Recipe for grandfather’s beard
Grandpa’s beard is a true classic that we all know in one version or another.
In our family, Grandpa’s beard is always with applesauce, but maybe in your family, it’s with something entirely different?
So grab your pots and pans and give us your take on Grandpa’s beard.
Ingredients
- 1 kg Apples For the applesauce
- 50 gram Sugar For the applesauce, if the apples are sour
- 100 gram Water for the applesauce
- Lemon for the applesauce
- 150 gram Butter soft butter for the dough
- 125 gram Sugar for the base
- 4 Egg Yolk for the base
- 250 gram Wheat Flour for the base
- 10 gram Baking Soda for the base (2 tsp)
- 200 gram Milk for the base
- 4 egg white for the meringue
- 24 gram Powdered Sugar for the meringue
- 200 gram Sugar for the meringue
Instructions
The Applesauce:
- Peel the apples and remove the cores. Cut the apples into smaller pieces.
- Place the apple pieces in a pot and add the water.
- Boil the apples until tender, which takes about 20 minutes over medium heat.
- Mash the apples with a wooden spoon into a delightful applesauce - it's okay if there are small pieces of apple in the sauce.
- Season the sauce with sugar and maybe a bit of lemon if it has become too sweet.
The Cake Base:
- Put butter and sugar in a bowl and whisk together into a light and fluffy mixture with a hand mixer. It takes a couple of minutes.
- Now, add the egg yolks one at a time and continue whisking until the dough is smooth.
- Sift flour and baking powder together in a bowl and fold it into the dough. Alternate between flour and milk to make the dough easier to work with.
- Spread the dough in a small baking pan lined with parchment paper (25 x 30 cm).
- Bake the cake at 175 degrees Celsius (347 degrees Fahrenheit) without fan-forced heat for 15 minutes.
- After the first 10 minutes, you should start preparing the meringue.
The Meringue:
- Place egg whites and powdered sugar in a mixing bowl and whisk until the mixture is light and foamy.
- Then, slowly add the granulated sugar, a little at a time.
- Whisk at high speed until the meringue forms peaks. This takes about 5-7 minutes.
Assembling the Cake:
- Take the prebaked cake base out of the oven after 15 minutes and gently spread the applesauce on top.
- Put the meringue into a piping bag with the desired nozzle (this time we used a flat nozzle with waves on one side).
- Pipe the meringue into a stylish pattern on top of the cake - use the picture here as inspiration.
- Create a long strip of meringue along the short side of the cake followed by small meringue bands that go in the opposite direction. Continue this way until the cake is covered with meringue.
- Now, put the cake back in the oven and bake it for 20 minutes at 175 degrees Celsius (347 degrees Fahrenheit) without fan-forced heat.
- Take the cake out and let it cool before eating - if you can wait, that is!
Notes
Optionally, fill your Grandfather's Beard cake with cooked raspberries, rhubarb, or something else entirely. Only your imagination limits this family classic.