Coca Swirl Meringue (GF)

November 16, 2015

Basically very simple, Cocoa Swirl Meringues deliver complex flavour and heaps of satisfaction. Made with only three ingredients, they bake into a dry crispy meringue with a soft creamy center. Fold dry cocoa powder into sweet meringue, and watch it transform into swirling moist chocolate syrup. The results are bang on. These Cocoa Swirl Meringues meet high praise from everyone who tries them. Cocoa Swirl Meringues are gluten-free and fat-free. Enjoy them and leave me your comments below.

Please consult The Finer Cookie’s complete tutorial on how to whip egg whites. You’ll find other helpful How-To’s on the page as well.

This recipe was adapted from Ottolenghi: The Cookbook. For a complete reference, see below.

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Ingredients

Makes 8-12 meringues

Volume Grams Ounces

3 cups 600 grams 21 ounces superfine sugar
about 10 300 grams 10.5 ounces very fresh egg whites (about 10 eggs)
1/3 cup 25-30 grams 1 ounce dark cocoa powder

Instructions

SPECIAL MERINGUE EQUIPMENT

3-4 baking trays

Large spoons for the meringue. Super simple.

MISE EN-PLACE

Preheat the oven to 400ºF degrees.
Prepare three trays with parchment paper.
Measure the sugar and wiz it in a food processor until very, very fine. The meringue will benefit from the superfine texture of the sugar.
Pour the superfine sugar onto one of the prepared trays.
Separate and measure the eggs.
Ready the cocoa powder in a small bowl. (No need to sift it.)
Warm the egg whites in the microwave by reducing the power to 2-4 of full power for about 45 seconds. Stir the whites with your clean finger to test whether they are warm. When the egg whites feel slightly warmer than your finger, they are good.

MAKE THE MERINGUE

Put the sugar in the oven on the upper rack for 8-12 minutes.
Heat the dry sugar until the edges start to melt. The sugar will begin to caramelize, and get a little crusty.

When the sugar is almost ready, turn the mixer to medium high to break up the mass of egg whites and create some froth.
Whip them until a foam begins to form and take on some structure.
Remove the sugar from the oven and reduce the oven temperature to 225ºF on the convection setting.
Lift the two long ends of the parchment paper to create a chute for the sugar
Very slowly, so as not to overwhelm the egg whites, and with the mixer running on medium, pour the sugar through the paper chute into the mixer.
Once all of the sugar has been added, turn it to high, and feel the heat coming from the bottom of the bowl. This will be your reference point because as the meringue cools, so will the bottom of the bowl.
Let the mixer run for about 8-10 minutes. This will cool the sugar and let the meringue develop texture and become firmer.
Once the meringue hits about 95-100 degrees, stop the mixer.

With a large spatula, transfer the warm meringue to a large wide mouth bowl, and spoon on the cocoa.
Fold the meringue 2-3 times. To get the marble effect, do not fully incorporate the cocoa, and be sure to leave dry cocoa visible.
The dry cocoa will absorb the moisture and sugar from the meringue and become a chocolate syrup.

Folding the dry, unsweetened cocoa powder into the meringue.

FORMING THE MERINGUES

Using one large spoon, scoop out the meringue about the size of a medium apple.
With the other spoon, move the meringue onto a tray
Fill each tray with 5 meringues. Give them plenty of space because they will almost double in size in the oven.
Fill both trays.

BAKING THE MERINGUES

Place them in the 225ºF oven for about 2 hours.
They are finished when the shell of the meringue is decidedly dry and firm. The center will be a bit creamy. If you prefer a dryer center, bake for another 15 minutes or so, being careful not to brown the meringue.
Let them cool completely. The meringues will keep in a dry place, at room temperature in low humidity for several days.