This Chocolate Meringue Layer Cake from Gemma Stafford's first cookbook, Bigger Bolder Baking: A Fearless Approach to Baking Anytime, Anywhere is made up of 2, 10-inch round layers of light and crunchy chocolate meringue, with a layers of creamy chocolate mousse and whipped cream in between. Then it's delicately topped off with some more whipped cream and chocolate shavings. It is the perfect combination of crunchy and creamy textures in every single chocolatey bite!
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.
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.