Brazo de Mercedes is a type of rolled cake (sometimes referred to as jelly roll) made from a sheet of soft meringue with custard filling. This heavenly cake can be considered as one of the all-time favorites in the Philippines.
What I like most about this cake is the sponge like texture of the meringue that literally melts in my mouth. The light flavor of the meringue is balanced by the flavor of the rich custard filling. This is truly amazing!
Most of you might be thinking that this rolled cake is hard to create; you might be surprised how easy it is to make your own Brazo de Mercedes after reading this post and watching the cooking video. However, it will take a bit of practice to perfect the process. There is no question about the delicious result of this recipe, but rolling the meringue can be a bit of a challenge. It took me around 3 tries before getting that nice look, so you too should not quit.
I won’t extend the introduction because I know that most of you are eager to start working on this project (I am getting at least 17 requests per day for this recipe).
Try this Brazo de Mercedes recipe and let me know what you think.
Brazo de Mercedes
Ingredients
- 10 large raw eggs yolks and whites separated
- 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 3 tablespoons confectioners sugar
- 14 ounces condensed milk
Instructions
- Combine egg whites and cream of tartar then beat using an electric mixer until soft peaks form.
- Make the meringue by gradually adding the granulated sugar while mixing the ingredients. Continue mixing until the texture is semi-firm.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Place wax paper on top of a cookie sheet or large rectangular baking pan and grease the surface.
- Place the meringue on top of the greased wax paper then spread evenly using a spatula.
- Bake the meringue for 20 to 22 minutes or until the color of the top part turns light to medium brown.
- While the meringue is in the oven, make the filling by combining the egg yolks and condensed milk in a small cooking pot. Apply heat and cook the mixture while continuously stirring until the texture becomes thick.
- Add the vanilla extract to the condensed milk and egg yolk mixture, turn off the heat, and mix thoroughly. Set aside.
- Remove the meringue from the oven and cool down for a few minutes.
- Sprinkle the confectioners sugar on top of the meringue then place wax paper on the top part of the meringue followed by a similar sized baking pan or tray. The meringue should now be in the middle of two baking trays.
- Flip the meringue: the new cookie sheet/baking tray placed on top should now be below. Remove the baking tray and the wax paper (you should now see the opposite side of the baked meringue) then spread the filling (cooked egg yolks, condensed milk, and vanilla extract mixture) over the meringue.
- Roll the meringue. Complete rolling side to side starting at the longest side. Make sure that the layer with filling is rolled inward.
- Transfer to a serving plate then serve.
- Share and enjoy!
isabel says
pede ko po malaman technique ng iro-roll ko na siya dumikit po ung brazo sa wax paper .. thankyou
Yeddah says
Hi! I just want to ask how if I can’t find the Cream of tartar in market what would be I substitute? I want to try to bake this recipe.. tnx for the video and I’ll wait for your rply,.. thank you very much =) =D =)
robie says
hi kuya:).,thanks for this recipe .,i really want to bake this one.,,what if i dont have cream of tartar , what could be the possible substitute for it?ia baking powder is all right?.,thanks a lot.,waiting for ur reply…!!!!:)
Marion says
Hi finally i found this recipe thank you
hopelesschef says
Hi Kuya! Super thanks for this recipe 🙂 I love Brazo de Mercedes and now I can just make it when I crave for it!
Renee says
Hi!, this is the first time i will do baking, we don’t have an oven here in our place,but my mom use turbo broiler like for making baked macaroni .I want to know maybe there’s a difference with the Preheating time and is there an adjusments for the settings ?thanks i hope you can answer my question i want to do this !going to wait for your reply! 🙂 thanks again
Ms. Ann says
I’m also interested to know if meringue can be cooked using turbo boiler.. I just hope someone can answer this. I believe you can also try this using conventional oven or oven toaster.
ilovetocook says
hi po.. I tried this yesterday but dumikit po cia on wax paper kaya i wasnt able to roll it that good.is it because mainit pa cia kaya dumikit?
anyway, thanks a lot. I learned a lot from this website..I just learned cooking so it helps me a lot..
Ms. Ann says
grease the surface of your wax paper more, so it will not stick on your wax paper.
Alona says
I would suggest a parchment paper, it’s better than wax paper but to make sure spray a little shortening.
Sabrina says
Hi! I loved your recipe and found it very easy to make. My 1st was perfect! However, I can’t seem to remove that eggy smell on the egg whites when cooked. Would you know a trick to remove that smell? thanks!
marie says
add a few drops of lemon juice 🙂 I also add 1 tsp. vanilla to the meringue mixture, it gets rid of the eggy flavor …
alma says
can i make brazo de mercedes without confectioner sugar,is that be alright?
Ms. Ann says
It’s okay if you don’t have confectioners’ sugar, however if your meringue’s done and you’ll put the custard inside and roll it, it’ll be hard ‘cos it’s sticky.
Cory says
Thanks po for this recipe. I tried it and it was great!! I never done this before but it is so simple…
Thanks and more power!
adalia bonita says
hi kuya, can i beat the white egg using by whisk bulk,, dont have elctric hand mixer for now po…
imy says
Hi! Im wondering kung pede ba tong ibake sa round pan?
MvS says
Dear Sir,
The tutorial video of your brazo mercedes was so easy to follow,thank you.I tried to make this cake for my parent’s wedding anniversary but when I started to roll my meringue(with the filling),it cracked.What did I do wrong? 🙁 Do I have to roll it while the meringue is still warm? Because I rolled it when the meringue was completely cool.
michelle says
You have to roll the cake fresh from the oven while still hot… It will crack if rolled cool. The same procedure you done in all Rolled-cakes recipes.
Hopes this help.
leah says
🙂 this site is absolutely perfect for mom like me…im almost 1 month watching those video from youtube.and some of the recipe i already tried…thank you for creating this site, its wonderful…..
cindy says
i watch this ever time i try a new filipino dish,it helps and i enjoy watching it..prima!!!
Rachelle says
s! -- mga 5 mins siguro pag-beat nung egg…depende sa speed ng hand mixer mo…sa akin on high na yun…
dd -- pam yung brand nung ginamit ko na pang-spray…
hope this will help
dd says
hi po…ano po gnamit nyo panggrease knna?
s! says
approxi,ately how long will you beat the egg white until you reach the soft peak?
P. Lopez says
Thank you for sharing the recipe, its really yuuummmmmy, as you said its easy to make it, My family and friends really enjoy it.
james says
thanks, i really love it. the outcome was great.