Continuing with the theme of chocolate and orange cakes, today I have a new chocolate meringue cake with hazelnuts and oranges. This chocolate and hazelnut meringue cake with oranges is absolutely wonderful! Intensely crisp, irresistible from the very first bite, elegant and beautiful on a cake stand – perfect for celebrations and especially during the festive season. Highly recommended!
Ingredients for the meringue layers:
- 6 egg whites, from large eggs
- a pinch of salt
- 300 g caster sugar
- 100 g hazelnuts
- 60 g plain chocolate, melted and cooled
All ingredients should be at room temperature.
Toast the hazelnuts in a dry frying pan or in the oven at 180ºC, stirring occasionally. Remove the brown skins – they come off most easily if the nuts are wrapped in a paper towel and rubbed between your hands. Leave the peeled nuts to cool, then process in a food processor until finely ground into hazelnut flour. Do not process for too long, or they will turn into a nut paste.
Line a flat baking tray with baking parchment and draw two 20 cm circles on the paper (the easiest way is to trace around a plate or bowl).
In the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk the egg whites with the salt until stiff peaks form. Continue whisking, adding the sugar one tablespoon at a time, very gradually. The mixture should become thick, glossy and hold its shape. Add the ground hazelnuts and gently fold them in with just a few strokes of a spatula. Add the melted chocolate and fold briefly with a single movement of the spatula.
Spread the meringue mixture evenly within the drawn circles.
Note: the meringue layers will spread considerably in the oven because of the added hazelnuts and chocolate, so place them as far apart as possible to prevent them from joining together.
Preheat the oven to 180ºC. Place the tray in the oven and immediately reduce the temperature to 140ºC. Bake/dry for approximately 1 hour and 30 minutes, until the meringue is crisp and baked on the surface. Turn off the oven, leave the door slightly ajar and allow the meringues to cool completely.
Ingredients for the whipped cream filling:
- 300 ml double cream, chilled
- 3 tablespoons mascarpone, chilled
Place both ingredients into the bowl of a stand mixer and whip until thick and smooth.
In addition:
- 2 oranges
- chocolate shavings (chocolate grated on a grater)
Peel the oranges and remove all the membranes, then set aside.
Assembly:
Spread each meringue layer with whipped cream and stack them one on top of the other. Arrange the orange segments on top and sprinkle with chocolate shavings.
Store the chocolate and hazelnut meringue cake with oranges in the refrigerator.
Enjoy!
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