Here is your cake Eliud!

Bizcocho dominicano (Dominican cake)
Servings: 8 people

Dominican cake is the center of Dominican celebration. No wedding, baptism or birthday is complete in the Dominican Republic without our delicious traditional cake. Check our lesson that explains how to prepare a yummy meringue and another where we show you how to prepare the filling and how to prepare the cake.

Before starting to cook: Butter up and flour a baking pan (5-inch tall by 10 inches in diameter). Heat up the oven to 350 degrees F.

220 grams of softened butter
1 pinch of grated lemon peel
1/2 cup of orange juice
1 cup of of pineapple jam
220 grams of all-purpose wheat flour
220 grams of sugar
2 tablespoons of vanilla
2 teaspoons of baking powder
3 eggs

5 egg whites (for the meringue)
1 cup of sugar (for the meringue)

Mix the flour and baking powder and sift together. Reserve.

Beat together the butter and sugar until it turns creamy and has a lighter color (about 8 minutes). One by one add the eggs and continue beating until the egg is completely incorporated before adding each new egg. Slowly add the orange juice, lemon peel and vanilla. Add the flour and continue beating until it has a smooth and uniform consistency.

Pour pineapple filling in the baking pan, pour in the batter.

Put in the oven and bake until you insert a knife in the center of the cake and it comes out clean. Let cool down to room temperature. Cut off any crust that might have formed.

To make the meringue*:
In a bowl beat the egg whites until it forms peaks. Slowly add the sugar until it is completely incorporated. Spread the meringue on top and around the cake.

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*Cooking Egg Whites for Use in Recipes Calling for Uncooked Egg Whites
Source: The American Egg Board

Cooking egg whites before use in all recipes is recommended for full safety. The following method can be used with any number of whites and works for chilled desserts as well as Seven-Minute Frosting, Royal Icing and other frosting recipes calling for raw egg whites.

In a heavy saucepan, the top of a double boiler or a metal bowl placed over water in a saucepan, stir together the egg whites and sugar from the recipe (at least 2 tablespoons sugar per white), water (1 teaspoon per white) and cream of tartar (1/8 teaspoon per each 2 whites). Cook over low heat or simmering water, beating constantly with a portable mixer at low speed, until the whites reach 160F. Pour into a large bowl. Beat on high speed until the whites stand in soft peaks. Proceed with the recipe.

Note that you must use sugar to keep the whites from coagulating too rapidly. Test with a thermometer as there is no visual clue to doneness. If you use an unlined aluminum saucepan, eliminate the cream of tartar or the two will react and create an unattractive gray meringue.