I'm super excited to share with you today this Chocolate Meringue Layer Cake recipe that's from Gemma Stafford's new cookbook, Bigger Bolder Baking: A Fearless Approach to Baking Anytime, Anywhere. This is Gemma's first cookbook, and it has a ton of really good recipes like Devil's Food Cupcakes, Baked Cinnamon Sugar Churros, Chocolate Lava Pie, and of course, this beauty! I loved this cake, and I have no doubt you will too!
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About the Recipe
This chocolate meringue layer cake is quite different from your typical chocolate cake, but trust me, it is very, very good! This recipe comprises two 10-inch round layers of light and crunchy chocolate meringue, Gemma's three-ingredient creamy chocolate mousse, homemade whipped cream, and chocolate shavings. It is the perfect combination of crunchy and creamy textures in every single chocolatey bite!
Suggested Tips for Making Gemma's Chocolate Meringue Layer Cake
Preparation Tips
- Before starting, ensure you can fit two parchment-lined cookie sheets (or jelly roll pans) in your oven. I could fit 2 15" x 10" x 1" jelly roll pans into mine.
- I couldn't quite fit the suggested 10" round disc of chocolate meringue onto my jelly roll pans, so I went with a 9" round disc instead.
- If you want your meringue discs to be close to near-perfect circles, as I did, use an old-school compass to draw the circles onto both sheets of parchment paper. Then flip the parchment paper over and place them onto the cookie sheets or jelly rolls pans. If you have trouble seeing the pencil line, you can always go back over it with a black permanent marker. This was helpful when it came time to spread the chocolate meringue onto the prepared pans.
- When making the chocolate meringue and chocolate mousse, running a paper towel soaked in a little distilled white vinegar over your mixing bowl and whisk attachment (and any other equipment you plan to use with your egg whites) is a good idea. This will help remove any traces of grease, oil, or fats.
3-Ingredient Chocolate Mousse
- The ingredient amounts listed below for Gemma's chocolate mousse recipe have been cut in half. If you'd like to make the chocolate mousse as a stand-alone recipe, you will need to double it.
- Regarding egg whites, it is highly recommended to use pasteurized eggs. Pasteurized eggs are safe to consume because they've been rapidly heated and held at a minimum required temperature for a specified time to destroy any bacteria. For more information, please see the USDA's article on pasteurized eggs.
- After making the chocolate mousse, I covered it tightly with some plastic wrap, then placed it in the fridge while waiting for the chocolate meringue discs to dry.
- When you're ready to put the chocolate meringue layer cake together, remove the chocolate mousse from the fridge and give it a good quick whisking.
Whipped Cream
- I also made the whipped cream while the chocolate meringue discs dried out. Then I placed it in the fridge and re-whipped it quickly before adding it to the top of the cake. This isn't required, just something I like to do with whipped cream.
- If you'd like the whipped cream to be a little sweeter, add one teaspoon of vanilla extract and 2-3 tablespoons of sifted confectioners sugar.
Chocolate Meringue Discs
- After you make the chocolate meringue discs, you have to turn off your oven and leave them in there for 3 hours to dry out. I'll be honest, the waiting part was tough, but it was worth the wait after I had a slice of the assembled cake!
- And as tempting as it was, I did not open the door at all while the chocolate meringue discs baked. Nor did I open the turned-off oven while they were drying out.
Assembling the Cake
- Be careful removing the chocolate meringue discs from the parchment paper after they've dried out. Think of them as if they were Fabergé eggs. Handle them with care as you move them to the serving plate.
- I used an offset spatula to apply the chocolate mousse. I added a little at a time instead of all at once. I recommend doing the same with the whipped cream that you'll add to the top.
- The chocolate meringue discs may crack as you add the chocolate mousse and whipped cream...that's totally normal and okay. It's still going to taste amazing! Trust me!
- To make the chocolate shavings, use a vegetable peeler to shave off small pieces of chocolate. I found that a room-temperature bar of chocolate was easier to peel, and I started with the long side of the bar.
Final Tip
- Go out and buy (or order online) Gemma's new Bigger Bolder Baking cookbook! Like this recipe, you will LOVE it and all the other recipes! Gift it to yourself or buy it for a family member or friend that loves to bake!❤️
📖 Recipe
Chocolate Meringue Layer Cake
Author:Ingredients
chocolate meringue layer cake
- 6 large Egg Whites (room temperature, pasteurized)
- 2 cups Sugar
- 2 ½ teaspoon Cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon Distilled White Vinegar
- 3 tablespoon Unsweetened Cocoa Powder (sifted)
- Chocolate Shavings
3 ingredient chocolate mousse
- 1 cups Chopped Bittersweet Chocolate
- ¼ cup Whole Milk
- 3 large Egg Whites (room temperature, pasteurized)
whipped cream
- 2 cups Heavy Cream
Instructions
chocolate meringue layer cake
- Preheat the oven to 275ºF (135ºC). Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.
