Valentine's Day Tradition

My mom always made this cake for my dad on Valentine's Day. She would make one just for him and then another one that all the kids had to share. I thought it would be fun to continue the tradition for Chris. He loves it; I must admit it is very delicious! I thought I would share the recipe. It is pretty simple but takes a lot of time. I hope everyone had a great Valentine's Day and President's Day weekend!

Cherry Berries on a Cloud

MERINGUE SHELL
Heat oven to 275˚. Cover baking sheet with heavy brown paper with a 9” heart shape drawn on.

Beat until foamy: 3 egg whites
¼ tsp cream of tartar

Beat in: ¾ cup sugar, 1 Tbsp at a time.

Continue beating until stiff and glossy. Do not under beat. On brown paper, shape meringue into 9” heart, building up side. Bake 1 ½ hours. Turn off oven; leave meringue in oven with door closed for 1 hour. Remove from oven; finish cooling meringue away from draft. Top with either cherry or raspberry filling.

FILLING
3 oz cream cheese, softened
½ cup sugar
½ tsp vanilla
1 cup chilled whipping cream
1 cup miniature marshmallows

Blend cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla. In chilled bowl, beat cream until stiff. Gently fold whipped cream and the marshmallows into cream cheese mixture. Pile into shell. Cover; chill at least 12 hours. Just before serving, top with Cherry Topping or Raspberry Danish Dessert.

CHERRY TOPPING
Stir together 1 can (1 pound 5 ounces) cherry pie filling and 1 tsp lemon juice.

RASPBERRY DANISH DESSERT
Follow package directions using 1 ¾ cups cold water and 12 oz frozen raspberries.