Rainbow Meringue Wreath

A beautiful piped rainbow meringue wreath centerpiece to celebrate Pride. Learn how to make a meringue wreath with this step-by-step recipe.

What Inspired This Rainbow Meringue Wreath?

In my home cities of New York and London, Pride is one of my favorite times of the year. The mood is always celebratory, and there are rainbows everywhere you look!

A few years ago, inspired by Pride decorations in London (rainbow flags on display everywhere you look, from pubs and restaurants to the Royal Opera House!) I developed this rainbow, heart-shaped meringue wreath.

This meringue wreath adds a festive touch to any Pride celebration. Delicate and colorful, it’s made by piping rainbow-tinted French meringue into a decorative heart shape, then baking (and cooling) it in the oven.

I used rainbow colors in honor of Pride, but you can experiment with different colors, shapes, and sprinkles. (Might I recommend color-coordinating with my homemade sprinkle recipe?) Use your wreath as a centerpiece, party decoration, or even give it to a friend as an edible gift. This wreath is pretty to look at, and tasty, too!

Meringue Wreath Ingredients

To make a meringue wreath, you’ll need the following ingredients:

• Egg Whites – You’ll need 90 grams (about three ounces) of egg white, at room temperature. This should be roughly two large eggs, but I strongly recommend weighing the whites—precision is important for meringue, and it’s hard to be precise without a scale.
• Granulated Sugar – You can make the French meringue with granulated sugar, caster sugar, or superfine sugar. Again, measure by weight rather than volume.
• Gel Food Coloring – For tinting the meringue. I used Chefmaster‘s Red Red, Sunset Orange, Lemon Yellow, Leaf Green, Royal Blue, and Violet. You can purchase each color individually, or buy a set containing all of these colors.

Special Tools and Equipment

• Permanent Marker – Use a permanent marker (a Sharpie is every pastry chef’s favorite!) to draw the heart design.

• Kitchen Scale – For weighing the egg whites and sugar. If you don’t already have a kitchen scale, now is the time to buy one! Scales are a must for baking, especially for meringue based recipes like cookies and macarons.
• Disposable Piping Bags – It’s much easier to use disposable piping bags (rather than reusable) for this recipe, because they’ll be covered in sticky meringue and difficult to wash.

• Piping Tips – You’ll need a selection of decorative tips for piping the meringue kisses.
• Parchment – Draw the piping template on parchment. Do not use wax paper, which isn’t oven safe.
• Large Baking Tray – While I love my half sheet rimmed baking tray, I actually recommend using a large rimless tray for this recipe. Meringue won’t spread or run, and the lack of rimmed sides will allow you to pipe your design all the way to the very edges of the tray.
• Mixer – For beating the egg whites and whipping the sugar into meringue, you’ll need either a hand mixer or a stand mixer.

How to Make A Meringue Wreath

To make this meringue wreath, start by tracing a shape onto parchment paper and placing it on a baking tray. I made a heart, but you can also create a circle, oval, or any other shape you’d like.

Whip the egg whites to soft peaks, then gradually add the sugar and mix on medium-high speed until the meringue is thick, glossy, and holds stiff peaks. Divide and tint the meringue with gel food coloring, then transfer each color into piping bags fitted with pretty decorative tips.

Pipe the meringue over the traced shape, ensuring all pieces connect (if your piped meringue shapes aren’t touching, the  baked wreath won’t hold together when you lift it from the parchment.) Decorate with sprinkles, bake at a low temperature until crisp, then turn the oven off and let the wreath cool in the oven to prevent cracks.

Once cool, carefully remove the wreath from the parchment. Use as a centerpiece or decoration.

Meringue Heart Tips and Tricks

Scale accordingly. This recipe yields one large heart-shaped wreath, about 10×12 inches in size. You can double or even triple the meringue recipe depending on the desired size of your finished wreath.

Practice, practice, practice. If you haven’t made meringue before, you’ll probably need to do some troubleshooting. If preparing for an event, I recommend a practice round or two to find the proper bake time and temperature for your oven. (Meringue is finicky, and the exact time and temperature needed will depend on the accuracy of your oven, the size of your wreath, and the humidity levels in your home.) To achieve the perfect meringue, practice a few times before baking your final piece.

Place the parchment marker-side down. You’ll be able to see your design through the parchment. You want to avoid placing it design side-up, or you’ll risk contaminating your meringue with marker.

Other Ways to Enjoy a Meringue Wreath

I made a heart-shaped rainbow wreath in celebration of Pride. However, you can choose any shape, size, and color palette you wish for your wreath. This recipe is quite versatile and can be easily adapted for weddings, birthdays, dinner parties, or just about any other occasion! It makes a lovely (albeit delicate) centerpiece or decoration, or a thoughtful edible gift.

Make-Ahead and Storage Suggestions

Plan ahead! This meringue wreath will take about an hour to bake, and another 1-2 hours to cool. For this reason, I suggest piping and baking the wreath the night before you plan to use it, then allowing it to cool in the oven overnight.

More rainbow recipes you might enjoy:

Rainbow Slice and Bake Heart Cookies
Rainbow Whoopie Pies
Funfetti Shortbread Cookies

And if you do make these, or any of my recipes, don’t forget to tag me @bastecutfold or use the hashtag #bastecutfold on Instagram. I always love to see what you’re making!

Print