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Frozen Meringue Cream Torte with Chocolate and Nut Brittle

Prep
15 min
Bake
45 min
Total
1 hr
Makes
12

Ingredients

  • ¾ cup170 gegg whitesfrom large eggs (about 5 egg whites)
  • 1 ⅔ cups320 ggranulated sugar
  • 1 ¼ cups100 gsliced almondsThinly sliced almonds. In the US use sliced almonds; in the UK, flaked almonds.
  • ½ cup plus 2 tbsp150 gwater
  • ¾ cup150 ggranulated sugar
  • ¾ cup200 gvanilla pastry cream (crème pâtissière)
  • 3 ½ oz100 gchocolate shavings
  • 3 ½ oz100 gnut brittleCaramelized sugar with chopped nuts, usually hazelnuts, crushed into small pieces. In the US use crushed nut brittle or hazelnut praline; in the UK, crushed nut brittle or hazelnut praline.
  • 1 ½ to 2 ½ tbsprum2 to 4 cl (20 to 40 ml)
  • 2 ½ cups600 gheavy creamGerman cream for whipping has about 30 to 32 percent fat. In the US use heavy cream or heavy whipping cream; in the UK, whipping cream (double cream also works but whips faster, so watch it).
  • 7 oz200 gdark couverture chocolateChocolate with a high cocoa butter content that melts smoothly for coating and glazing. In the US use good-quality baking chocolate bars or couverture wafers (not chocolate chips); in the UK, couverture chocolate or a good-quality cooking chocolate bar.
  • 1 ¼ to 1 ⅔ cups300 to 400 gheavy cream

Method

  1. Whip your egg whites, ideally in a stand mixer, until they turn slightly foamy. As soon as a light foam forms, you can sprinkle in the 1 ⅔ cups (320 g) sugar in lots of small portions. Once all the sugar is in, keep beating for a few more minutes until the crystals have dissolved completely and everything has turned into a smooth, stiff, glossy meringue. (To check whether the sugar has dissolved, rub a little meringue between your thumb and index finger. If you can't feel any crystals or grains, you can carry on; if you can, simply let your meringue whip for a few more minutes.)

  2. While the meringue is whipping, toast the sliced almonds in a dry skillet over medium heat on your stovetop, stirring regularly, until they are nicely golden.

  3. Fold the sliced almonds into your meringue and divide it into two portions on two baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Spread each portion inside a 9-inch (24 cm) springform ring, then lift the ring off so that you have a perfect circle of meringue on the parchment. Bake both layers for 5 hours at convection (fan) 225°F (110°C). After that, they need to cool and dry overnight.

  4. At this point you should also bring the ¾ cup (150 g) sugar and the ½ cup plus 2 tbsp (150 g) water to a boil together for 2 minutes, then let this syrup cool completely before you use it.

  5. Brush your dried meringue layers with the dark couverture chocolate. Coat one layer on one side and the second layer on both sides. Let the chocolate set before you continue.

  6. Whip the cold 2 ½ cups (600 g) heavy cream until stiff. Then fold in the chocolate shavings and the nut brittle. Your vanilla pastry cream should be completely cold before you stir in the rum and then fold the pastry cream into the whipped cream. Last of all, fold in ¾ of your simple syrup.

  7. To assemble the torte, take a 10-inch (26 cm) springform pan and clamp a sheet of parchment paper into the base. Place the layer that is coated on one side into the pan and cover it with half of your cream filling. Next, place the layer that is coated on both sides on top of the filling and cover it with the rest of the filling. Smooth the top and freeze your torte, ideally overnight.

  8. Before you cover your torte after its night in the freezer, let it thaw slightly in the fridge for 30 to 60 minutes. For the coating, whip the remaining 1 ¼ to 1 ⅔ cups (300 to 400 g) heavy cream and add the rest of your simple syrup. Work quickly when you spread it on, because the cream freezes fast on the still frozen torte. To decorate, I sprinkled on some extra nut brittle and piped on Nutella.

From German Pastry Chef. Full recipe with photos: germanpastrychef.com/recipes/frozen-meringue-cream-torte-with-chocolate-and-nut-brittle/