Eton Mess with Homemade Meringues!
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A classic summer dessert with homemade meringues – utterly scrumptious!
Eton Mess
If you haven’t heard of Eton mess then you are seriously missing out on the greatness of such a simple yet utterly delicious dessert. Crisp meringue, softly whipped cream, and fresh strawberries all mashed together into a creamy, sugary, fruity mess, it doesn’t sound fancy, but it tastes absolutely incredible.
It’s one of those desserts that’s far greater than the sum of its parts. There’s something about the contrast of textures, crunchy meringue, silky cream, and juicy strawberries, that makes it dangerously addictive. Once you’ve made it once, you’ll find yourself coming back to it again and again.
It’s also a go-to dessert for so many people because it’s super yummy and super simple. With just a handful of ingredients, you can whip up a quick after-dinner pudding, a treat for a warm summer’s day, or something that will go down a storm at a dinner party without any stress at all.
Meringue
For this recipe, I use homemade meringues because I really wanted to show you that meringue doesn’t have to be scary. It gets such a bad reputation for being temperamental or difficult, but once you’ve made it a couple of times, you’ll realise just how straightforward it actually is.
The key is patience and clean equipment, that’s it. Whisking the egg whites properly and adding the sugar slowly makes all the difference, and once you’ve nailed that, you’ll be obsessed with making meringue. There’s something so satisfying about watching egg whites transform into glossy, stiff peaks.
Of course, you can absolutely use shop-bought meringues if you’re short on time. They’re inexpensive, easy to find, and still delicious. But homemade meringues have a lighter texture and fresher flavour, and they really elevate the dessert. Plus, once you know how easy they are, you’ll find yourself making them for all sorts of recipes, including my Eton Mess cheesecake, which is a must for all Eton mess lovers.
Components
I am completely in love with the strawberry and cream combination, so this dessert is basically a dream for me. It’s fresh, summery, and perfectly balanced between sweet and fruity without feeling heavy.
Strawberries are the classic choice for Eton mess, but you can easily swap them out for other berries if you prefer. Raspberries, blueberries, or even a mixed berry combination all work beautifully and still keep that fresh, light feel.
I also like to add a touch of raspberry coulis to my Eton mess because it gives a little extra depth and sharpness that cuts through the sweetness of the cream and meringue. It’s not essential, but it really does elevate the dessert and makes it feel a little bit special. Honestly, this dessert is a marriage made in heaven, and I LOVE it.
More recipes
I love to experiment with meringues especially at Easter with my Easter pavlova or my individual Easter meringues, but today’s recipe is just the basic meringue. Many of you have asked for it, and it really is simple.
I also have a couple more Eton Mess theme bakes as I just love the dessert! You can find my Eton Mess cheesecake, Eton Mess cake and my Eton Mess traybake cake – all of which are super delicious!
Tips & tricks
- This is best served on the day it is made.
- If not eaten on the day, store in the fridge and eat within 1-2 days.
- You can use other fruits or coulis in flavours that you like, but I love the classical strawberry combination.
- I use this baking tray for the meringues
Eton Mess with Homemade Meringues!
Ingredients
Meringues
- 5 egg whites
- 250 g caster sugar
Eton Mess
- meringues crushed
- 400 ml double cream
- 500 g strawberries
- fruit coulis
Instructions
Meringues
- Preheat the oven to 100ºc/90°c fan and line two baking trays with parchment paper
- Separate the eggs into a spotlessly clean bowl (stand mixer bowl) and discard the yolks - or use them to make something else!! - but be careful not to get anything else in the egg whites such as a spot of yolk as this will ruin the meringue!
- Whisk the egg whites on their own until soft peaks are form - it'll double/triple in volume and look foamy and white, nothing like the normal egg white
- Continue whisking the eggs on a medium-high speed and add the caster sugar a teaspoon at a time making sure its whisked in before you add the next spoonful - I realise this is time consuming, but adding the sugar any quicker will ruin it!
