Marbled meringue pops

These meringues on sticks are pure fun. Fun to make (especially watching the clear liquid egg whites transform into fluffy white clouds), fun to colour and fun to eat.

Credit: Alan Benson

• makes

  6

• prep

  25 minutes

• cook

  1:15 hour

• difficulty

  Mid

Ingredients

• 2 egg whites, at room temperature
• 110 g (½ cup) caster sugar
• ½ tsp natural vanilla essence or extract
• food colouring of your choice (gels work best)

Cooling time 2 hours

You will need six 15 cm wooden cake pop sticks, available from craft stores for this recipe.

Instructions

Preheat oven to 120°C. Line a large baking tray with non-stick baking paper.

Choose a medium heatproof mixing bowl that sits snugly on top of a medium saucepan. Quarter fill the saucepan with water and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat to lowest possible setting. Put the egg whites and sugar in the heatproof bowl and place over the simmering water. Use a spatula to stir until the sugar dissolves. (You can tell if the mixture is ready by rubbing a little between your fingers — if it still feels grainy then continue to stir for another minute or until it no longer feels grainy.)

Transfer the mixture to the bowl of an electric mixer and use a whisk attachment to whisk on high speed for 3-5 minutes or until very thick and glossy. Add 4-5 drops (in different spots) to the meringue mixture and use a spatula or large metal spoon to fold the mixture 3-4 times to create a swirled pattern.

Use 2 tablespoons to spoon a mound of mixture onto the lined tray to form a meringue 5-6 cm in diameter. Insert 4 cm of the end of a wooden cake pop stick into the meringue. Repeat with the remaining meringue mixture, inserting a cake pop stick into each.

Place the trays in the oven, reduce the temperature to 100°C and bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until the meringues are dry to the touch. Turn off the oven and allow the meringues to cool in the oven with the door shut.

Baker’s tips

• Keep these meringues in an airtight container, layered between baking paper, at room temperature for up to 2 days.

• You can use either food colouring liquids or gel for this recipe but you will get a more intense colour by using a gel colour.

• To make giant marbled meringue pops make 4 large pops, using 25 cm wooden sticks and bake for 1¾-2 hours.

Photography by Alan Benson. Styling by Sarah O’Brien. Food preparation by Tina McLeish. Creative concept by Lou Fay.

Anneka's mission is to connect home cooks with the magic of baking, and through this, with those they love. For hands-on baking classes and baking tips, visit her at BakeClub. Don't miss what's coming out of her oven via Facebook,Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest.

This recipe is part of our Bakeproof: Kids in the kitchen.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.