Looking for something sweet in the summer heat? These treats are lighter than air and are sure to curb your cravings.
Flourless chocolate meringue cake
Serves 6
For a lighter cake, omit the meringue topping and simply dot with fresh raspberries.
Ingredients
230g chocolate, coarsely chopped + extra for serving
½ cup (125g) butter
6 large eggs, separated
Pinch cream of tartar
200g sugar
For the mocha meringue
1 Tbsp (15ml) instant coffee
1 Tbsp (15ml) cocoa powder
1 Tbsp (15ml) boiling water
4 large egg whites
Pinch of cream of tartar
1 cup (200g) sugar
2 tsp (10ml) cornflour
1 tsp (5ml) white vinegar
Small handful chopped pistachios or almonds, for serving (optional)
Method
- Preheat oven to 180°C and line a loose-bottomed 20cm cake tin.
- Melt chocolate and butter in a bowl in the microwave for 30 seconds at a time until smooth. Cool.
- Whisk egg yolks through the chocolate mixture. If mixture seizes, simply heat 2 Tbsp milk until steaming and stir through to loosen it.
- In a clean bowl, whisk the egg whites until frothy, then add the cream of tartar and continue to whisk until stiff peaks form.
- Add the sugar in 1 Tbsp at a time, whisking for 1 minute between additions, until glossy and thick.
- Fold the meringue into the chocolate mixture until just combined.
- Pour batter into the prepared cake tin and bake for 30 minutes, or until puffed up but still wobbly.
- Prepare the mocha meringue by stirring together the coffee, cocoa and boiling water. Set aside.
- Whisk egg whites until frothy, then add a pinch of cream of tartar and beat until stiff peaks form.
- Add the sugar in 1 Tbsp at a time, whisking for 1 minute between additions, until glossy and thick.
- Add cornflour and vinegar and stir through.
- Fold cooled mocha mixture through meringue.
- Dollop onto half-baked cake. Return to oven for another 30–35 minutes, or until meringue is cracked and dry.
- Remove and cool for 20 minutes.
- Slice and scatter nuts over cake just before serving.
S’mores chocolate mousse cups
Makes 10
Flavour this mousse by dissolving 3 Tbsp instant coffee in 2 Tbsp hot cream. Stir mixture into to the melted chocolate.
Ingredients
200g digestive biscuits, crushed + extra for serving
3 Tbsp (45g) butt er, melted
380g dark chocolate, chopped
6 large eggs, separated
2 Tbsp (28g) caster sugar
2 cups (500ml) cream
For meringue
3 egg whites,
¾ cup (165g) caster sugar
Method
- Add biscuits to a blender and blitz into crumbs. Stir through the butt er.
- Add 2 Tbsp biscuit crumbs to 10 medium glasses.
- Melt chocolate until smooth.
- In a clean bowl, whisk egg whites to stiff peaks.
- Whisk sugar and cream in a separate bowl to stiff peaks.
- Whisk egg yolks through cooled chocolate.
- Mix half the egg white into the chocolate mixture, then fold through the remaining egg white and cream through the mixture.
- Spoon mixture into glasses and refrigerate for 4 hours.
- To make meringue, whisk egg whites to medium peaks. Add sugar 1 Tbsp at a time until it’s glossy, whisking about 10 minutes until sugar is dissolved.
- To serve, top mousse with dollops of meringue, toasting with a blow torch if you like, and add an extra biscuit.
Recipes & styling: Sjaan van der Ploeg
Photographs: Zhann Solomons