Last updated on May 12th, 2023

Meringues with Raspberry Cheesecake Mousse

These easy Meringue Hearts are filled with a refreshing raspberry cheesecake mousse and will crush any sweet tooth cravings you or a loved one may develop during the month of love – i.e. February.

Egg whites, sweetener, cream of tartar and vanilla extract are all you need to whip up and make crisp and airy meringues. A low-carb raspberry cheesecake mousse sandwiches the meringues to create a light melt-in -your mouth dessert for Valentine’s day.

A recipe from an Australian Women’s Weekly Cookbook that I’ve had for years inspired this sugar-free meringue recipe. In the cookbook, the recipe has a filling of strawberry fruche, a low-fat yogurt made with soft cheese. I have replaced it with a low-carb raspberry cheesecake mousse as the filling in this recipe. Also, although I’m not an expert in piping, I shaped the meringues into hearts as best as possible for Valentine’s day, but you can make them into any shape you like.

It’s weird how one thing leads to another. I whipped up these meringues quickly after I had some egg whites left over from making my Keto Creme Brulee (recipe coming soon), which uses egg yolks only. I didn’t want to leave the egg whites in the fridge, knowing I would forget about them, so I thought to use them on the same day and try to make meringues after I baked the brulees. Yes, this is my first time making meringues, and I’m obsessed with them.

Why you’ll love this Meringue Recipe

• They’re easy peasy, lemon squeezy; you need 4 ingredients except for lemons unless you don’t have cream of tartar.
• You can factor the minimal carbs in this dessert into your budget and leave room for a few more.
• Light and fluffy, this meringue and raspberry mousse dessert is refreshing after a heavy meal. 
• Gluten-free, low-carb and keto, the meringues are suitable for making ahead.
• The sugar-free raspberry cheesecake mousse provokes a sweet, messy crunch from the meringue that two can share (inserts heart).
• The meringues are an easy saviour when you need to use up egg whites.
• Shape the meringues into rounds and squares, or turn them into nests for Easter.

What you need to know before making Meringues

When I made these meringues the first time, when I did my first test of this recipe, I made a complete mess and struggled with piping them onto the parchment paper. It kept slipping, and I lost control of the meringue mixture, trying to shape them into hearts.

Useful Tips for making Meringues

–Keep the bowl and whisk clean so that nothing interferes with forming a meringue mixture.

-Use room-temperature egg whites; they whip up stiff and fluffy

-Prevent any egg yolk from getting into the egg whites by separating the egg whites one at a time in a bowl, then add each egg white to the rest of the egg whites.

-I made the meringues ahead, like the night before, so they’re easy to assemble and eat on the day of assembling.

-Do a grain test and rub the fluff between your thumb and index finger; if it doesn’t feel grainy, the meringue fluff is ready.

–Add powdered sweetener into the egg whites gradually, one spoonful at a time.

-Draw the heart shapes onto the parchment paper, then pipe on the reverse side to get even-looking hearts.

-Pipe a little dot on four corners of the baking tray to help the parchment stick and not slide while you pipe.

-Draw the desired shape onto parchment paper for even and neat meringues.

Ingredients for the Meringues

Fresh egg whites – At room temperature. Separate the egg whites individually in one bowl before mixing them in with the rest of the egg whites.

Sweetener – Monk fruit or Erythritol blend powdered.

Cream of tartar – Stabilizes the meringue mixture. Substitute with lemon juice (1:2 ratio).

Vanilla extract – adds a hint of flavouring.

Baking Powder – I add a 1/4 tsp, For some reason, it helps with stiff meringue. ???

Pinch of salt – a little adds volume to the meringue.

Let’s make the Meringue Hearts

Prepare the Oven and Baking Trays

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees F. Cut out a heart shape on a piece of card to draw around as a template (about 7x7cm in size). Draw 20 heart shapes onto parchment paper, roughly 1 inch apart. Place the parchment sheet drawn-side down onto a baking tray (you may need to use 2 trays).

Make the Meringue Mixture

Mix egg whites and salt in an electric mixer on medium speed until frothy. Whisk in cream of tartar, then whisk on high speed for about a min.

While on high speed, add sweetener gradually, one spoonful at a time. Whisk on high speed until the meringue mixture turns white and fluffy. Then fold in vanilla extract on medium speed.

The meringue is ready when it’s not gritty if rubbed between the thumb and index finger. Also, if a spoonful of the mixture doesn’t fall off when tipped upside down,

Form the Meringue Heart Shapes

Transfer the meringue fluff into a piping bag with a plain circle tip. Secure the wide part – top end with a clip. Pipe dots on the corners of the baking tray where the parchment paper will sit and secure it.

Pipe along the outlines of the heart shape first, keeping the tip upright. I start from the heart’s top ‘v’ section, pipe along one side, and follow the line down to the bottom ‘v’ point, then repeat with the opposite side to meet the bottom ‘v.’

Fill the heart centers by piping 3 dots in the center.  Take a spatula and flatten the dots out to fill the gaps. Take a butter knife or spatula and refine the edges. Sliding the spatula upwards along the edge works better than sideways.

Bake the Meringues

Bake the meringues in the oven on loathe middle shelf for 45 mins. Please switch off the oven, keep the oven door slightly ajar with a wooden spoon and let them cool in the oven for 1 hour. 

Once cooled, store the meringues in an airtight container until you’re ready to assemble.

Ingredients for Raspberry Cheesecake Mousse

Cream Cheese – Softened at room temperature.

Whipped Cream – I prepare the whipped cream and chill it until needed. 1/4 cup of Heavy Whipping Cream makes about 1 cup.

Sugar-free Raspberry Purée – If you want to make your own, my Sugar-free Raspberry Puree is easy to make.

Monk fruit sweetener – to balance the tartness from the puree.

Vanilla Extract – adds flavouring.

Crushed Raspberries – fresh raspberries crushed with a fork to fill the centres inside the mousse. This is optional.

Raspberries – Fresh berries in between the meringue complement the raspberry mousse with a little more sweetness.

How to make Raspberry Cheesecake Mousse

Blend cream cheese and raspberry purée until smooth using an electric mixer. Add powdered sweetener, stir to combine, then add vanilla extract.

Fold in whipped cream and whisk on low speed until no whipped cream is visible. Transfer the mousse into a piping bag and keep it chilled in the fridge.

Assemble Meringues with Raspberry Cheesecake Mousse

Turn half the hearts upside down and pipe the mousse over each heart, following the heart shape. Fill the center with crushed raspberries or mousse, add some whole raspberries, or halve them. Top with another meringue cookie.

How to store leftover Meringues

Assembled Meringue hearts with mousse filling:

Assembled Meringue hearts are best eaten immediately on the day you make them. You can keep leftovers in the fridge until the next day, but they may get soggy underneath, but will still taste delicious., even if they are a little mushy. I don’t suggest keeping them in the fridge after a day.

Meringue Hearts Only:

Store the meringues layered between parchment paper in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks.

Raspberry Cheesecake Mousse:

Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Did you make this recipe?

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