Help with creating a wheel cake

[shootingstar]

His mother who is no longer alive, would have given me these great tips (short of me, surfing the Internet if I didn't trust the recipe that I used.) She was a classic gourmet baker in the fine traditional sense.

So I have to say the cake was a vague embarrassment covered up with all the trimmings that I described earlier in post. Wine sweetened whipping cream actually marries well with (flattened) hazelnut taste..

Recipe is here (and I cut back on the sugar by less 1/4 c. Would have done more reduction but maybe not a good idea.0

http://www.saveur.com/article/Food/S...-Meringue-Cake (I used fresh raspberries instead. Lovely. Would be lovely too with sprinkle of almonds or pine nuts.)

Thought I had found an easy cake with more sophistication than just same old strawberry shortcake.