- Using a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, or a handheld electric mixer, bet the egg whites on low speed for 2 minutes, until bubbles start to form.6 large Egg Whites
- Increase the speed to medium-high and whip until the egg whites start to thicken, roughly 2 to 3 minutes.
- Add the sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, until it is all incorporated. The egg whites will double in volume and become shiny.2 cups Sugar
- Add the cornstarch, vinegar, and cocoa powder and mix for 2 minutes more.2 ½ teaspoon Cornstarch, 1 teaspoon Distilled White Vinegar, 3 tablespoon Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
- Spread a flat 10-inch round disc of meringue on each prepared cookie sheet.
- Bake for 1 to 1 ¼ hours. Turn off the oven but leave the meringue in the oven to dry out for 3 hours.
- Meanwhile, whip the cream until stiff peaks form. Refrigerate until ready to assemble the cake.2 cups Heavy Cream
3-ingredient chocolate mousse
- Put the chocolate and milk in a large heatproof bowl and gently melt in the microwave or over a bain-marie (see notes section below) or a double boiler. Set aside to cool slightly.1 cups Chopped Bittersweet Chocolate, ¼ cup Whole Milk
- Using a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, or handheld electric mixer, whip the egg whites until stiff peaks form.3 large Egg Whites
- Fold a spoonful of the egg whites into the chocolate mixture to loosen it. Gently fold in the remaining egg whites until fully incorporated, taking care not to overmix.
assemble the cake
- Set one meringue disc on a serving platter and generously spread the chocolate mousse over top, followed by half of the whipped cream. Place the other meringue disc on top and finish with the remaining whipped cream. Garnish with chocolate shavings (see notes in the section below). Keep refrigerated and enjoy within 2 days.Chocolate Shavings
- Keep refrigerated and covered tightly with plastic wrap until you're ready to assemble the cake.
Recipe Notes
- Prep time was not noted in the cookbook and is approximate. The 45-minute prep time includes the chocolate meringue discs, chocolate mousse, and whipped cream.
- Instructions in italics were added by Beyond the Butter.
- Regarding egg whites, it is highly recommended to use pasteurized eggs. Pasteurized eggs are safe to consume because they've been rapidly heated and held at a minimum required temperature for a specified time to destroy any bacteria. For more information, please see the USDA's article on pasteurized eggs.
- A bain-marie is a French technique that uses gentle heat to cook more delicate food like chocolate or custard. To create a bain-marie, bring some water to a simmer in a saucepan. Set a heatproof bowl, bigger than the mouth of the saucepan, over the simmering water, ensuring the water doesn't touch the bottom of the bowl. Put the ingredients in the bowl as directed in the recipe above and allow the heat of the steam below to melt the chocolate and milk together slowly and evenly.
- To make the chocolate shavings, use a vegetable peeler to shave off small pieces of chocolate.
- Reprinted with permission from Bigger Bolder Baking cookbook publisher Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
Nutrition
Nutritonal information provided above is an estimate only and will vary based on specific ingredients used.
Coll says
My chocolate mousse was far too runny and wouldn't stay on the meringue - should I have used some gelatin maybe?
Jennifer says
You shouldn't need gelatin to make this chocolate mousse. It's possible you had a small amount of yolk in your egg whites or trace amounts of grease, oil, or fats on your whisk, mixing bowl, or spatula that transferred over to the egg whites, which could have caused it to turn out runny.
Jennifer says
If you eat them as-is, yes. You're whipping these into a meringue and then baking it.
Jen says
The meringue has cooked egg whites, but your Bain Marie appears to be only for the chocolate and milk. I don’t see how folding whipped egg whites into the chocolate mousse (which was set aside to cool) makes those egg whites safe.
Jennifer says
Hi! This is a recipe from Gemma/Bigger Bolder Baking's cookbook (reprinted with permission), in which she recommends using pasteurized eggs for this reason. Pasteurized eggs are safe to consume because they've been rapidly heated and held at a minimum required temp for a specified time to destroy any bacteria. So cooking them is not required. I've updated the recipe ingredients and notes to include this. Thanks!
Sarah Mitchell says
The texture is so beautiful here, it looks so...exotic! This looks almost too good. Keep up the good work!
Jennifer says
Thank you, Sarah!❤️
Dee says
Jennifer this looks AMAZING!!! Love Gemma's new book! Can't wait to try out this one!
Jennifer says
Thanks Dee! No joke it is amazing! I could not stop eating it! I think I need to go for the churros next!