Undomesticated Happiness: Brazo de Mercedes

I've been in Pinoy cooking mode recently. I tried making Pinoy style chicken curry (which I wasn't able to take pictures of) last week and it wasn't bad. I have never been one to be successful in cooking. Again, I got the recipe from Panlasang Pinoy which is just so addicting! I enjoy watching the videos of how each dish is cooked :-)

A treasure trove of Filipino recipes! I watched the video of how to make Brazo de Mercedes - one of my favorite, favorite deserts/cakes of all time - and I was shocked at how simple it was to make! Simple steps, few ingredients that are all readily available in the local market.

Time to try this out!

Brazo de Mercedes Recipe from Panlasang Pinoy

10 large raw eggs, yolks and whites separated
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3 tablespoons confectioners sugar
14 ounces condensed milk (this is 1 3/4 cups)

Separate eggs. I don't have any fancy device to do this. I just use my hands.

Preheat oven to 350F. Add cream of tartar to egg whites and beat till soft peaks form.

This is soft peak.

Add granulated sugar. I ran out of white sugar so I used washed sugar.

Continue beating until stiff peaks form. I had to transfer the egg white mixture to a bigger bowl because the mixture was overflowing.

Place wax paper on a baking sheet. Spread the egg white mixture on top of the wax paper. Your offset spatula will be a great help to flatten the egg white mixture.

Make stripes using a fork.

Bake the meringue in the preheated oven for 20-22 minutes or until the top turns slightly brown.

While the meringue is baking, make the filling. On low to medium heat, combine egg yolks and condensed milk. Stir continuously until the mixture becomes thick in a spreadable consistency. Turn off the heat and add the vanilla extract. Set aside.

Get the meringue from the oven. Sprinkle confectioner's sugar on top. Sorry, no picture of the meringue with sugar.

Place wax paper on top of another baking sheet with the same size. Put the baking sheet on top of the meringue and flip the meringue over. Remove the wax paper. The opposite side of the meringue should now be on top. The opposite side was a little burnt :-(