When it comes to baking, egg whites are a thing of beauty in the kitchen. On the surface, they're mostly used for leavening and/or glazing cakes and other desserts. However, true bakers know that egg whites can become more than a minor component; they can also be baked into an actual dessert. The most obvious and easiest example is the Meringue.

This simple confection can serve as a stress-free, delightful dessert at the end of a course meal or just as a sweet snack on rush hour. In fact, meringues are so easy to make, not a single baking hack is required.Today's recipe will cover the means of making a triple-stacked tower of Chocolate flavored meringues, layered and topped with a simpler Chantilly cream.

Buckle up!

Two basic recipes, one hard dessert

Meringue ingredients:

  • 8 oz egg whites 9 (8 medium-sized eggs)
  • 8 oz granulated sugar
  • 8 oz powdered sugar
  • 1 tsp cream of tartar or 2 tsp white distilled vinegar
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 4 tbsp cocoa powder
  • 1 pinch salt

Chantilly cream ingredients:

  • 2 cup heavy cream
  • 2 tbsp powdered sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:

  1. Before making the three meringues, choose a copper or stainless steel and thoroughly clean it. This will ensure that the meringues remain stable during the process or they will not form or rise properly.
  2. To make the three meringues, crack open the eggs and separate the whites from the yolks in bowls. Use or store the yolks for another recipe.
  3. Place the egg whites in the bowl of a mixer fitted with the whip attachment or keep them in the bowl and whip them with a hand mixer or whisk. Whip the egg whites at medium-high speed until they become foamy and form soft peaks.
  4. Sieve the granulated sugar, powdered sugar, salt and cocoa powder together. Slowly add half of the mixture to the egg whites while being whipped. Do the same with the second half and continue whipping the egg whites on medium-high speed until they form stiff peaks.
  5. Remove the whisk from the bowl. Using a rubber spatula, take small amounts of the meringue and dap one on each of the four outer corners of an 8 x 8 x 2" baking tray to stick down the parchment paper. Do this for two other equal sized trays.
  6. Divide the meringue into 3 equal portions. Using the rubber spatula, spoon a portion in the middle of the parchment paper per tray, then shape each portion into 7" circles.
  7. Bake in an oven at 110°C for about 1 hour or until the outer portions turn crisp while the middle remains soft. Turn off the oven and let the meringues cool inside to prevent cracking.
  8. To make the Chantilly cream, pour the heavy cream into a chilled mixing bowl. Using a hand mixer or balloon whisk, whisk the cream until slightly thickened and almost doubles in size.
  9. Whisk in the powdered sugar and vanilla extract. Continue whisking the mixture until it becomes light and smooth. Do not over-whisk the mixture.
  10. To make the meringue towers, take 1/3 of the Chantilly cream and spread it on the surface of one of the meringues. Stack another meringue on top and do the same. Finally, stack the last meringue on top and drizzle the remaining portion of Chantilly cream to complete the tower. Serve.
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