Best Hot Chocolate Meringue Cake Recipes

HOT COCOA MERINGUES

Steps:

• Heat oven to 275°F. Place oven racks in upper and lower third of oven. Line 2 large cookie sheets with cooking parchment paper.
• In large bowl, beat egg whites, cream of tartar and vanilla with electric mixer on high speed until foamy. Beat in sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time; continue beating until stiff, glossy peaks form and sugar is almost dissolved, 5 to 6 minutes, scraping side of bowl occasionally. Do not underbeat.
• In small bowl, place 2 cups of the meringue. Sprinkle cocoa through fine mesh strainer over top; fold cocoa into mixture. Place large piping bag fitted with large star piping tip on its side. Using large icing spatula, spoon half of white meringue so it covers one half of the length of inside of piping bag. Carefully spoon half of the cocoa meringue on top of the white in bag. On cookie sheet, pipe into 2-inch circles. Repeat filling piping bag and piping with remaining meringues.
• Place both cookie sheets in oven. Bake 30 minutes. Turn off oven; leave meringues in oven with door closed 1 hour. Remove from oven, and place pans on cooling racks; continue to cool at room temperature, about 2 hours. Remove from parchment paper; place on cooling racks.
• Place waxed paper or cooking parchment paper under cooling racks. In small microwavable bowl, microwave chocolate chips uncovered on High 30 to 60 seconds, stirring halfway through, until chips can be stirred smooth. Spoon into resealable food-storage plastic bag; partially seal bag. Cut small tip from corner of bag; drizzle chocolate over tops of cookies. Sprinkle mallow bits on tops of cookies. Let stand 1 hour 30 minutes or until chocolate is set. Store covered in airtight container in single layer.

CHOCOLATE AND HAZELNUT MERINGUE CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9-by-3-inch springform pan. Line bottom with parchment. Butter parchment, and sprinkle with flour; tap out excess. Set aside.
• Spread hazelnuts in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Toast until fragrant and skins start to crack, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from oven; rub vigorously with a clean kitchen towel to take off skins. Let cool; roughly chop. Set aside.
• Make cake batter: In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter and brown sugar until pale and smooth. Add egg yolks, one at a time, beating well after each addition, until mixture is light and fluffy. Add melted chocolate, vanilla, and rum, if using; beat until combined. Set aside.
• In a clean mixer bowl, combine 6 egg whites and salt; using the whisk attachment, beat on high speed until soft peaks form, about 2 minutes. Stir one-third of the egg whites into chocolate mixture. Fold in remaining beaten egg whites just until combined. Pour batter into prepared pan, and bake 25 minutes.
• Meanwhile, make meringue: Combine hazelnuts, chopped chocolate, and cornstarch in a small bowl, and set aside. Place remaining 4 egg whites and cream of tartar in a clean mixer bowl; using a clean whisk attachment, beat on high speed until frothy. With mixer running, slowly add superfine sugar; continue beating until stiff peaks form, about 8 minutes. Fold in hazelnut mixture.
• Remove cake from oven. Using an offset spatula, spread meringue mixture on top of cake, and return to oven. Bake until meringue is lightly browned and crisp, 25 to 30 minutes. Transfer pan to a wire rack; let stand 10 minutes. Run a knife around the edge of the cake to loosen, and release sides of pan. Let cool, about 30 minutes, before slicing and serving.

CHOCOLATE MERINGUES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 200 degrees F. In a large bowl with an electric mixer beat the egg whites until frothy. Add the cream of tartar and granulated sugar 1 tablespoon at a time. Beat until the egg whites are stiff and shiny and the sugar granules cannot be felt in the whites. Beat in the vanilla, reduce speed to low and add cocoa until combined. With a spatula put the egg white mixture into a pastry bag fitted with a large star tip. Pipe 2-inch meringue "kisses" on a parchment paper lined baking sheet, at least 2 inches apart. Bake in the middle of oven for 2 hours. Turn off oven and leave the meringues in it for at least 2 more hours or until meringues are completely dry.

DEEP, DARK CHOCOLATE CAKE

Steps:

• Arrange a shelf in the lower third of the oven, place a baking stone on it, and preheat the oven to 350°F/177°C.
• Spray VERY GENEROUSLY a 13 x 9 x 2-inch (33 x 23 x 5-cm) rectangular pan or two 9 x 2-inch (23 x 5-cm) round cake pans with nonstick cooking spray. Line the bottom of the round pans with parchment and spray on top of the parchment. With the rectangular pan, line and extend up the long sides with a piece of Release foil or parchment sprayed lightly with nonstick cooking spray.
• In a heavy saucepan, stir together the sugar, salt, cocoa, and baking soda. In another saucepan, bring 1 cup (237 ml) water to a boil. Stirring constantly, pour boiling water a little at a time into the cocoa mixture. It will bubble up at first and then get dark and thicken. Stir the cocoa mixture briskly. Place on the heat and bring back to a boil. Turn off the heat and allow to stand in the hot saucepan for at least 10 minutes.
• Pour the hot cocoa mixture into a mixing bowl. Add the oil and vanilla and beat on low speed for about 10 seconds. On low speed, beat the flour into the batter and then, with a minimum of beating, beat in the egg yolks, whole eggs, and buttermilk. This is a thin batter. Pour the batter into the prepared pan or pans. Place in the oven on the stone and bake until the center feels springy to the touch, about 25 minutes for round layers or 35 minutes for the sheet cake. Allow to cool in the pan for about 10 minutes on a rack. Run a thin knife around the edge and jar the edge of the pan to loosen. Invert onto the serving platter. Cool completely before icing.

CHOCOLATE CAKE WITH SNOWY MERINGUE

Steps:

• Make the cake layers: Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Butter two 9-inch round cake pans. Line bottoms with parchment paper; butter parchment. Dust with flour, and tap out excess; set aside. Melt chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water, stirring. Let cool completely. Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl; set aside.
• Put butter and sugar into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes. Reduce speed to low. Mix in buttermilk and vanilla. Add flour mixture in 3 batches, alternating with the eggs, 2 at a time. Add melted chocolate; mix until smooth.
• Divide batter between prepared pans. Bake until a cake tester comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Let cool on wire racks 15 minutes. Turn out cakes, and remove parchment. Let cool completely on racks.
• Meanwhile, make the ganache filling: Bring cream to a boil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Pour over chocolate in a heatproof mixer bowl; stir until smooth. Let cool completely. Attach bowl to mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat on medium-high speed until mixture reaches a medium stiff consistency, 2 to 5 minutes, checking frequently. If it does not reach this consistency, chill in freezer up to 5 minutes, then continue beating.
• Assemble cake: Trim rounded tops of cakes flat. Stir together 1 1/2 cups filling and the almonds; spread over one cake layer. Top with second layer, and spread remaining filling over top and sides. Smooth with an offset spatula. Refrigerate until filling is very firm, 1 to 2 hours.
• Meanwhile, make the ganache glaze: Bring cream to a boil over medium-high heat. Pour over chocolate in a bowl; stir until smooth. Let cool completely.
• Transfer assembled cake to a wire rack set over a rimmed baking sheet. Pour glaze over cake all at once, using a spatula to push it over edges and down sides. (This must be done in one pour or the coating will have drips.) Refrigerate until set, 45 minutes to 1 1/2 hours.
• Make the topping: Put egg whites and sugar into a heatproof mixer bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Whisk until sugar has dissolved and mixture reaches 160 degrees, 4 to 5 minutes. Attach bowl to mixer fitted with whisk attachment. Beat on high speed until stiff peaks form, 7 to 10 minutes. Mound meringue on top of cake; swirl decoratively. Serve.