Ube Brazo De Mercedes With Coconut Creme Anglaise
Riding on the Ube Craze, this is a fun take on the elegant Filipino dessert Brazo De Mercedes. The purple and pillowy meringue hugging the creamy ube custard filling is just dreamy, more so with the drizzle of coconut creme Anglaise. Make this come Easter, and your family and guests will be impressed.
Equipment
- baking pan 12 x 9 x 2 inch
- parchment paper
- Stand or hand mixer
- double boiler
- Saucepan
- Offset spatula
- Extra sheet pan or cooling rack (for flipping)
- Cake comb or fork for ridge decor
Ingredients
Meringue
- 8 extra-large whites, or 9 egg whites from large eggs about 300g, room temp
- 200 g powdered sugar about 1 3/4 cup
- 5 g cream of tartar or 1 tsp
- 1/2 tsp ube extract or flavor
Yema Custard
- 6 extra-large egg yolks room temp
- 1/2 cup condensed milk
- 1/4 cup evaporated milk or fresh milk
- 1/4 tsp salt
- zest of half a lemon or grapefruit
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter, cut into cubes
Coconut Creme Anglaise (Coconut Cream Sauce)
- 1 cup coconut milk
- 2 extra-large egg yolks
- 2 tbsps coconut sugar
- 2 tsp amaretto or vanilla extract
Others:
- oil spray or butter for greasing
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar for dusting
Instructions
Preparation
- Preheat oven to 325F (160C). Set rack to the middle part of the oven.
- Grease pan. Line with parchment paper, then grease again. Set aside.
Meringue
- Whip egg whites until bubbly but not yet holding any peak. Add cream of tartar.
- Continue beating until a soft peak is reached.
- Once the soft peak is reached, start adding the powdered sugar gradually, one tablespoon at a time.
- Add ube extract and whip until meringue reaches stiff peaks, silky, and no longer grainy. It will yield approximately 2 quarts of meringue in volume.
- With an offset spatula, spread meringue evenly on the lined baking pan.
- Run a fork or cake comb along the longer edge of the pan. This is optional.
- Put the tray in the middle rack for 325 for 40 minutes or until the top is no longer tacky or sticky and is pale brown.
- Once the top is pale brown, turn off the heat and let it stay in the oven for about 10 minutes, then pull out from the oven and let it cool for about 10 minutes.
Yema Custard
- Mix egg yolks, condensed milk, evaporated milk, and ube flavoring in a double boiler over low fire and stirring continuously.
- While stirring continuously, let it thicken and come to steam. Let it reach 175F (80C)
- Remove from heat. Add butter cubes and lemon zest. This will help cool down the custard and have a glossy feel. Put the bowl over ice-cold water to cool down.
- Stir and set aside.
Coconut Creme Anglaise (Coconut Cream Sauce)
- Heat coconut cream in a saucepan over medium-low fire. Let it come to a gentle simmer; never let it boil.
- Whisk the 2 egg yolks in a mixing bowl. Add a couple of tablespoons of the simmered cream to temper.
- Add the egg mixture back to the saucepan. Then add sugar and amaretto.
- Lower heat, and continue mixing until the sauce thickens. We are trying to aim for a pour-able consistency, like condensed milk.
- Strain the mixture and transfer it to a pouring vessel (like a creamer). Cover with plastic wrap letting the plastic touch the milk to prevent the surface from forming skin.
Unmolding & Rolling the Meringue After the Bake
- Dust the meringue with powdered sugar (about half) to prevent it from sticking.
- Put a cloth or parchment paper on top of the meringue. Then put a sheet pan (for support) on top of the cloth. Flip.
- Peel the parchment paper carefully.
- Put custard thickly longways (along the longer edge of the pan). Keep about ¼ cup of custard to schmear on both ends of the roll.
- Roll gently from the bottom up with the assistance of cloth. Make sure the roll is snug. The bottom of the roll should meet just below the top of it.
- Lay on a serving platter. Smear the edges with excess custard
- Sprinkle some more powdered sugar.
- Slice and serve—drizzle slices with the coconut creme Anglaise.
Notes
- Prepare the ingredients, cooking tools, and serving dishes before cooking. Group ingredients accordingly: meringue, custard filling & creme Anglaise.
- Use fresh and room-temperature eggs. Submerge eggs in warm water for about 15 minutes to let cold eggs come to room temp.
- Use spotless and grease-free equipment (bowl and whisk) for the meringue. Any oil or water will prevent the meringue from forming stiff peaks.
- When to add cream of tartar: once the eggs have turned bubbly.
- When to add sugar: once the meringue reached soft peaks, make sure you get a soft peak before adding sugar. Add sugar gradually.
- You know the meringue is ready when it is no longer grainy (taste to feel texture), has stiff peaks, and looks glossy and silky.
- Make the meringue roll first. While it is baking, make the custard or yema filling, and then the creme Anglaise. Let it cool.
- You can make the coconut creme Anglaise and custard filling a day or two ahead.
- Do not refrigerate the Brazo. Please keep it in a non-humid, cool, and dry place.