Chocolate Ganache Meringues Food

CHOCOLATE MERINGUE CAKE

Steps:

• FOR CAKE:.
• Beat egg whites at high speed with an electric mixer until soft peaks form; set aside.
• In a separate bowl, beat butter at medium speed until creamy.
• Add sugar and beat well.
• Add egg yolks, one at a time and beat until well blended after each addition.
• In a small bowl, combine the buttermilk and 2 teaspoons flavoring.
• In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking soda and cocoa. Add the dry mixture to the butter mixture, alternating with the buttermilk mixture; beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Beat at low speed after each addition until well blended.
• Stir in the pecans and mix well.
• Fold in the beaten egg whites and pour the batter into 3 well greased 9 inch cake pans.
• Bake at 350°F for 20 minutes until a wooden toothpick comes out clean.
• Cool for 10 minutes in the pan, then remove cake to wire racks to cool completely.
• CREAM CHEESE FILLING:.
• Beat the first four ingredients at medium speed with an electric mixer until smooth. Gradually add the powdered sugar, beating until light and fluffy.
• Once the cake cools completely, spread this filling between the layers.
• GANACHE:.
• Bring whipping cream to a simmer in a heavy saucepan over medium heat.
• Remove from heat and add chocolate, stirring until the chocolate is melted.
• Cool until ganache becomes a spreading consistency (stirring often).
• Frost the top and sides of the cake with ganache reserving 1/2 cup.
• MERINGUES:.
• Beat the egg whites, vinegar and salt at high speed with an electric mixer until foamy.
• Gradually add sugar; beating until soft peaks form and sugar dissolves.
• Fold in chocolate.
• Drop by heaping teaspoonfuls onto parchment paper lined baking sheets and bake at 250°F for 35 minutes.
• Transfer to wire racks to cool completely.
• Once cool, mound meringues on top of cake to form a small mountain, beginning at the sides and working in, layering 3-4 layers high. Drizzle the meringues with the remaining ganache.
• TO SERVE THE CAKE:.
• Before cutting, remove the meringues with small tongs and use them as a garnish on each cake serving.
• TO STORE:.
• IF you have any cake left, store it in the refrigerator without the meringues. Store the meringues in an airtight container at room temperature.

CHOCOLATE GANACHE MERINGUES

Steps:

• In 1-quart heavy saucepan, heat whipping cream over medium heat just until cream comes to a simmer. Remove from heat; stir in chocolate until melted. Stir in butter pieces, a few at a time, until melted. Refrigerate until thickened.
• Heat oven to 200°F. Line cookie sheet with cooking parchment paper. In medium bowl, beat egg whites with electric mixer on medium speed until soft peaks form. Gradually add 1/3 cup granulated sugar, beating on high speed just until stiff peaks form. Fold in 1/3 cup powdered sugar.
• In small bowl, mix 1/4 cup powdered sugar and the cocoa. Fold cocoa mixture, 1/3 at a time, into beaten egg whites. Spoon mixture into decorating bag fitted with star tip. Pipe into 24 (1 1/2-inch) rounds, about 1 inch apart, on parchment paper.
• Bake 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes or until crisp. Slide parchment paper with cookies onto cooling rack. Cool completely, about 5 minutes.
• For each sandwich cookie, spread chilled ganache on flat side of 1 meringue; top with second meringue. Meringue becomes tough if it absorbs moisture; store in a loosely covered container at room temperature. If the humidity is high, transfer to a tightly covered container.

CHOCOLATE GANACHE

Steps:

• Place chocolate chips in a small bowl. In a small saucepan, bring cream just to a boil. Pour over chocolate; whisk until smooth., For a pourable ganache, cool, stirring occasionally, until mixture reaches 85°-90° and is slightly thickened, about 40 minutes. Pour over cake, allowing some to drape down the sides. Spread ganache with a spatula if necessary to evenly coat, working quickly before it thickens. Let stand until set., For spreadable ganache, chill, stirring occasionally, until mixture reaches a spreading consistency. Spread over cake.

CHOCOLATE GANACHE

Steps:

• Bring cream to a boil in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Pour cream over chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Let stand for 2 minutes. Add butter, then whisk mixture until smooth. Let cool, stirring often. Use immediately.

CHOCOLATE MERINGUE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 200 degrees F.
• Whip whites and sugar together in a large mixing bowl with an electric mixer. Sift together cocoa and powdered sugar. Fold the dry ingredients into the meringue when it has reached full volume. Then fold in the cocoa nibs. Spread the chocolate meringue onto a parchment paper lined sheet pan, sprayed with nonstick spray, about 1/4-inch thick.
• Bake for about 1 hour or until the meringue is hard and completely dried out.

