There’s magic in the winter holidays. This year especially–friends find creative ways to stay in touch. Nostalgia from family banter and seasonal tidings peppers itself into daily life. So it’s a joy to have a friend suggest a Filipino holiday treat that she personally adores, and which I don’t recall ever partaking in!
Because, as great as it is to indulge in the same old puto (Filipino rice cakes), imbibe in holiday beverages, and spam Dominick the Donkey onto unsuspecting folk, trying new things that others love is something I treasure too. You never know when you’ve found a new holiday ritual to add into the fold, especially when most of my personal holiday memories revolve around going to the grandparents’ place in–if I was lucky– a “cool” 70 degree day.
So what is brazo de Mercedes, and why isn’t it a part of my family’s routine given my cousins’ love of all rolled cakes? Originating from the Spanish colonialist time period in Northern Philippines, this meringue roll cake filled with yema (egg yolk, sugar, milk) is as traditional as fruit cake is in the United States around the holiday season.
As I love learning about the history of foodstuff–and recognizing Filipino culture loves yema, and really all things eggy–there had to be a reason why egg yolk-centric sweets were so coveted. And there is! Atlas Obscura (a must read for those who like quirky food facts) covered an article on how Spanish colonists used egg shells and egg whites to build cathedrals in the Philippines, tossing out egg yolks in the process. As a people who strive to waste not, want not it makes so much sense as to how desserts like brazo de Mercedes was borne.
Having never made a Filipino meringue cake before, it would be unkind to plop out a recipe rather than guide you to a seasoned baker. I followed Foxy Folksy’s recipe as I believe this was the best balance in serving size and approach-ability for those unfamiliar with how to handle meringues and roll cakes. So instead I offer photos from my first attempt and some additional tips to make this an even easier endeavor should you choose to try this yourself!
Tips to remind impatient folks like myself:
- Do start slow and steady on the egg whisking process–proteins needs time to elongate to trap air, think of it as snapping a rubber band if you go too fast–your meringue will collapse if you rush into things (ideally stay on low speed until the whites are a frothy foam then crank it up to medium to start forming peaks)
- Don’t get tempted to open the oven to peak at the baking meringue–you’ll risk deflation and/or cracking the meringue
- Do take the time to get a dense custard, yes it will thicken slightly when it cools but don’t take it off the heat until (don’t worry if you didn’t it’ll still taste great but you’ll look like a runny mess like mine!)
- Do be ready to enjoy a sweet treat! Coffee/tea are welcome accompaniments!
Again, I did not create this recipe and the original blog post can be found here! Maybe one day I’ll write one tweaked to my preferences…but knowing how sweet true Filipino sweets are…that might be a disservice to my cultural food roots (not the biggest sweet tooth over here if that sentence leaves room for debate). Recipe used goes as follows:
Ingredients
For the Meringue Cake
- 5 Egg whites
- 1/3 Cup + 1 Tbsp Sugar
- 1/2 Tsp Cream of Tartar
- Powdered sugar
- Vegetable or neutral flavored oil (greasing pan)
- Parchment Paper (two sheets needed for baking and assembly)
For the Custard (Yema) Filling
- 5 Egg yolks
- 7 oz sweetened condensed milk
- 1 Tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
Time: 30-40 min
Serves: ~6 slices
Meringue Cake
- Beat egg whites on low speed until foamy.
- Add the cream of Tartar and beat until soft peaks form (they should fold over itself or are “floppy”).
- Maintaining low speed, gradually add the sugar, evenly disperse in spoonfuls. Once all sugar is in bowl, increase to medium speed and beat for another two minutes.
- Increase to medium-high speed, beat until stiff peaks form. (Peaks stay easily identifiable, “firm, can pass the bowl test–do at your own risk as this is apparently an antiquated method my roommates made fun of me over.)
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Place parchment paper on a medium baking sheet and lightly grease with oil. Again meringues will stick to anything firmly, this makes removing/shaping convenient and easy.
- Using a spatula, transfer meringue to the baking sheet, spread meringue to form a 1″ thick rectangle. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the top turns golden brown. Do not open your oven to check on it. Do not remove right away from oven once baked. Let it sit for a couple of minutes before removing from oven. Doing either could crack the meringue due to differences in temperature and a cracked meringue is much harder to work with.
Custard /Yema Filling & Assembly
- In a small pot, add egg yolks and condensed milk. Stir continuously over medium-low heat until mixture forms a dense, paste-like consistency.
- Once consistency is obtained, mix in vanilla extract and remove from heat.
- Cool to room temperature.
Assembly
- Take meringue from the oven and let it cool for a few more minutes.
- Using a sifter/sieve, dust the top of the meringue with powdered sugar. (This is functional and adds a decorative touch.)
- Place second parchment sheet on top of meringue, and an upside-down baking sheet on top of that parchment paper.
- Flip trays and remove the original baking sheet and parchment paper. This is the side we are spreading the filling into.
- Spread the filling evenly on top of meringue, leave about 1/2″ at one end of the meringue, this will be the “end point” of your roll.
- Starting from the end of meringue covered completely in filling, roll the cake, slowly peeling off the parchment paper as you form the roll.
- Cut and enjoy!
Stay Hungry!
XOXO
Mish
Looking for other Filipino Eats?
- Bibingka (Sweet Rice Cake–Gluten Free!)
- Sinigang (Savory + Sour Tamarind Soup)
- Chicken Adobo (Savory Marinated Chicken)