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Glass trifle dish layered with golden sponge cake, whipped cream, diced peaches, and crushed meringue, top-down on a linen cloth

Layered Postre Chajá: Uruguay's Peach Meringue Trifle

A chilled Uruguayan trifle of sponge cake, whipped cream, peaches, and crushed meringue, layered in a glass dish and rested overnight.
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Prep Time 35 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 40 minutes
Total Time 6 hours 15 minutes
Servings: 8 servings
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: Latin American
Calories: 476
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Sponge Cake
  • 4 eggs large
  • 120 g granulated sugar
  • 120 g all-purpose flour sifted
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 pinch salt
Meringue
  • 2 egg whites (about 60 g); room temperature
  • 120 g granulated sugar
  • 1/4 tsp cream of tartar or a few drops of lemon juice
Cream and Peaches
  • 500 ml heavy cream / 2 cups; cold
  • 50 g powdered sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 800 g canned peaches in syrup can; drained, syrup reserved, fruit diced
  • 2 tbsp orange liqueur optional, or use extra reserved peach syrup

Method
 

Bake the Sponge Cake
  1. Heat the oven to 180 C / 350 F. Grease and line a 20 cm / 8-inch round cake pan with parchment.
  2. Whisk the eggs and sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer on high for 5 to 6 minutes, until pale, thick, and tripled in volume.
  3. Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt over the egg mixture. Fold gently until no streaks remain, then fold in the vanilla.
  4. Pour the batter into the pan and bake for 22 to 25 minutes, until golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool completely in the pan, then turn out onto a board.
Bake the Meringue
  1. Lower the oven to 100 C / 210 F and line a sheet pan with parchment.
  2. Whisk the egg whites and cream of tartar on medium speed until soft peaks form, about 2 minutes. Add the sugar a tablespoon at a time, whipping on high after each addition, until stiff and glossy, about 6 minutes.
  3. Drop tablespoon-sized mounds of meringue onto the sheet pan. Bake for 75 to 90 minutes, until they lift cleanly off the parchment and sound hollow when tapped.
  4. Turn off the oven and let the meringues cool inside with the door cracked, then break into rough chunks.
Whip the Cream and Prep the Peaches
  1. Drain the canned peaches, reserving the syrup in a small bowl. Dice the peaches into small pieces.
  2. Whip the heavy cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla with a mixer on medium-high for 3 to 4 minutes, until soft peaks hold their shape. Don't overwhip, it turns grainy fast once it passes soft peaks.
Layer and Chill
  1. Slice the cooled sponge cake horizontally into 2 layers, then cut each layer into cubes about 2.5 cm / 1 inch.
  2. Stir 2 tbsp of the reserved peach syrup or the orange liqueur into the rest of the syrup. Spread a third of the cake cubes in the bottom of a 2.5 L / 3-quart glass trifle dish and brush generously with the syrup.
  3. Spread a third of the whipped cream over the cake, scatter a third of the diced peaches on top, then sprinkle with a third of the crushed meringue. Repeat the layers twice more, finishing with cream, peaches, and meringue on top.
  4. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, ideally overnight, so the layers set and the cake soaks up the cream and syrup.

Notes

  • Use canned peaches in syrup, not juice, for a sweeter soak.
  • Bake the meringue a day ahead so it has time to fully dry out.
  • Don't assemble until the cake and meringue are completely cool.
  • Chajá tastes better on day 2, once the layers have settled.