Strawberry Schaum Torte (Meringue, Ice Cream & Berries)

A crispy meringue cup topped with ice cream, strawberries and whipped cream, the Strawberry Schaum Torte is a tasty and special dessert.

Strawberry season is coming!  It’s one of my favorite times of the year!

Yes, spring and early summer are perfect for simple treats like strawberries in cream. Or fruity drinks like my Strawberry Yogurt Smoothie or Frozen Strawberry Margarita.

But when I really want to indulge, I go for a Strawberry Schaum Torte.  It’s a sweet crunchy meringue base that’s topped with ice cream, then covered with juicy strawberries and whipped cream.  (Or occassionally a simpler version where I fill the meringue shell with a fruit and whipped cream mixture–see Variations.)

And yes, it tastes as good as it sounds! 

What is the Schaum Torte’s origin?  

According to Uncle Phaedrus, Find of Lost Recipes, “In America, written schaumtorte recipes are said to be traced as far back as the 1870s in Wisconsin. The dish appears to have been brought to America by German immigrants who settled in Wisconsin between 1839 and 1850. “The United States Regional Cookbook” from The Culinary Arts Institute says that most of these immigrants came from Pomerania, Prussia, and Westphalia in Germany.”

Growing up in Wisconsin, the dessert was immensely popular in local German restaurants and supper clubs. Some restaurants would offer additional flavor options and l can remember also seeing it offered with raspberries or chocolate.

But strawberry was always the gold standard and Wisconsinites can still get these in classic supper clubs or German restaurants like the Jack Pandl’s Restaurant version below that I just split with my husband!

Strawberry Schaum Torte from Jack Pandl’s, Whitefish Bay, WI

What You’ll Need

Ingredients

• Egg whites.  This creates this foamy structural base of the meringues.
• Cream of tartar.  This helps the meringues whip up well but can be omitted.
• Granulated sugar.  This sweetens the meringue and provides structure.
• Vanilla.  This adds flavor to the meringue.
• Salt.  This enhances the meringue flavors.
• Strawberries.  This is the base of the strawberry topping.  You can use fresh or frozen.  Fresh will take a little more time for the juice to create a syrup, while frozen will need to thaw for the juice to run out.  Either will work beautifully.
• Sugar.  The main purpose is to help draw some of the juice from the strawberries, though a little extra sweetness is nice too. 
• Vanilla ice cream.  This is a creamy cool contrast to the tart berries and sweet meringue.
• Whipped cream.  Come on, it wouldn’t be an ice cream dessert without a dollop of whipped cream on top!  You can use homemade or a spray can. 

Special Tools

• A pastry bag and large star tip are recommended but  you can use a zip loc bag, skip the tip and make a more rounded meringue cup.

Step by Step Directions

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Using a small glass and a pencil, draw 6 (2 1/2-inch) circles on the parchment. (I was making a double batch below so you see 12 there.). Turn the paper face down on the baking sheets.

 

Beat the egg whites, cream of tartar, and salt on high speed until soft peaks form.  Add the vanilla, then gradually add the sugar and beat on high speed until the egg whites form very stiff peaks.

 

With a large star – shaped pastry tip, pipe a disk of meringue inside each circle. Pipe another layer around the edge to form the sides of the shells.

 

Bake for 2 hours, or until the meringues are dry and crisp but not browned. Turn off the heat and allow the meringues to sit in the oven for 2 hours or overnight.

 

Slice strawberries and sprinkle with sugar. Let sit for 30 minutes to draw out the juices. Mash a couple berries if needed to help the process.

 

To assemble schaum tortes, top each meringue cup with a scoop of ice cream, then top with the berries and juices, then whipped cream.

 

Serve immediately.

How to Serve

This dessert is the perfect end to any nice dinner—even a heavy dinner.  The fruit is refreshing, the meringue is so light it’s almost crunchy air and well, there’s always room for ice cream.   

And it’s an especially lovely way to wrap up dinner on a special occasion like Mother’s Day or a birthday celebration!

Or serve with coffee and tea for delicious snack or special reward. 

Variations and Special Diets

For a slightly lighter dessert, you can fill the meringue cups with a mixture of whipped cream and fruit.

Strawberry Meringue Cup with Fresh Berries

Or go with the Australian take on meringue desserts (aka Pavlova) and try my Classic Pavlova Dessert for Spring or Christmas Pavlova Wreath Meringue Dessert.

