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It’s June, and Pride celebrations are underway all around the globe! In London, rainbow flags are on display everywhere from pubs and restaurants to the Royal Opera House:
And in New York, where the city is marking the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Uprising, rainbows decorate every corner of the city, and the Pride parade kicks off later this afternoon. Pride is one of my favorite times of the year in NYC. The mood is always celebratory, and there are rainbows everywhere you look!
Making a Meringue Wreath
I’ve been wanting to experiment with meringue wreaths for awhile, ever since I spotted some beautiful examples on Instagram. So, in honor of Pride 2019, I decided to give a rainbow, heart-shaped version a try.
I began by making a batch of Italian meringue. (Actually, I made a triple batch, because I needed lots and lots of meringue for my giant wreath!) Then, I separated my meringue into six smaller bowls. I tinted each with a different gel food color, and transferred each into a disposable piping bag fitted with a decorative tip:
Then, I simply piped my heart design onto a parchment-lined baking sheet and finished with rainbow nonpareil sprinkles before baking:
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.
If you haven’t made meringues before, you’ll probably need to do some troubleshooting (I recommend a practice round or two if prepping for a party or event) to find the proper bake time and temperature. Meringue is finicky, and the time/temp needed will depend on the accuracy of your oven, the size of your wreath, and the humidity on the air. Every oven I’ve ever used has required a slightly different bake time and temperature to achieve the perfect meringue. So, practice a few times before baking your final piece.
More rainbow recipes you might enjoy:
Rainbow Slice and Bake Heart Cookies
Rainbow Whoopie Pies
Funfetti Shortbread Cookies
And if you 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!
How to make a meringue wreath
- Total Time: 2.5 hours (+ drying time overnight)
- Yield: 1 wreath 1x
Description
I made a meringue rainbow heart 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!
Ingredients
60 milliliters water
180 grams caster sugar
90 grams egg whites
1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar (optional)
Gel food coloring
Rainbow nonpareil sprinkles (optional)
Instructions
Preheat oven to 225° F / 110° C.
Sketch or trace a heart, circle, or other shape onto a sheet of parchment using a permanent marker, and place design-side down on a large baking tray. (Note: You’ll be able to see your design through the parchment! You want to avoid placing it design side-up, or you’ll risk getting marker on your meringue.) If using a silipat mat, sketch the design onto parchment and place it underneath the silipat. Set tray aside.
Prepare disposable piping bags with desired tips. If making the rainbow version shown here, you will need six piping bags. Set aside.
Measure egg whites into a large mixing bowl, or the bowl of a stand mixer. Add a pinch of cream of tartar if desired.
Whip egg whites, using a stand mixer or hand mixer, until they reach stiff peaks. Be careful not to overwhip the eggs.
Meanwhile, combine sugar and water in a medium saucepan. Heat the mixture on the stovetop until it reaches soft ball stage (approx. 242° F / 117° C) on a digital thermometer.
Turn off the mixer and pour hot sugar mixture into the egg whites. Continue mixing on medium speed until meringue is cool to the touch.
Divide meringue mixture into individual bowls. If making a rainbow, you will need six small bowls.
Add food coloring to each meringue bowl until desired color is reached. Transfer each colored meringue into a prepared piping bag.
Pipe meringue onto your pre-traced wreath shape. Feel free to be creative here! Just make sure your meringue shapes are all touching each other, or your finished wreath will not stick together. If desired, you can also pipe some individual meringue cookies along the sides of your tray to use for embellishment. Finish with sprinkles.
Place tray in pre-heated oven. Bake for 1.5 hours, then turn the oven off and allow wreath to cool in the oven for at least two hours, or overnight.
When meringue wreath is dry and ready to use, carefully peel it from the parchment (it should pull away very easily) and decorate tabletop or other surface as desired.
Notes
I tripled the meringue recipe, because the heart I made was pretty big (approximately 13×16 inches). Feel free to scale up or down, depending on the desired size of your finished wreath.
Cream of tartar is not essential to the success of this recipe, but it does help to stabilize the meringue. I’d suggest adding a pinch if you happen to have some handy.
If you haven’t made meringues before, you’ll probably need to do some troubleshooting (I recommend a practice round or two if prepping for a party or event) to find the proper bake time and temperature. Meringue is finicky, and the time/temp needed will depend on the accuracy of your oven, the size of your wreath, and the humidity on the air. Every oven I’ve ever used has required a slightly different bake time and temperature to achieve the perfect meringue. So, practice a few times before baking your final piece!
- Prep Time: 1 hour
- Cook Time: 1.5 hours
- Category: Miscellaneous
- Method: Stovetop + Oven