- Once the caster sugar is all in the mixture, the meringue should be ultra white, glossy and if you hold the bowl upside down nothing will fall out! If you're brave, hold it above your head when you test it
- Pipe the meringues onto the baking sheets - I use a Wilton 1M tip to make my little meringue shells
- Bake in the oven for 1 to 1 and a 1/2hours and then turn the oven off. Leave the meringues to cool off completely in the oven until the oven is cold! It is very important that you leave them to cool off completely as if you take them out any sooner they will taste amazing but they won't crush down and they'd have the chewy meringue feel you can get sometimes!
Eton Mess
- Whip the cream up with a whisk until soft peaks and it holds itself and fold through the coulis (I used raspberry flavour)
- Wash and chop the strawberries up then and crush the meringues.
- Fold it all together and either serve in one large dish, or in small jars for individual portions!
Notes
- This is best served on the day it is made.
- If not eaten on the day, store in the fridge and eat within 1-2 days.
- You can use other fruits or coulis in flavours that you like, but I love the classical strawberry combination.
- I use this baking tray for the meringues.
Hi. Can I freeze the Eton mess as in a parfait then let it defrost before using
Hi Jane, How much coulis are you meant to fold in?
As much or as little as you want xx
Hi Jane, love your recipes! Just wondered roughly how many meringues this makes please? Also how do you get a stripe effect? Thank you!x
I don’t put an amount as it depends on how big you make them – but quite a few! And you can look at this post for how to decorate the meringues – https://www.janespatisserie.com/2016/07/18/no-bake-eton-mess-cheesecake/
Okay great! Thank you 😃x
Hi Jane, I love your recipes and have already baked quite a few. I’m wanting to try this one at the weekend however we don’t have coulis in Germany. How shall I prepare the cream? With sugar or icing sugar and how much would you use? Thanks in advance.
Hey! I would just use 2tbsp of icing sugar! x
Hi Jane, love your recipes. D thank you for sharing. Do you have any recipes to use the egg yolks from the eggs used for meringues?
Hey! Homemade lemon curd is my favourite – and there’s a recipe on my blog!
Is it ok to use regular cream instead of double? x
What do you mean by regular cream?
Like fresh cream that you would whip yourself and add to desserts. Just less fat than double/heavy cream I think!
In England we have Single, whipping or Double, and I would consider Double to be ‘regular’ if i’m honest as it whips better than single cream does, but I never use whipping cream in anything. x
What do you mean by double cream, whipping cream or half and half
I’m from the UK, and we have ‘double cream’. It’s the fattiest liquid cream we have so I think heavy cream is your nearest similar one?
All of your sweet desserts looks so good in your pictures, especially this one.
I’d like to have one! 🙂
Thank you so much! 🙂
I love your presentation re: Eton Mess. I’ve just started making meringue (I know, so easy but I always thought they sounded daunting), and am having friends round for a meal. Your presentation has given me inspiration – so has the rest of your site!
I’ll search for your salted caramel recipe another day – have clicked ‘follow’ so that I can come back 🙂
Thank you! I hope you have a nice evening with your friends 🙂
My husband is not a dessert eater but he loves Eton Mess which means I often make it.
Eton mess is definitely a winner!
Reblogged this on PostDot.
Hehe thank you! I have never used cream of tartar, but I occasionally use either Corn Flour or a touch of White Wine Vinegar to stabilise it 🙂 x
Its okay! With this sort of meringue I use just the egg whites & sugar – but if making the meringue for a Lemon Meringue Pie for example i would use a stabiliser of 2tsp of the Corn Flour 🙂 x
I have a lot of strawberries to use. Eton Mess is so good, it’s been a while since I’ve had it. I think this will be dessert this week.
Yes I always make it when I have loads of strawberries – perfect quick dessert for them! 🙂
Love a good Eton Mess – must try this one!
It’s delicious isn’t it!! And yes please do! 🙂