Brazo de Mercedes

Brazo de Mercedes is my favorite cake. I love the sweetness of the custard and the melt-in-your-mouth goodness of the meringue roll. I learned how to make this at a Cake Decorating class, and I knew I just had to try this at home for my family.

I took photos of practically every step and they're quite easy to follow, so you'll have no excuse not to make these.

Here's what you will need:

10 eggs, separated

1 cup sweetened condensed milk

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/4 cup all-purpose flour, dissolved in 1/4 cup water

2 tablespoons butter

1 teaspoon cream of tartar

1 cup sugar

powdered sugar, for dusting

And here are the photos with the directions as captions:

Separate the yolks and whites of 10 eggs.

To make the custard filling, you need 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract and 1 cup sweetened condensed milk.

Add the milk and vanilla to the yolks.

Stir until combined.

Dissolve 1/4 cup flour in 1/4 cup water.

Add the dissolved flour to the yolk mixture.

Add 2 tablespoons of butter.

Cook over a double boiler, stirring continuously...

...until thick. Set aside to cool.

To make the meringue, in a separate bowl, add 1 teaspoon of cream of tartar to the egg whites.

Beat...

...until it forms soft peaks. Gradually add 1 cup of sugar, beating as you add it in.

Continue beating until stiff peaks form.

Line jelly roll pan with parchment and grease with oil.

Spread the meringue. Make sure it is level for even cooking.

Using a cake comb or a fork and with a very light touch, make grooves on the surface. Do not let the fork go all the way into the meringue. Bake in a preheated oven at 350° F for 15 minutes.

Remove from oven and dust surface with powdered sugar to prevent from sticking.

Flip onto another piece of parchment paper. Remove the original parchment used in baking carefully. Add the cooled custard in the middle.

Roll and enjoy!

Happy cooking and eating!