Many people outside of Wisconsin have never heard of a schaum torte .That is due to it being a specialty from Wisconsin, and Milwaukee in particular. Schaum Torte was created by German immigrants and shared with their descendants.
This delectable dessert is popular for Memorial Day, and Fourth of July celebrations when strawberries are in season. I can remember when I was little and always looking forward to it after our Friday fish fry at a little restaurant called Green Acres.
Today I am making about a hundred of these for our local Fireman's picnic. All of the firefighter's wives donate a cake to which we cut up and serve with ice cream and or fresh strawberries donated by a local grower. Last year I noticed we had an abundance of cake mostly chocolate which did not utilize all the glorious fresh berries we had. I told myself next year I would make schaum tortes and shortcakes (because I need to use all those egg yolks) , perfect for a hot summer day. So on with the show, here we go!!!
Here is what you need...
- 8 egg whites
- Pinch of salt
- ½ teaspoon cream of tartar
- 2 cups sugar (¼ cup for each egg white)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon vinegar
Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
Combine egg whites, the salt and cream of tartar in your mixing bowl. Beat on high until egg whites form medium firm peaks (not stiff).
Carefully fold in vanilla, vinegar and sugar on lower speed of mixer until stiff and glossy .
Drop by spoonfuls, or use a pastry bag to pipe a nest or cup to hold the strawberries and their juices . Bake in preheated oven to brown the top a bit, about 10 minutes, then reduce oven temperature to 250 degrees and bake another 50 minutes. Leave tortes in oven until oven cools; open oven door after 1 hour.
To serve, place strawberries over the top of the cooled meringue, then spread on a thick layer of whipped cream, or how I like to make them is to add ice cream or frozen custard (another Wisconsin thing} to the meringue cup, then top with the strawberries, and maybe just a bit of whipped cream...yummmm. If you have never tried these, it really is a must for your bucket list...lol.
