The combination of chocolate and hazelnut is another of those insanely good things that melt my heart and make me go weak at the knees – particularly when combined with meringue and filled with cream in the form of a dacquoise or layered gâteau.
Chocolate hazelnut dacquoise is another of my kedvenc cakes, my friends. In other words, it's among my absolute favourites, On our recent travels, I've enjoyed versions of these at a few venues – including the Porterhouse Bistro in Moss Vale, NSW and the award-winning ONA Coffee House in Fyshwick, ACT.
Now, allow me to be completely honest with you. I try NOT to bake dacquoise too often, as I find that I morph into Miss Piggy and devour the entire gâteau to myself. I just can't help it. I love these so much! ❤ That said, I thought it was time to make one and share my recipe with you. So, this is my take on a recipe from Steven Wheeler's Sweet Success – a cookbook that has graced my shelves for many years, and brought me much culinary pleasure too. Note, the fresher the eggs and the hazelnuts, the better your dacquoise will be! CHOCOLATE HAZELNUT DACQUOISE 50g hazelnuts, lightly toasted, finely ground 4 free range egg whites, room temperature 200g vanilla infused caster sugar 1 level tablespoon cocoa powder, sifted 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon For the cream filling: 275 ml mascarpone 2 tablespoons vanilla infused caster sugar 100 ml double cream 2 teaspoons Sailor Jerry spiced rum, optional To finish: hazelnuts or shaved chocolate, to decorate a little of the cream filling Preheat your oven to 140 degrees C. Line three baking trays with parchment on which you have drawn an 18-cm/7-inch circle. (Or, use those pre-cut rounds of baking paper). To make the meringue, place the egg whites into a clean Pyrex bowl (or the bowl of a stand mixer) and whisk until the whites are thick. Gradually add the caster sugar, a little at a time. Continue to whisk until the egg whites are stiff and the sugar is incorporated. Sprinkle the finely ground hazelnuts, cocoa and cinnamon over the egg whites and fold in gently, using a spatula. Spoon equal quantities of the chocolate hazelnut meringue onto the three prepared trays. Using a palette knife, spread the mixture evenly around the circles on the parchment, taking care that the meringue is level and nicely shaped. Bake in the preheated oven at 140 degree C for 15 minutes, then lower the heat to 120 degrees C and bake for a further 45 minutes or so. Cool completely, then gently peel off the baking paper. Meanwhile, whip the mascarpone with the cream, sugar and rum. Using a palette knife, spread the cream between the layers and sandwich them together. For a richer dacquoise, you can grate some dark chocolate over the cream (if desired), or spread with some melted chocolate! As my jeans are already tightly fitting, I use only the mascarpone cream. Reserve a little of the cream to pipe decorations onto the top of the cake. Decorate with toasted hazelnuts, chocolate curls or chocolate latticework if desired. Now, the secret to a truly delicious result is to let the cream to 'soften' the meringue ever so slightly. To achieve this, allow the dacquoise to rest in the refrigerator for an hour or so before serving. This quantity serves 6. Or one Miss Piggy!
Tell me dear readers and fellow cooks, do you enjoy the combination of chocolate and hazelnuts? Do you ever morph into Miss (or Mister) Piggy? Do tell! (^_-)
21 Comments
20/6/2015 02:59:28 am
Hahaha... Any food that causes you to get your hoover/scoff on is a recipe I absolutely must try. It doesn't actually look like eating the whole thing would be doing too much damage, so thats something. :)
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Lizzy
20/6/2015 05:16:36 pm
Ha ha, Anna, trust me, I really do get my Piggy on when it comes to these little babies... I don't mind having womanly curves either... it's just that I find I can gain (almost) five kilos overnight! : ( Or so it seems. : )
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20/6/2015 03:38:36 am
Anything with Hazelnuts is fine with me. Your daquoise looks spectacular . I see that your hazelnuts already had their skins removed. I have never seen that here in the States.
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Lizzy
20/6/2015 05:15:26 pm
Thanks so much, Gerlinde. I buy them online, direct from a grower.
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Lizzy
20/6/2015 05:14:42 pm
I'd LOVE that Amanda! xx
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20/6/2015 03:47:24 pm
It's easy to see why you devour this cake, it looks scrumptious!
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Lizzy
20/6/2015 05:14:25 pm
Laura, that's so sweet, thank you!
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Lizzy
21/6/2015 01:06:22 am
Oh Maureen, sorry to hear that you are still unwell. If we lived closer, I'd bake one for you xx
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20/6/2015 06:34:40 pm
I love hazelnuts and with chocolate, even better :)
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Lizzy
21/6/2015 01:06:40 am
Oh, me too Tandy : )
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20/6/2015 11:14:17 pm
SO glad we provided you with a reason to cook your favourite - just so you could share the recipe with us!! In answer to your reader question your post title was all it took to start me salivating :D And in answer to your 'Miss Piggy' question, lets just say name an Australia town - any town - and I'll probably be able to tell you what the bakery is like!!
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Lizzy
21/6/2015 01:07:04 am
Ah, you would be a font of knowledge on that point, Red! : )
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21/6/2015 06:53:37 am
Okay, let's start with the questions: Yes, I love chocolate and hazelnut combined. And, regardless of the recent report from France, I adore Nutella. And, yes, I will be Mister Piggy when I eat this!
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21/6/2015 11:50:47 am
I agree with you lizzy, chocolate and hazelnut is one of life's best flavour combinations!
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21/6/2015 03:59:34 pm
It looks so lovely Lizzy. I don't blame you for not making this often because it would disappear in a flash around me too!
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21/6/2015 05:53:03 pm
We smell black coffee or tea plus your dacquoise = a perfect afternoon...Great dessert, Lizzy!
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22/6/2015 12:34:46 am
I would be tempted to have a large piece as it looks so good. Unfortunately my jeans are a smidgen too tight so I'll just take a small slice please. :)
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22/6/2015 04:39:16 pm
Yup, I could see eating the whole thing by myself too. Good thing Mrs KR would be trying to do the same thing, so we'd each only get half. ;-) This is really good -- thanks.
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Cooking and writing have been a lifelong passion. Join me as I share with you my favourite recipes; postcards and morsels from my travels; conversations with cookery writers and chefs; and news on food, cookbooks and cooking. - Liz Posmyk
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