CHOCOLATE GANACHE TART WITH MERINGUE KISSES

Steps:

• For the pastry: Add the flour, butter, sugar and salt to a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and mix on low speed until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs and the butter pieces are in small chunks. Add the egg yolk and mix until just combined and beginning to stick together, 15 seconds maximum.
• Remove the dough from the mixer and shape it into a disc. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for at least 1 hour and up to 2 days.
• Roll out the chilled dough on a floured surface until it is about 1/8 inch thick. Cut out 2 round discs about 5 inches each and lay them over two 4 1/2-inch mini fluted tart tins. Press the dough into the edges, trim off the excess, prick the bottoms in several places with a fork and place in the fridge for 20 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 175 degrees C/350 degrees F. Line the pastry with parchment and fill with dried beans. Bake until the pastry edges are golden brown, about 15 minutes. Remove the parchment and beans, brush the pastry with the egg yolk and bake until the base of the pastry is golden brown, about 5 minutes more. Let cool.
• For the meringue kisses: Preheat the oven to 100 degrees C/210 degrees F.
• Add the egg whites, vinegar and cream of tartar to a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Whisk on medium speed until they begin to get frothy, 1 to 2 minutes. As soon as they are frothy, increase the speed to high and slowly add the sugar a teaspoon a time. Keep whisking until you have added all the sugar and the meringue is stiff and glossy, 1 to 2 minutes more.
• Add some food coloring to the end of a toothpick and run it along the inside of a piping bag fitted with a round tip.
• Place the meringue in the piping bag and pipe small dollops roughly 1/2 inch in diameter onto a baking sheet lined with parchment. Bake the meringues until they are no longer glossy, have a matte finish and feel light and airy, about 40 minutes. Turn the oven off and allow the meringues to cool inside with the door closed for 20 minutes. (Makes 30 to 40 meringues.)
• For the chocolate filling: Add the chocolate, butter, cream and sugar to a heat-proof bowl and place it over (but not in) a saucepan pan of simmer water. Gently stir together until melted, 1 to 2 minutes.
• Pour the mixture into the cooked pastry shells and chill in the fridge for 40 minutes.
• For the assembly: Place 8 to 10 meringues on top of each chocolate tart. Reserve the remaining for another use. Decorate with some sliced raspberries and basil leaves.
• If left to chill in the fridge overnight, allow the tarts to sit at room temperature for 20 to 30 minutes before serving.

CHOCOLATE GANACHE DRIP CAKE

Steps:

• Butter three 20cm round cake tins and line with non-stick baking paper. Heat the oven to 190C/170C fan/gas 5. Beat the butter and sugar together in a large bowl until light and smooth. Gradually beat in the eggs until combined, then mix in the vanilla. Fold in the flour and baking powder until everything is combined. Stir in the milk to loosen.
• Bake the sponges for 20 mins until golden and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Leave to cool in the tins for 10 mins, then transfer onto a wire rack to cool completely.
• Meanwhile, make the Swiss meringue buttercream. Put the egg whites and sugar into a heatproof bowl over a small pan of gently simmering water. Make sure the bowl doesn't touch the water. Whisk for 3-4 mins until the sugar dissolves. Put into an electric mixer and whisk for 10 mins over a medium-high speed until you have a thick meringue.
• Gradually add the butter into the meringue mixture for 5 mins until incorporated and the buttercream is fluffy.
• Put one sponge onto a plate or cake stand, top it with a few tablespoons of the buttercream and spread into an even layer. Add the next sponge, and repeat. Top with the final sponge.
• Smooth a thin layer of the buttercream around the cake, so all the sides are coated - this is called a crumb coat. Chill in the fridge for 45 mins. Remove and smooth a thick layer of the remaining buttercream around the cake using a palette knife, reserving a little for decoration. Put back in the fridge for 45 mins-1 hr to set.
• Meanwhile, make the ganache. Put the dark chocolate in a bowl and heat the cream in a small pan until just steaming. Pour the cream over the chocolate and leave to melt for 5-10 mins. Stir to make a glossy ganache, then set aside to firm up a little - you want it to be pourable but not too runny. Spoon the ganache over the top edge of the cake, encouraging it to drizzle down the side with your spoon - start at the back of the cake to get the hang of it. Fill in the middle of the top of the cake with chocolate too. Leave to set for 10 mins.
• To decorate, put the leftover buttercream in a piping bag with a round nozzle and pipe little dots on top of the cake. Decorate as you like, remove any flowers before eating.