A Conscious Feast by Nicole Aloni

Strawberry and Chocolate Meringue Torte Recipe

This is the 2nd layer--not the finished cake. photo, Nicole

It’s always a challenge to find a really fantastic dessert that meets the Passover dietary restrictions (besides sorbet and flourless chocolate cake). The solution I’ve created is this beautiful, fanciful dessert that’s remarkable enough to be the centerpiece of a meal any time, but it definitely meets the Passover standards (if you’re really observant you may want to use non-dairy topping instead of whipped cream). It’s inspired by the classic French meringue layer cake called, Le Succès or dacquoise, that I made at cooking school in Paris.

It’s best if this is finished the day before your Seder (or other special party) so that the textures can settle. The meringue can be made into either round or square discs.

Note: Experts will tell you that if the weather is humid, meringues are not a good idea since they become sticky. However, I live in Seattle, it was raining the day I made this, and it only required a little longer time in the warm oven to set.

EASE OF PREPARATION: Easy & creative: This is easy, but it does take some time to toast the meringues. Putting it together is so much fun—you could definitely get your kids involved.

Makes 10 to 12 servings

MERINGUE

• 12 egg whites
• Pinch of kosher salt
• 2 1/4 cups superfine sugar

FILLING

• 2 cups whipping cream, whipped
• 2 cups coarsely chopped bittersweet chocolate (I used ScharffenBerger 70%)
• 4 cups halved strawberries
• 1 1/2 cups roughly chopped hazelnuts or almonds

GARNISH

• 1/2 cup cocoa powder

Preheat the oven to 250° F. Egg whites will whip more easily if they are room temperature before you begin, so plan accordingly.

TO MAKE THE MERINGUES

Meringue at finished texture for piping

1. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and trace around a form, like a bowl or a box, to create the shape of your three meringues. Each meringue should be at least 12 inches across.
2. In your electric mixer, whip the egg whites and pinch of salt until they begin to foam. Slowly add in the sugar, one tablespoon at a time, until it is all incorporated. Continue to beat the meringue until stiff and glossy, about 6 minutes total.
3. Transfer the meringue to a pastry bag with a large tip. Following your outline, fill in the three forms you outlined by starting in the center and piping around in a tight spiral.
4. Place the baking sheets in the preheated oven for 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Turn off the oven and leave them in the warm oven to continue drying (up to overnight).

TO ASSEMBLE

1. Select your serving dish (you will not be moving this dessert later). Place the first meringue disc on the bottom of the dish. Spread on half of the whipped cream, and cover this with a layer of half of the chopped chocolate, half of the strawberries, and half of the nuts. Add the next meringue disc on top and settle it gently into place with your fingertips. Repeat the layering and complete with the final meringue disc. Again, exert gentle, even pressure to settle the dessert.


The finished torte, before wrapping and final cocoa dusting

2. Wrap the torte completely with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 8 hours (or up to 24 hours). In my opinion, the texture is even better after a day.
3. Right before serving, dust the top of the cake generously with cocoa powder. Slice with a serrated knife as you would a tall layer cake.

Looking for other recipes for meringue layer cakes? These look great—and quite different from mine!

• Chocolate Le Succès from The Global Gourmet site
• Le Succès Passover Cake from the Heavenly Cake Baker site