season 4. I’ve wanted to try her distinct takes on classic British sweets for years, and her latest cookbook has only intensified my excitement. I’ll Bring Dessert is a treasure trove of thoughtful but unfussy recipes designed for traveling to the party (or the park, or wherever else you may go), including a recipe for rhubarb meringue cake that she’s shared with us below. And if you want more, check out our conversation on my podcast This is TASTE. –Aliza
P.S. Stay tuned for a very special Candy Land announcement, coming soon!
1. You’re making dessert. What is it? How do you make it?
A big fat pavlova with all the trimmings. It's one of my favourite desserts to both make and eat. It works all year round. There are few things more delightful than bringing a pavlova to the table and seeing everyones eyes light up. I'd fill it with a lightly whipped cream speckled with vanilla and top with a pile of macerated berries or roasted fruit and maybe a handful of chopped nuts. There's a pavlova recipe in my new book that you can customize and fill with whatever your heart desires.
2. Someone is making you a dessert. What do you ask for?
Probably something custard-based, like a deep, brown sugar custard tart with lots of fresh nutmeg grated on top.
3. You’ve transformed into a pastry. What are you and how are you consumed?
I'd definitely be a kouign amann, with an extra caramelised bottom. It's a classic but not necessarily as popular or well known as other pastries. But, once you try one, you’ll wonder where it's been all your life! To be enjoyed straight from the bag, with the sugar and flakes getting all over you.
4. Tell us about a dessert scene in a work of art/cinema/culture/literature that you’ll never forget?
I always remember the cupcake scene in Bridesmaids. Everything has gone completely wrong for Annie and she comes home and makes a single cupcake just for herself. Buttercream, fondant flowers and all. It reminds me how baking can be like that friend you turn to in your highest and lowest moments. Baking is as much for me as it is for the people I bake for.
5. Share with us a baking hack you can’t live without?
Ooh that's a hard one. I'm not too sure what counts as a hack these days but something I always do when making classic American buttercream is to add in about 1-2 tablespoons of boiling water with the mixer still running right at the end. It loosens the frosting to the perfect consistency (especially in winter) and dissolves a bit of the icing sugar to give a smoother mouthfeel.
Follow Benjamina on Instagram.
Misc cake content:
Read: Teresa Finney wrote a thoughtful piece about the importance of zine-making (including a nice Cake Zine shout out!)
Eat: Los Angeles based bakers Kassie Mendieta and Alexys Calhoun are hosting a bake sale raising funds for humanitarian aid in Palestine on June 23rd. They’re looking for vendors, volunteers, and of course, lots of eaters. More information here.
Pre-order: Humble Pie contributor and award-winning author Camilla Wynne has a new book coming out called Nature’s Candy, featuring recipes on candying and baking with fruit.
Make: Our friend and Tough Cookie contributor Chloe-Rose Crabtree, originator of the viral crème brûlée cookie, has a new recipe out on Vittles for her Champurrado Pie with Churro Crust.
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