Making Marjolaine Step 5: The Layers

Since opinion is divided on which version of marjolaine is superior, the one made with sponge cake or the one made with meringue, I decided to demonstrate both:

For Sponge Cake Layers

You’ll need:

6 egg whites
3 ounces (1 cup) toasted, sliced almonds
4.5 ounces (1 cup) toasted hazlenuts
7 ounces (1 cup) sugar
1.25 ounces (1/4 cup) flour

Begin by preheating your oven to 450. Then grease a sheet pan lined with parchment paper (trim it if you must in order to ensure it lays flat). Combine the nuts, sugar and flour in the bowl of your food processor and process until finely ground.

Now put six room-temperature egg whites into the bowl of your mixer fitted with the whip.

Whip on medium-high to about the soft peak stage and add 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar to help stabilize the foam.

Whip until stiff (but not dry).

Now start folding in your nut mixture in three or four additions.

You’ll have something that looks about like this when you’re done. Don’t worry about incorporating every last tiny pocket of nuts into the batter, since you’ll do the last bit of mixing as you spread the batter around on the pan.

Speaking of which, get a little fussy about this step. Spread the batter around as evenly as you can. Pay particular attention to the corners, since they usually get short-changed. If you’ve ever watched a contractor smoothing concrete, that’s about the level of scrutiny you should apply here. A toothpick is a handy tool for checking your batter depth at different spots around the pan.

Bake the batter for 7-9 minutes until it turns a golden brown, a bit longer if you’d like your layers a little firmer and drier.

Let the finished layer cool in the pan. Lightly covered, it will keep overnight at room temperature.

For Meringue Layers

Most people in the know believe meringue layers are truer to Fernand Point’s original. They have a different texture of course, but one of the big advantages to them is that they give you a finished pastry with more distinct layers. Begin by preheating your oven to 350, You’ll need:

8 egg whites
3/4 cup of your toasted nut mixture (hazelnuts or almonds or a mixture of both)
5.25 ounces (3/4 cup) sugar, divided
3 tablespoons (about 1 ounce) all-purpose flour

Combine the nuts, flour and HALF the sugar in the bowl of a food processor…

…and process until finely ground.

Now put your egg whites into the bowl of your mixer fitted with the whip.

Whip on medium-high to about the soft peak stage and add 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar to help stabilize the foam.

Whip for a few seconds, then add the rest of the sugar in a steady stream with the machine running.

About 30 seconds later you’ll have a meringue:

Now start folding in your nut mixture in three or four additions.

You’ll have something that looks about like this when you’re done. Again, don’t worry about incorporating every last tiny pocket of nuts into the batter, since you’ll do the last bit of mixing as you spread the batter around on the pan.

Scoop the batter onto your greased sheet pan and spread the batter as evenly as you can.

Bake for 12-15 minutes until the meringue turns a golden brown.

Let the finished layer cool in the pan for at least an hour, until it’s not longer sticky to the touch. Lightly covered, it will keep very well overnight at room temperature.