Cuban Capitolios: Sponge Cake and Meringue

Prepare the sponge cake

1. Preheat the oven to 175 °C, with top and bottom heat and no fan. Place paper liners in a 12-cavity muffin tin, about 6–7 cm in diameter at the opening. Prepare a rack, a pastry bag with a wide tip, and a candy thermometer.
2. Beat the 3 eggs with the 90 g of sugar and vanilla for about 8–10 minutes, until you obtain a clear, very airy, and thick mixture. When lifting the beaters, it should fall in a ribbon that remains on the surface for a few seconds.

   

3. Sift the 90 g of flour with the salt. Incorporate it in two batches with a spatula using folding motions, reaching the bottom of the bowl. Stop when no flour remains: this sponge cake rises thanks to the air from the beating.
4. Distribute the batter evenly among the 12 cavities, approximately 27–28 g in each. You will bake small and low bases. Start checking at 12–15 minutes and remove them when they are lightly golden, spring back when touched gently, and a toothpick comes out clean; depending on the mold and oven, they may need up to about 20 minutes.

   

5. Let the bases rest in the tin for 5 minutes and transfer them to a rack. Wait until they are completely cool, approximately 30 more minutes, before carefully removing the paper liners and placing the meringue.

Optional light syrup for the bases

6. If you desire a slightly juicier base, heat the 30 g of sugar with the 45 ml of water only until the sugar dissolves. Let cool. Lightly brush the surface of the cooled sponge cakes, using at most one teaspoon per unit, without soaking them. The yield of the syrup will depend on evaporation.

Prepare the Italian meringue

7. Check that the pasteurized egg whites are suitable for whipping. Place them in the clean, grease-free bowl of a mixer, with cream of tartar if using. In a small saucepan, mix the 300 g of sugar with the 90 ml of water. Heat until boiling and stop stirring once boiling begins.
8. While the syrup heats, start beating the egg whites until they form soft peaks. Control the temperature with the thermometer, ensuring the probe does not touch the bottom of the saucepan, and adjust the heat so both preparations are ready at the same time. Remove the syrup when it reaches 118–120 °C. The egg whites must be whipped before incorporating it; if they advance too quickly, keep the mixer on low speed while the syrup finishes reaching its point.
9. Remove the syrup from the heat. With the mixer on medium-low speed, pour it slowly in a thin stream between the beaters and the wall of the bowl, avoiding that it falls on the beaters and splashes. Handle the saucepan with care: the syrup is very hot.

   

10. Once you have incorporated all the syrup, increase to medium-high speed and beat until you obtain a shiny, firm, and barely warm meringue, approximately 8–12 minutes depending on the mixer. It must hold a peak and keep its shape. The use of pasteurized egg whites is part of this recipe: the temperature of the syrup does not guarantee by itself the temperature of the entire mixture.

    

Assemble the Capitolios

11. Transfer the meringue to a pastry bag with a wide smooth or star tip. On each completely cooled sponge cake, start with a turn that covers the base and continue forming circles getting smaller and smaller until ending in a point. Distribute the meringue among the 12 pieces to obtain a tall and stable dome.

    

12. Preserve the white and soft finish of the meringue. Place the Capitolios on a tray inside a container high enough so the lid does not touch the domes and refrigerate until serving. To best enjoy the texture, prepare and consume them on the same day.