Specialty Cakes: Chocolate Meringue Cake

This cake is fun and actually quite easy to make. There are only a few ingredients, but you do have to separate eggs. The easiest way to do this is to gently crack the needed eggs into a small bowl, then use you hand to carefully life the yolks out of the whites. Place the yolks in a separate bowl, and you have successfully separated eggs. There are other methods, of course, so separate the eggs in whatever way you like.


You can change the flavor and presentation of this cake, customizing it in any way you choose. Simply change what you do to the meringue. You might add a teaspoon of mint extract, then swirl red and green food coloring into the meringue. Top the meringue with bits of candy cane and you have a Candy Cane Meringue Cake. You can do anything else with the meringue as well. You're limited only by your imagination.


Use a small spring form pan to bake this cake. It makes removing it from the pan that much easier.


Ingredients


For the Cake
1 cup chocolate chips
⅔ cup butter
3 egg yolks
1 cup sugar
1 cup of flour
2 tbsp cocoa powder
½ cup chocolate chips


For the Meringue
3 egg whites
¾ cup sugar
½ cup melted chocolate


Preparation


Start by making the cake. Melt the butter and the 1 cup of chocolate chips in a small saucepan or chocolate melted. While you're waiting for the chocolate to melt, place egg yolk, sugar, flour, and cocoa powder in a large bowl. Blend until you have a mixture that resembles crumbs.


Heat oven to 320°F. Take a small spring form pan and spray with cooking spray to prevent sticking. Turn your attention back to the batter. Pour the chocolate mixture into the egg yolk mixture and blend well until smooth. Fold in the ½ cup of chocolate chips.


Pour batter into spring form pan and smooth the top. You may have to press the batter into pan to get it to spread. The batter is thick and may not spread on its own. Bake for 35 minutes, then remove from oven, but leave it in the pan.


Now you'll work on the meringue. Drop the temperature in the oven to 300°F. Place the 3 egg white in a nonmetal bowl and use an electric mixer to beat them. Do this for 3 minutes, then start slowly adding the sugar. Do not just dump the sugar in or you'll break the egg whites. Continue beating the eggs while you do this. After you've added the sugar, keep beating the egg whites until you have stiff peaks form. The meringue should be very white and should not collapse.


Take the melted chocolate and gently drizzle it over the meringue. Don't pour it all in one spot. Gently, ever so gently, fold the chocolate into the egg whites, but don't fully incorporate it. A swirl of chocolate will give you a nicer presentation than a completely chocolate meringue.


Gently spoon the meringue onto the cake. Spread it just enough to fully cover the cake. Bake for 30 minutes, until the meringue begins to crack. Let the cake cool in the spring form pan. It must be completely cool before you attempt to remove the spring form pan.


This cake is delicious and probably won't last long before being eaten. But you can store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 2 days.