Pastel Meringue Nests

I'm not sure what it is about meringue, but it has this sort of ethereal and angelic quality to it that makes it one of the most special treats you can make. It's hard to imagine that a simple whipping of egg whites and sugar can yield something so versatile, so delightfully tasty and so lovely. A quick few swirls from a pastry bag and you can have the sweetest little nests that, once baked, can be filled with anything from fruit and frosting to curds and creams. I also love that its snow-white "colour" is the perfect starting point for achieving any possible shade you wish (a frequent obstacle us cakers face when we want to colour buttercreams and the like ). As a lover of clean pastel shades, tinting meringue is a dream.

I tinted these with a drop of turquoise gel paste and piped them using a large swirl tip, Ateco #887, for a kind of oversized swirled nest effect. While they baked I created some fondant feathers using a silicone feather mold I bought awhile back at my local cake decorating supply shop -- I've been dying to use this thing! I used the mold and then use a sharp paring knife to give the edges some small slices and imperfections (the key to creating something organic and realistic).

I filled the nests with a generous swirl of Vanilla Bean Swiss Meringue Buttercream, and then adorned them with a single fondant feather. You could also add in some fresh berries, or curd (one way to use up all of the leftover yolks!), or anything at all really. Either way, these are a truly sweet and special treat for little ones -- my cakelets not only love when I make meringue (Reese loves it straight from the bowl soft and billowy, and Neve loves it anyway at all), but they were enchanted by the process of making both the feathers and nests. The girls' eyes lit up when they saw the finished treat  all put together and ready for their tea party. Do you think they'll still want me to bake them tea party treats when they're grown and on their own? I hope so.

I wanted to the feathers to be thin and delicate, yet I also wanted them to taste good, so rather than using gumpaste, which we'd typically use for something so thin, I just added some Tylose powder to my fondant before rolling out. I do this often when I want to strengthen my fondant for decorations, but don't want to use gumpaste. (As you've likely discovered, gumpaste may be super strong and dry like pure porcelain, but it doesn't taste yummy. At all.) Once dry, I gave the feathers a little paint with bright white soft gel colour. Fairy-princess approved. ♥ Sweetapolita's Notes:

• The "superfine" sugar I listed is also known as caster/castor sugar. It's simply granulated sugar that is more fine and dissolves nicely into the meringue. I use regular sugar (vanilla sugar that I keep in the canister) and pulse it through the food processor a few times. Voila!
• For the nests in the photos I used Americolor Turquoise  soft gel paste and piped them with the Ateco #887 pastry tip.
• I bought my feather molds here -- it comes with two sizes included and you can order it online.
• You can add Tylose Powder to fondant to make it stronger for delicate decorations. (This will also result in a quicker drying decoration). Simply sprinkle a thin layer over your rolled piece of fondant, then knead in until blended. I use Satin Ice Fondant.
• I use the Wilton Fondant 9 Inch Rolling Pin with the pink guides to roll even and thin rounds of fondant to use with the feather mold.
• You can keep unfilled nests in an airtight container for about a week, and filled nests can stay at room temperature for about 1 day. Always serve Swiss Meringue Buttercream at room temperature (or it will feel and taste as though you're eating cold butter--eew!).

Good luck & enjoy!