A delicious cake made with crunchy pecan flavoured meringue layers, caramel and whipped cream. It's the most delicious combination. It's also my version of the La Rocca cake and iykyk. To be honest, I haven't had the La Rocca version in many, many years but I always remember it being absolutely delicious so one day I had extra egg whites and thought I'd give it a go and I was pleasantly surprised. Not everything turns out on the first go but this was just so good!
I’d love to hear how you like it, so please comment below.
If you make them, please share your creations and tag @tarynstastingtable
Ingredients:
- Eggs
- Sugar
- Powdered sugar
- Pecans, finely chopped
- Cream of tartar
- Vanilla extract
- White vinegar
- Cornstarch
- Whipped cream
- Caramel, Dulce de Leche or a can of condensed milk
Equipment:
- Stand mixer or hand mixer
- Large bowl
- Whisk
- Parchment paper
- Baking sheet
- 6 inch ring mold or cake pan (only for size)
Instructions:
For the Caramel:
If you don't have premade caramel or dulce de leche, the easiest way to make it is by submerging a can of condensed milk in a pot of boiling water, make sure it is completely covered with water and has a lid. Let it boil for 3 hours. Remove and cool. Voila, you have caramel!
To make the meringue:
Preheat your oven to 250 degrees F and place the oven rack in the center of the oven. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and draw 3 - 6 inch circles on the paper. Turn the parchment paper over so the circles are on the reverse side. Finely chop pecans and toss in a tablespoon of powdered sugar. Set aside.
In the bowl of your electric stand mixer, fitted with the whisk attachment (or with a hand mixer), beat the egg whites and cream of tartar on medium low speed until they hold soft peaks. Start adding the sugar, a tablespoon at a time, and continue to beat, on high speed, until the meringue holds very stiff and shiny peaks. Beat in the vanilla extract. Sprinkle the vinegar and cornstarch over the top of the meringue and, with a rubber spatula, gently fold in. Fold in the pecans.
Place the meringue in a piping bag with a large round tip and create the cake layers using the circles as your outline. Start by piping a dot in the center of your circle, then in one continuous motion go around the dot to make a bigger circle until you have your circle completely filled. Use an off-set spatula to smooth it out.
Bake for about 1 hour 30 minutes or until the outside is dry and crisp. Turn the oven off, leave the oven door slightly ajar, and let the meringues cool completely in the oven (a couple of hours).
The cooled meringues can be made and stored in an airtight container in a cool dry place, or in the refrigerator, for a few days.
To make the whipped cream: place heavy cream, powdered sugar and vanilla extract in the bowl of stand mixer or a large bowl, and whisk until stiff peaks form.
Assembly:
Once cooled, place your first layer of meringue, top with a layer of caramel and top with whipped cream. Repeat this process on with the next layer. For your top layer, place the meringue, top with whipped cream and drizzle the caramel on top. Add chopped pecans, if desired.
Like this recipe? Why not try these?
Caramel Crunch Cake
Ingredients
Meringue:
- 4 large egg whites room temperature
- ½ tsp cream of tartar
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 tsp white distilled vinegar
- ½ tbsp cornstarch
- ½ cup pecans very finely chopped
- 1 Tbsp powdered sugar for tossing pecans
Caramel:
- 1 cup caramel or 1 can of condensed milk
Whipped Cream:
- 2 cups heavy cream
- ¼ cup powdered sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
Caramel:
- If you don't have premade caramel or dulce de leche, the easiest way to make it is by submerging a can of condensed milk in a pot of boiling water, make sure it is completely covered, and let it boil for 3 hours.
Meringue:
- Preheat your oven to 250 degrees F and place the oven rack in the center of the oven. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and draw 3 - 6 inch circles on the paper. Turn the parchment paper over so the circles are on the reverse side. Finely chop pecans and toss in a tablespoon of powdered sugar. Set aside.
- In the bowl of your electric stand mixer, fitted with the whisk attachment (or with a hand mixer), beat the egg whites and cream of tartar on medium low speed until they hold soft peaks. Start adding the sugar, a tablespoon at a time, and continue to beat, on high speed, until the meringue holds very stiff and shiny peaks. Beat in the vanilla extract. Sprinkle the vinegar and cornstarch over the top of the meringue and, with a rubber spatula, gently fold in. Fold in the pecans.
- Place the meringue in a piping bag with a large round tip and create the cake layers using the circles as your outline. Start by piping a dot in the center of your circle, then in one continuous motion go around the dot to make a bigger circle until you have your circle completely filled. Use an off-set spatula to smooth it out.
- Bake for about 1 hour 30 minutes or until the outside is dry and crisp. Turn the oven off, leave the oven door slightly ajar, and let the meringues cool completely in the oven (a couple of hours).
- The cooled meringues can be made and stored in an airtight container in a cool dry place, or in the refrigerator, for a few days.
Whipped Cream:
- Place heavy cream, powdered sugar and vanilla extract in the bowl of stand mixer or a large bowl, and whisk until stiff peaks form.
Assembly:
- Once cooled, place your first layer of meringue, top with a layer of caramel and top with whipped cream. Repeat this process on with the next layer. For your top layer, place the meringue, top with whipped cream and drizzle the caramel on top. Add chopped pecans, if desired.
Notes
Wowza - this sure looks epically delish!
Your pictures are excellent!
Hello,
I am just about to start this recipe and in the ingredients list for the meringue it lists 1 cup of sugar but the instructions say powdered sugar. Which one do I use?
Thanks,
Jackie T
Hi Jackie,
I'm so sorry about the confusion. Please use granulated sugar for the meringue and powdered sugar just to toss the pecans as well as for the whipped cream.
