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Dacquoise
Almond meringue layer cake
Dacquoise: crisp-chewy almond meringue layers with praline buttercream, from Dax
The dacquoise takes its name from Dax in the Landes, in south-west France, and it is a light celebration gâteau of almond and hazelnut meringue discs, crisp outside and chewy inside, sandwiched with praline buttercream and dusted with icing sugar. It is gluten free, as long as the praline paste is. The common mistake is knocking the air out of the whites when folding in the nuts. Chef's tip: fold the ground nuts in with a spatula in three goes, cutting down through the centre and turning the bowl.
- Total time
- 75 min
- Difficulty
- hard
- Serves
- 8
Ingredients
For the discs
- 5 egg whitesat room temperature
- 2 ⅛ oz caster sugar
- 3 ½ oz ground almonds
- 1 ¾ oz ground hazelnuts
- 4 ½ oz icing sugarplus extra to dust
For the praline buttercream
- 7 oz unsalted buttersoft
- 1 ¾ oz icing sugar
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Heat the oven to 350°F (300°F fan). Draw two 22 cm circles on baking paper and turn the paper over on two trays.
5 minStep 2: Whisk the 5 egg whites to soft peaks, then add the 2 ⅛ oz caster sugar gradually and whisk to stiff, glossy peaks. Mix the 3 ½ oz ground almonds, 1 ¾ oz ground hazelnuts and 4 ½ oz icing sugar and fold in gently in three goes.
10 minStep 3: Pipe in spirals to fill the two circles and dust with icing sugar.
5 minStep 4: Bake for 25–30 minutes until golden, crisp on top and slightly soft inside. Cool on the paper, then peel off.
30 minStep 5: Beat the 7 oz unsalted butter with the 4 oz praline paste (hazelnut) and 1 ¾ oz icing sugar until light and fluffy.
10 minStep 6: Spread or pipe the cream on one disc, top with the second, dust with icing sugar and chill 1 hour. Bring out 20 minutes before serving.
5 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 450 kcal
- Protein
- 8 g
- Carbs
- 40 g
- Fat
- 30 g
- Fibre
- 3 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does dacquoise take?
- About 75 minutes in total: 45 minutes to prepare and 30 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 8 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of caster sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
- What can I use instead of ground almonds?
- Ground cashews, same amount.
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