Now not to be outdone, the British will mix fruit, whipped cream and meringue bits into a dessert called the Eton Mess.  This I’ve made in two forms, a patriotic Red White and Blueberry Parfait with Meringue Stars or a fun and festive Eton Mess Bar.

Yes, so many meringue desserts, so little time!

Leftovers

Once filled the meringue will start to dissolve, so the dessert will need to be eaten quickly.  But the unfilled meringue shells will last up to a week in an airtight container. 

And currently I have one meringue in the freezer to test how it freezes.  I’ve seen conflicting reports on how that goes so I’ll report back!

Piping Tips and More (No Pun Intended)

If you’re not very familiar with piping, I have some tips for you.

First, if you don’t own a piping bag, you can always use a zip loc with a corner cut out.  Here you can insert a star tip or just pipe through the opening to create a more rounded meringue cup.

Meringue cup made without a star tip

If you decide to invest in a bag, I prefer the reusable over the disposable.  They feel less flimsy and I’m happy not to add more plastic to our landfills.

To easily fill the pastry bag, fold over the end with the tip and set into a tall glass.  This will hold it upright when you fill it and the fold keeps the filling from squishing out. 

And don’t overfill the pastry bag– if it doesn’t hold the meringue comfortably, fill it part way, then refill it. If you try too hard to get it all in, you’ll end up with it squishing out the top. 

The recipe calls for drawing circles on parchment as a guide, then flipping the (semi-transparent) paper over. If you forget to do this, you will be scrapping pencil marks off the bottoms of your meringues (ask me how I know this).

If there’s a little leftover meringue when you’ve piped the cups, you can use it up by making little stars.  These are fun to snack on or to use as a garnish!

More Mother’s Day Brunch Recipes

• Carrot Cake Baked Oatmeal from Hezzi-D’s Recipe Box
• Egg in the Hole with Bursted Tomatoes from Jen Around the World
• Huevos Rancheros Tostadas from A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures
• Raspberry Rose Sugar Cookies from That Recipe
• Tiny Homemade Pop-Tarts from Karen’s Kitchen Stories
• Upside Down Tomato Omelet from Palatable Pastime

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Strawberry Schaum Torte

A crispy meringue cup topped with ice cream, strawberries and whipped cream, the Strawberry Schaum Torte is a tasty and special dessert.

Author: Inger

5 from 4 votes

Print

Prep Time 30 mins

Cook Time 2 hrs

waiting time 2 hrs

Total Time 4 hrs 30 mins

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Servings 6

Calories 218 kcal

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

Meringue Ingredients

• 2 egg whites
• 1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/8 teaspoon salt

Schaum Torte Topping

• 3 cups strawberries fresh or frozen
• 1 Tablespoon sugar
• 2 cups vanilla ice cream to make 6 scoops
• 1-2 cups whipped cream

Instructions

 

• Preheat the oven to 200 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Using a small glass and a pencil, draw 6 (2 1/2-inch) circles on the parchment. Turn the paper face down on the baking sheets.
• Beat the egg whites, cream of tartar, and salt on high speed until soft peaks form. Add the vanilla, then gradually add the sugar and beat on high speed until the egg whites form very stiff peaks.
• With a large star - shaped pastry tip, pipe a disk of meringue inside each circle. Pipe another layer around the edge to form the sides of the shells.
• Bake for 2 hours, or until the meringues are dry and crisp but not browned. Turn off the heat and allow the meringues to sit in the oven for 2 hours or overnight.
• Slice strawberries and sprinkle with sugar. Let sit for 30 minutes to draw out the juices. Mash a couple berries if needed to help the process.
• To assemble schaum tortes, top each meringue cup with a scoop of ice cream, then top with the berries and juices, then whipped cream.
• Serve immediately.

Nutrition

Calories: 218kcalCarbohydrates: 36gProtein: 3gFat: 7gSaturated Fat: 4gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.4gMonounsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 27mgSodium: 102mgPotassium: 240mgFiber: 2gSugar: 32gVitamin A: 262IUVitamin C: 43mgCalcium: 79mgIron: 0.4mg

I am not a health professional and nutrition data is calculated programatically. Accuracy may vary with product selection, calculator accuracy, etc. Consult a professional for the best information.

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Updated from original, published on Jun 28, 2015

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