Dacquoise Meringue Cake
Are you a fan of meringue cakes? Dacquoise cake is the most delicious meringue cake you can imagine. There are many varieties of dacquoise. It tastes different in every confectionery shop. Caramel dacquoise, coffee dacquoise, but in my opinion the most delicious is dacquoise with nuts, dates, mascarpone and cream sweetened with honey. If you are looking for a recipe for a meringue that is crunchy on the outside but soft and chewy on the inside, you will find the perfect proportions below. You don’t know how to beat egg whites for meringue or how much sugar for meringue? Read the instructions below to find out what proportions are needed for a meringue with 2, 3, 4, 5 or 6 eggs. This is a universal recipe for the perfect meringue that always turns out great!
Recipe modifications:
- You can replace the pecans with walnuts or Brazil nuts.
- If you prefer super sweet desserts, you can add dulce de leche or butterscotch to the cream or spread the meringue with fudge/toffee sauce.
- If you do not want to soak the dates in rum, you can add a few drops of rum flavoring to the cream.
- The proportions given below make a very large cake. Of course, you can make a smaller cake by reducing the amount of egg whites and sugar. Just remember the rule of 50 g of sugar / 1 egg white.
Example proportions for meringue:
- Small cake: 2 egg whites, 100 g of sugar, 1 tablespoon of lemon juice, ½ teaspoon of starch (bake for approx. 1 hour)
- Medium cake: 4 egg whites, 200 g of sugar, 1 tablespoon of lemon juice, 1 teaspoon of starch (bake for approx. 1.5 hour)
- Large cake: 6 egg whites, 300 g of sugar, 1 tablespoon of lemon juice, 1 teaspoon of starch (bake for approx. 1.5 – 2 hours)
- Very large cake: 8 egg whites, 400 g of sugar, 1 tablespoon of lemon juice, 1 teaspoon of starch (bake for approx. 2 hours)
Of course, the number of egg whites does not have to be even 😉
How to make the perfect meringue?
- Eggs: for the meringue, the eggs should be at room temperature. Warmer egg whites are easier to separate from the yolks, they are easier to whip and the sugar dissolves in them more easily. If you don’t have time to take the eggs out of the fridge earlier, put them in a bowl of warm, not hot, water to prevent the egg whites from curdling. Soak the eggs in warm water for about 10 minutes. If necessary, replace the water or add warmer water.
- Sugar: Add fifty grams of fine sugar per egg white. Fine sugar will dissolve faster than regular sugar and there will be no sugar lumps in our meringue.
- Bowl: To whip the egg whites well, they should not come into contact with fat, so it is best to beat the egg whites in a glass or metal bowl. Plastic bowls often have a greasy film on them. Plastic bowls also have a very smooth surface from which the foam slides and has “no strength’ to rise.
- Lemon juice and starch: give the meringue stiffness and stabilize the foam. As for the proportions, you don’t have to stick to them perfectly, I add more or less lemon juice and sometimes I add a heaping teaspoon of starch and sometimes a flatter one.
How to bake meringue?
Bake the meringue at a low temperature using a convection fan oven. The fan ensures the movement of warm air in the oven, which helps our meringue dry better. During baking, you can open the door several times to remove moisture from the oven. Leave the baked meringue in the oven with the open doors to dry for a few hours. Don’t touch the meringue until it dries and cools down.
How to decorate a meringue cake?
You can decorate the top of the cake with dates, nuts and/or sprinkle with cocoa powder.
Can the meringue cake be prepared in advance?
The cream tastes best the next day when the cream and mascarpone become flavored with nuts, dates and rum. The day before, you can prepare the entire cake or just the cream. It is best to prepare the meringue a day in advance before filling with cream so that it can dry.
How to store meringue cake?
The meringue layered with cream could be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
How long can meringue tops be kept?
You can easily store dry meringue tops for several days, and well-dried meringue will last up to several weeks. It is important that the meringues do not get wet. Store them in an airtight container at room temperature. You can wrap larger meringues tightly with a paper towel.
Dacquoise cake does not contain gluten. The proportions given below will make approximately 16 large portions of meringue cake.
Read the step-by-step recipe on how to prepare dacquoise meringue cake and watch the video below the recipe.
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Dacquoise Meringue Cake
Dacquoise Meringue Cake Recipe
Ingredients
Meringue
- 8 egg whites
- 400 g fine sugar
- 1 tsp starch
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- salt
Cream
- 500 g mascarpone
- 500 ml whipping cream (30% or 36% fat)
- 100 g pecans
- 100 g dates
- 30 ml rum
- 3 tbsp honey
Instructions
Meringue
- Pour the egg whites into the mixer bowl and add a pinch of salt. Start beating the egg whites at low speed and slowly increase the speed to maximum so that the egg whites do not splatter. When the egg whites turn into foam and triple in volume, start adding sugar. In small portions, spoon by spoon. Before adding another spoon, wait until the sugar dissolves (no small lumps will be visible). Add approximately 1 tablespoon of sugar every 30 seconds. When all the sugar dissolves in the egg whites, add lemon juice and starch and beat for about a minute. After a minute, turn off the mixer.8 egg whites, 400 g fine sugar, 1 tsp starch, 1 tbsp lemon juice, salt
- Place the beaten egg whites on a baking tray lined with baking paper and spread to form a circle. You can trace the template on baking paper in advance. Do the same with the other half of the egg whites on the other baking tray. Bake both meringues at the same time. Place the meringues in the oven preheated to 120 °C (
248 °F) and bake for approx. 2 hours. After this time, turn off the oven, tilt the door and, preferably, leave it to dry in the oven overnight.Each oven heats slightly differently, so you need to control your meringue. If the meringue starts to brown, reduce the temperature.
Cream
- Chop the dates and nuts. Place the dates in a bowl, pour rum over them and leave to soak for about 10 minutes. After this time, strain the dates and pour out the rum.100 g pecans, 100 g dates, 30 ml rum
- Pour the cream into the mixer bowl and add the mascarpone. Start whipping at the lowest speed so that the cream does not splatter and slowly start increasing the speed to maximum. When the cream is whipped to about 90%, add chopped nuts, soaked dates and honey. Continue beating until ingredients are mixed.500 g mascarpone, 500 ml whipping cream, 3 tbsp honey
- Place one meringue on a plate, apply cream on it and cover with the second meringue. Put the cake in the fridge or serve. The cake tastes best the next day. Enjoy your meal!
Video
Nutrition
Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet
