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Chocolate Meringue Cake with Frangelico Angled on a Tabletop
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Chocolate Meringue Cake with Frangelico

Layers of sponge cake, liqueur, baked meringue and a chocolate ganache produce a beautiful and delicious cake.
Course Cakes, Cupcakes & Cheesecake, Dessert
Cuisine American
Keyword chocolate, christmas, dacquoise, dessert, Easter, hazelnut, holiday, meringue
Prep Time 1 hour
Cook Time 3 hours 25 minutes
Total Time 4 hours 25 minutes
Servings 8 -10 Servings
Calories 515kcal
Author Barb

Ingredients

For the Hazelnut Paste

  • ½ cup hazelnuts toasted
  • ½ large egg white
  • ¼ cup powdered sugar
  • ¼ teaspoon hazelnut liqueur I used Frangelico

For the Cake

  • ½ cup all purpose flour
  • ¼ cup cocoa powder natural unsweetened
  • ½ teaspoon baking powder
  • Pinch of salt
  • 2 large eggs
  • 2 large egg yolks
  • 2 ounces Hazelnut paste
  • ½ cup sugar
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ½ cup hazelnuts chopped, toasted

For the Meringue Layers

  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • cup superfine sugar I put regular sugar into Cuisinart for a minute
  • 1 Pinch of salt
  • 3 large egg whites room temperature
  • ½ teaspoon cream of tartar
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 Tablespoon Frangelico

For the Frangelico Glaze

  • ½ cup water
  • ½ cup sugar
  • 1 Tablespoon Frangelico liqueur

For the Buttercream Frosting (if not piping decorations)

  • 24 ounces milk chocolate chopped or milk chocolate chips
  • 1 ½ cups heavy cream
  • 8 ounces unsalted butter cut into 8 pieces
  • 3 Tablespoon light corn syrup
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1 ½ Tablespoon Frangelico
  • Pinch table salt

For the Buttercream Frosting (if you want extra to pipe bottom and/or top edge:

  • 30 ounces milk chocolate chopped or milk chocolate chips
  • 2 cups heavy cream
  • 10 ounce unsalted butter cut into 10 pieces
  • ¼ cup light corn syrup
  • 1 ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 2 Tablespoon Frangelico
  • Pinch table salt

Instructions

Make the Hazelnut Paste

  • Mix all ingredients together in a food processor until it becomes a semi smooth paste and set aside.

To Make the Cake

  • Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 350°F.
  • Lightly butter bottom and sides of 13x9x1-inch baking pan. Line bottom of pan with parchment paper.
  • Lightly dust sides with flour.
  • Sift 1/2 cup flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt into medium bowl.
  • Using electric mixer, beat eggs and egg yolks in another medium bowl until pale and foamy, about 2 minutes. Add sugar and vanilla; beat until mixture is thick and ribbon forms when beaters are lifted, about 3 minutes.
  • Mix in hazelnut paste gently.
  • Sift flour mixture over egg mixture and gently fold in with rubber spatula just until incorporated.
  • Transfer batter to baking pan; spread evenly to edges.
  • Bake until top springs back when gently touched and tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 15 minutes.
  • Transfer baking pan to rack and cool cake 20 minutes. Run small knife around sides of cake to loosen.
  • Invert cake onto parchment-lined work surface; gently peel off parchment. Cool completely.
  • Using serrated knife, cut cake in half lengthwise, each half should be 12×4-inch rectangle; trim if necessary.

Make the Meringue Layers

  • Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 175°F. Using dark pen or pencil, trace two 12×4-inch rectangles on sheet of parchment paper; turn parchment over (rectangles will show through) and place on large rimmed baking sheet. Trace one 12×4-inch rectangle on second sheet of parchment paper; turn parchment over and place on second rimmed baking sheet.
  • Sift powdered sugar, superfine sugar, and salt into medium bowl.
  • Combine egg whites and cream of tartar in large bowl of heavy-duty stand mixer fitted with wire whisk; beat on medium-low speed until frothy.
  • Increase speed to medium-high and beat until soft peaks form.
  • Increase speed to high; gradually add sugar mixture and beat until stiff and glossy peaks form, about 3 minutes.
  • Beat in vanilla and Frangelico.
  • Divide meringue equally among prepared rectangles on parchment (about 1 1/3 cups for each); spread meringue evenly within traced lines.
  • Bake meringues until dry and crisp but not browned, about 3 hours. Turn off oven and let meringues cool completely in oven.Carefully remove meringue rectangles from parchment.

Make the Buttercream

  • Simmer cream, butter, and corn syrup in medium saucepan. Remove from heat. Add chocolate; whisk until smooth.
  • Whisk in vanilla and salt. Let stand at room temperature until thick enough to spread, 1 hour to 1 1/2 hours.

Make the Frangelico Syrup

  • Heat the water and sugar until it starts to boil and the sugar is dissolved. Cool
  • Add 1 Tbsp of Frangelico to sugar water to make Frangelico Glaze.

Assemble the Cake

  • Transfer 1/2 cup buttercream to pastry bag fitted with medium star tip; reserve for piping rosettes.
  • Brush off any crumbs from meringue layers and cake layers. Place several small dabs of buttercream down center of 15-inch-long rectangular serving platter.
  • Place 1 meringue layer, top side up, atop buttercream on platter, anchoring to platter.
  • Using small offset spatula, spread 2/3 cup buttercream over meringue.
  • Top with 1 cake layer, top side down, pressing gently to adhere. Brush cake layer with 1/3 cup of the Frangelico syrup (cake layer will be very moist). Spread 1/2 cup buttercream over the cake layer.
  • Top with second meringue layer, top side up. Spread 1/2 cup buttercream over.
  • Sprinkle 1/4 cup of toasted hazelnuts on top of buttercream.
  • Cover with second cake layer, top side down. Brush with 1/3 cup Frangelico syrup and then spread layer with 1/2 cup buttercream.
  • Top with third meringue layer, bottom flat side up. Spread thin layer of buttercream over top and sides of cake.
  • Fill pastry bag fitted with medium star tip with remaining ganache. Pipe small rosettes around bottom and/or top of cake.
  • Finish cake with remaining 1/4 cup of toasted hazelnuts and food glitter if desired.
  • Chill cake at least 6 hours.

Notes

I made the cake first and the meringues next so that I could put them in the oven and forget them. I turned the oven to 175 degrees and set the oven timer for 2 hours and 45 minutes and left the meringues in the oven overnight.
Prep time includes time to assemble the cake.

Nutrition

Serving: 1grams | Calories: 515kcal | Carbohydrates: 44g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 35g | Saturated Fat: 20g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 12g | Cholesterol: 87mg | Sodium: 78mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 38g