Chocolate and marshmallow seem a good combination for an Easter dessert! For this recipe, I use my Chocolate Almond Slice (a not-so-deep version) for the base and a chocolate meringue for the topping. Because I wanted a strong meringue, I use the Swiss Meringue method. This is where the egg white and sugar are placed in a bowl and heated over a pan of simmering water until the mixture reaches a temperature of 70º C. If a food thermometer isn’t available, it’s not too much of an issue. The mixture will reach the desired temperature in about 4-5 minutes; at this time, the sugar will have dissolved and the mixture will be slightly frothy.
Once cooked, the meringue is set but is a little sticky so be sure to provide spoons or forks when serving! Finish with a dollop of whipped cream or yoghurt on the side.
Base
Ingredients:
- 2 eggs
- ⅓ cup sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla
- ½ cup ground almonds
- 2 Tablespoons cocoa
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
Method:
Pre-heat the oven to 180º C.
Line a 20cm square cake tin with baking paper.
Lightly whisk the eggs. They don’t need to be over-beaten. I usually use a hand whisk to do this.
Add the sugar and vanilla and whisk lightly.
Add the ground almonds, cocoa and baking powder, and mix to combine. The mixture is very runny.
Pour the mixture into the prepared tin.
Bake for 20 minutes. Test with a skewer before removing from the oven.
Set the base aside while preparing the meringue.
Meringue
Ingredients:
- 4 egg whites
- ⅔ cup sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla
- 1 Tablespoon cornflour
- 1½ Tablespoons cocoa
Method:
Reduce the oven temperature to 160º C.
Place the egg whites and sugar in a bowl. Into a saucepan that the bowl will sit in without touching the base of the saucepan, pour some water. Bring the water to a simmer. Place the bowl over the simmering water – there should not be so much water in the saucepan that it touches the base of the bowl.
Stir the egg whites and sugar. Keep stirring until either (a) the mixture has reached a temperature of 70º C or (b) the sugar has dissolved, the mixture is slightly frothy and about 4-5 minutes have elapsed.
Remove the bowl from the saucepan. Beat the mixture until very stiff – this takes at least 10 minutes. The mixture should have cooled considerably by the time it is stiff.
Add the vanilla, cornflour and cocoa powder. Continue beating until all of the ingredients are thoroughly combined. The mixture may lose its stiffness after adding the afore-mentioned ingredients but this does not affected the baked result.
Pour the meringue onto the cooked base and even the top.
Place the slice in the oven for 15 minutes. The meringue should be set after this time.
Allow to cool before serving.