Happy baking!
Taryn
Do you have any suggestions for cutting slices?
It cuts pretty well, I'd just suggest a sharp knife. Refrigeration prior could gelp as well.
Wondering how far in advance do you recommend assembling the cake?
Hi Jessica,
I would try to assemble it as close to the time needed as possible. You can assemble and refrigerate until needed but I wouldn't recommend anything longer than a few hours. Hope this helps!
Taryn
Above it states in the recipe:
If you don’t have premade caramel or dulce de leche, the easiest way to make it is by submerging a can of condensed milk in a pot of boiling water, make sure it is completely covered, and let it boil for 3 hours. My question is: What is the next step after we boil the milk for 3 hours if we don’t have premade caramel or dulce de lèche ? Thank you. I LOVE your recipes, as does my friends & family! Not to mention my coworkers! Plz keep them coming! You’re the best!
Hi Rhonda,
Thank you so much! I'm so happy to hear that.
Once your condensed milk has boiled for 3 hours, make sure it has a lid. Remove, cool and open it up. Voila, you have caramel! It's so easy and delicious!
This recipe was so easy! I had tried to use the egg whites in a box and the meringue failed. It also stuck to the parchment. Chef Google confirmed my suspicions that the egg whites in the box are not suitable for making meringue. I remade it with fresh egg whites, sprayed the parchment paper with cooking spray and the meringue looks wonderful. I also toasted the pecans to bring out the flavour of the nut. I am going to assemble just before supper as you suggested. Can’t wait to try it! Thanks so much for the recipe!
Hi Clare,
Thank you so much! I'm thrilled to hear that you found this recipe easy to follow and make.
Enjoy!
The recipe was very easy to follow and all was well, I thought. After assembly the whole thing started to slide so before it ended up on the floor (which is where it was headed) I pushed it off the cake plate into a bowl. It looks like a hot mess but we'll make do serving it with a big spoon. I think maybe the cream wasn't whipped enough. It will still taste awesome, just no pics.
A friend made this for me. Loved it! One can buy a similar one (not as good – less caramel) and I know Loblaws freezes theirs. Have you tried freezing it?
Hi Wendy,
Thank you, I'm so happy to hear you enjoyed it.
I have not tried freezing it yet, I imagine it could work well but you may need to add a stabilizer to the cream. I'll definitely keep you updated if I test it out.
Big shout-out to this recipe!
I have made this a few times now (now demanded at every family gathering).
My only adjustments were: 1) reduce the sugar in meringue to 1/2 cup, 2) reduce sugar in whipped cream to 1/8 cup, and 3) remove vanilla from whipped cream.
These adjustments did not change the consistency, but it did give a lighter taste (which we felt was more similar to the LaRocca original).
Thank you so much!
Hi K,
Thank you so much! I'm so happy to hear that you and your family love this recipe as much as I do.
Happy baking,
Taryn
If you were going to make mini caramel crunches , for example the size of my rounds would be about 3” how would you adjust the time and temperature of this recipe? Thank you so much for sharing the 6” caramel crunch was a success!!
Hi Aly,
Thank you, I'm so happy to hear you enjoyed this cake!
For smaller meringues, I'd keep the oven at 250 F and bake them for about 30-40 minutes. Love the idea of smaller cakes, they're going to be so cute!
Best of luck,
Taryn
Recipe is straightforward and easy to follow. Made it last night and assembled now. For my brothers birthday, waiting for him to come home for the tasting. I also made mini meringues and added them on chocolate cupcakes. Will update post on the taste later 👌🏻
Thank you so much for the comment! I hope you all enjoyed the cake.
Can you use lemon juice instead of vinegar.
Hi Brenda,
Absolutely, lemon juice is a great substitute. Use the same amount. White wine vinegar or Apple Cider Vinegar would work as well.
Happy baking!
Your ingredient list includes lemon, but your recipe doesn't have any lemons in it. Are there supposed to be lemons?
Lemons? I don't see any reference to lemons.
Hi Catherine, No lemons are needed in this recipe. Enjoy!
Hi, I was wondering since my brother is allergic to pecans, could I use almonds as a substitute?
Hi Liza,
Absolutely! You could use any nut or omit them completely.
Enjoy,
Taryn
I made the Carmel by boiling the sweetened condensed milk for 3 hours. It is quite thick and I would not be able to drizzle it on top. Is this correct?
Hi Susan,
Duche de Leche is usually a little thicker but should still be pourable. You can try warm it up in the microwave to see if it becomes looser. If not too much liquid has evaporated. Pulse in the food processor/blender with a tiny bit of cream or milk (start with 1/2 teaspoon; a little goes a long way) until it reaches your desired consistency. Hope this helps!
Recipe was so easy to follow! And everyone loved it. But how do I get it to not slide? My caramel and whipped cream started dripping down the sides. This was almost immediately after assembling. I thought my caramel was pretty thick. Do I need a stabilizer in my whipped cream?
Hi Lisa,
I'm thrilled you enjoyed my Caramel Crunch Cake!
A couple things could have led to this. Was the hpuse warm? Was your cream whipped until stiff peaks? You could definitely add a stabilizer to it to help as well. Was your caramel completely cooled? You could try refrigerating the caramel to ensure its cool enough, but it may be difficult to spread then. Another option is to refrigerate the entire cake for about 30mins directly after assembling it to make for clean slices. I hope this helps!
Thanks again for trying this recipe and reviewing, I truly appreciate it!
Taryn
Hi there!
Your meringue looks darker and thicker.
How did you get it like that? Mine came out white and very thin. I was disappointed.