Pineapple glacé ginger gateau

1.Preheat oven to 140°C.

2.Push brown sugar through a coarse sieve. Whisk egg whites with an electric mixer until soft peaks form, then gradually beat in the brown sugar 1 tablespoon at a time. Continue whisking for 2–3 minutes until thick and satiny.

3.Have ready 3 x 7cm circles pencilled onto 2 pieces of baking paper (2 circles on 1 piece of paper) and use a small dab of the whipped meringue to make the paper stick to baking trays. Spread meringue into the circles as neatly as possible, but without excess fiddling as this will deflate the meringue. Smooth the surface of each with a knife.

4.Bake for 1¼–1½ hours, alternating the trays, until crisp. Turn off the oven and leave meringues in the oven until cool. Cover each tray with a cake rack, invert and peel paper off meringues. Turn meringues right side up again.

5.Meanwhile, prepare the glacé pineapple. Trim ends and cut away skin. Cut pineapple lengthways into quarters, then cut away core. Slice pineapple pieces thinly. In a saucepan over gently heat, slowly dissolve sugar in water, stirring carefully and making sure sugar crystals stay under the liquid. Bring to a gentle boil and boil for 3 minutes. Add pineapple and lemon juice. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Remove lid, increase heat and cook until the syrup is nearly absorbed and frothy on top, and the pineapple is translucent. Turn out onto a plate and cool.

6.Line a cake tin the same size as the meringues with plastic food wrap, letting it overhang at the top. Slice stem ginger. Whip 250ml cream until just holding shape, and fold in ginger. Put 1 meringue round in lined cake tin and spread with half the cream, adding 3–4 slices pineapple. Put a second meringue on top, spread with remaining cream and add another few slices of pineapple. Put the last meringue round on top. Press down gently, cover and freeze for 1–2 hours.

7.Lift meringue stack from tin using plastic wrap, peel off wrap. Transfer gateau to a cake stand. Dust with icing sugar. Lightly whip remaining cream, then spread cream around sides of meringue, studding it with pineapple. Cut into slices with a serrated knife to serve.