Postre Chaja Peach Meringue Cake Recipe

By
Marian Blazes
Marian Blazes
Marian Blazes is a freelance writer and recipe developer with a passion for South American food. She wrote a cookbook focusing on the cuisine of Brazil.
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Updated on 02/28/22
Peach meringue cakr
StockFood / Getty Images
Prep: 60 mins
Cook: 2 hrs
Total: 3 hrs
Servings: 8 to 10 servings

El postre chajá is an interesting Uruguayan dessert. The cake itself is not so unusual - just delicious layers of sponge cake, meringue, whipped cream, and peaches. It was invented by Orlando Castellano in the late 1920s at the Confitería Las Familias in Paysandú. The unusual part is that it's named for a large, odd-looking local bird, el chajá (also known as a "crested screamer"), which has pockets of air under its skin that apparently reminded Mr. Castellano of the airy meringue in the cake. Check out a picture of this bird, and you'll wonder how it inspired a cake.

Ingredients

For the Meringue:

  • 4 large egg whites

  • 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar

  • 1 cup sugar

  • 1 pinch salt

  • 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

For the Cake:

  • 1​ (16-ounce) box angel food cake mix, or 1 sponge cake recipe, baked in 2 (9-inch) cake pans

For the Peaches and Peach Syrup:

  • 6 to 7 large peaches

  • 1 cup sugar

  • 1 cup water

  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

  • 2 tablespoons rum, optional

  • 1 pinch salt

For the Whipped Cream Frosting:

  • 2 cups heavy whipping cream

  • 2 tablespoons sugar

  • 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

  • 1 pinch salt

Steps to Make It

  1. Preheat oven to 200 F. To prepare the meringue: Beat the egg whites and cream of tartar until stiff peaks start to form. Gradually add the sugar and continue to beat until peaks are very stiff and sugar is dissolved. Beat in the vanilla and a pinch of salt.

  2. Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper. Use a pastry bag (or a zip-close with one corner cut off) to pipe small dollops of meringue onto the parchment, a little bit smaller than Hershey's kisses. Or pipe the meringue in strips which can be crumbled once they are cooked and used to decorate the outside of the cake.

  3. Bake meringue pieces for at least and hour and a half, until they are dry and completely crispy. Keep meringues in an airtight container or closed oven until ready to use.

  4. Prepare sponge cake recipe or angel food cake in 2 (9-inch) cake pans and bake. Cool completely in pans, then remove carefully.

  5. Peel and slice peaches and place sliced peaches in a strainer over a bowl. Toss peach slices with 1 to 2 tablespoons of sugar. Let peaches rest for about 20 minutes, reserving the peach juice that drains into the bowl.

  6. Bring 1 cup water, 1 cup sugar, and reserved peach juice to a boil, and simmer until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and let cool. Stir in vanilla, a pinch of salt, and optional rum, if desired.

  7. Stir 2 tablespoons sugar into the whipping cream and whip until medium-stiff peaks form. Stir vanilla into the whipped cream, and refrigerate until ready to assemble the cake.

  8. To assemble cake: Flip sponge cakes upside down and brush each cake generously with the peach syrup, soaking the cakes.

  9. Place 1 cake layer right-side up on a serving platter. Spread some whipped cream over the cake, then crumble some of the meringue pieces and sprinkle the crumbled meringue (about 1/2 cup) over the whipped cream. Add a generous layer of peach slices (reserving some to decorate the top of the cake), then top with the second cake layer.

  10. Spread whipped cream on the sides and top of the cake. Press meringue "kisses" or meringue crumbs into the side of the cake, and decorate the top of cake with peach slices, more whipped cream, and/or more pieces of meringue.

  11. Chill cake thoroughly before serving.

Tip

  • Some people like to add a layer of dulce de leche to this cake. One option is to split the sponge cake layers in half and fill them with dulce de leche before moistening them with the syrup. Or simply spread a layer of dulce de leche over the first cake layer, under the whipped cream, to add an extra layer of richness.

Recipe Variation

  • Use peach-flavored vodka instead of the rum.
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
414 Calories
19g Fat
60g Carbs
4g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 8 to 10
Amount per serving
Calories 414
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 19g 24%
Saturated Fat 11g 56%
Cholesterol 59mg 20%
Sodium 178mg 8%
Total Carbohydrate 60g 22%
Dietary Fiber 1g 4%
Total Sugars 51g
Protein 4g
Vitamin C 5mg 25%
Calcium 58mg 4%
Iron 0mg 2%
Potassium 241mg 5%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)