mocha meringue cake
- 2 teaspoons good-quality instant coffee granules
- ½ teaspoon boiling water
- 1 tablespoon cornflour (cornstarch)
- 1 cup (100g) hazelnut meal (ground hazelnuts)
- 150ml eggwhite (about 4 eggs), at room temperature
- 1½ cups (240g) icing (confectioner’s) sugar, sifted, plus extra for dusting
mocha mousse
- ½ cup (125ml) single (pouring) cream
- ¼ cup (15g) good-quality instant coffee granules
- 300g white chocolate, finely chopped
- 100g dark chocolate, finely chopped
- 4 egg yolks
- 2 eggwhites
- 1½ cups (375ml) double (thick) cream, whipped
- Preheat oven to 120°C (250°F). Line 2 baking trays with non-stick baking paper. Draw a 21cm circle on each sheet and turn the paper over, to avoid marks transferring.
- Place the coffee and water in a small bowl, mix to dissolve and set aside. Place the cornflour and hazelnut meal in a small bowl, mix to combine and set aside.
- Place the eggwhite in the bowl of an electric mixer and whisk on high speed until stiff peaks form. Add the sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, whisking for 30 seconds before adding more. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and whisk for a further 2–3 minutes or until the mixture is thick and glossy. Add the cornflour mixture and coffee mixture and whisk until just combined. Divide the mixture evenly between the trays, spreading it within the circles. Bake for 1 hour or until crisp and dry to the touch. Turn the oven off. Allow to cool in the oven with the door closed for 2 hours.
- To make the mousse, place the single cream and coffee in a large heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water (the bowl shouldn’t touch the water). Whisk to dissolve the coffee. Add the chocolates, whisking until melted. Allow to cool slightly. Add the egg yolks and whisk to combine. Place the eggwhites in a clean bowl of the electric mixer and whisk to soft peaks. Gently fold into the mousse. Add the whipped cream and fold to combine. Refrigerate for 15 minutes.
- Line a 24cm round springform tin with non-stick baking paper. Place 1 meringue in the tin. Top with the mousse and the remaining meringue. Refrigerate for 3–4 hours or until set. Remove from the tin and place on a cake stand or plate. Dust with extra icing sugar to serve. Serves 8–10
Mandy Schelfhout
what a delicious cake!,
i made it for christmas this year, and everybody loved it( even my brother who apparently couldn’t handle the hazelnuts because he got a rash from it but he loved the taste. i had a little flaw in one of my merengues, and should have baked one of them a little longer.. but i was stubborn and just used it as the bottom one, and i put my cake in the freezer to let it set, and forgot to get it out on time again so people had to wait a little because it was to frozen to cut, but once the had it and it was not frozen anymore but just a little cold everybody liked it very much! (oo and i forgot to dust it with te icing sugar before serving it) ..i will try this again sometime because even with all my mistakes it was soo delicious!
© DONNA HAY GROUP
