Inspired by the Citrus, Honey & Caramel notes of our Philippines 73% Mindanao Island chocolate, @gourmetglow has created this delicious dessert. Crisp meringue acts as a base for rich chocolate, maple & rye cake. Rimmed with sweet maple chestnut purée and topped with a sweet maple cream it’s absolute heaven. Who wouldn’t want this on their festive dinner table?
MAKES 1-3
Meringue:
2 Egg Whites
1/8 tsp Cream of Tartar
125g Caster Sugar
Cake:
110g Wholemeal Flour
35g Rye Flour
30g Cocoa Powder
40g Philippines Mindanao Island 73% Cocoa Chocolate, finely chopped
¾ tsp Baking Powder
¾ tsp Bicarbonate Soda
½ tsp Salt
1 Egg
100g Milk
225g Maple Syrup
50g Olive Oil
Chestnut Cream:
200g Chestnut Puree (unsweetened, divided into 150g + 50g)
60g Maple Syrup
200ml Double Cream
METHOD:
- Start with the meringue. Preheat oven 110C and line a tray with non-stick paper. On the underside draw circles the size you want your finished Mont Blancs to be, you can make one large or several smaller.
- Put the egg whites in the bowl of a stand mixer and whisk to a foam. Add the cream of tartar and whisk until medium peaks form. Add the sugar 1 tbsp at a time, ensuring each is fully dissolved before adding the next. When the mix is thick and glossy and all the sugar is incorporated, stop.
- Fill a piping bag with the mix and pipe the meringues into your desired shape. Bake for 90 minutes or until crisp. Cool.
- Increase the oven to 180C. Either grease mini moulds slightly smaller than your meringues or grease and line a brownie tin and have a smaller cutter at the ready.
- Mix all the dry ingredients for the cake with a whisk, including the chopped chocolate.
- In a jug, whisk the remaining ingredients. Add the wet to the dry and mix until a better just forms.
- Pour this into your desired mould/moulds and bake for 20-30 minutes depending on their size and depth. A skewer should come out clean.
- Turn onto a wire rack to cool completely. If cutting out circles, do this when completely cold.
- To assemble, take the 50g of chestnut puree and pipe onto the centre of your meringues. Onto this place a piece of chocolate cake.
- Mix the remaining puree with the maple syrup and pass through a fine sieve to ensure there are no lumps.
- Add this to the cream and beat until it forms a pipeable consistency.
- Fill a piping bag with a narrow nozzle and pipe squiggles of the chestnut cream over the cake to form a dome.
- Decorate with chocolate shavings and cocoa.
Recipe by @gourmetglow. Head to www.gourmetglow.co.uk for more of her recipes.
