Chocolate Date Meringue Cake Recipes

CHOCOLATE DATE CAKE I

Steps:

• In a small bowl, combine dates with boiling water. Set aside to cool.
• Pre heat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9x13-inch pan.
• In a medium bowl, mix flour, soda, salt and cocoa. Set aside.
• Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs. Add flour mixture alternating with cooled date mixture. Fold in chopped nuts and 1/2 cup of the chocolate chips to mixture.
• Spread batter into prepared pan. Sprinkle remaining 1/2 cup of chocolate chips over top.
• Bake in preheated oven for 45 to 60 minutes, or until toothpick inserted into middle of cake comes out clean.

CHOCOLATE AND HAZELNUT MERINGUE CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9-by-3-inch springform pan. Line bottom with parchment. Butter parchment, and sprinkle with flour; tap out excess. Set aside.
• Spread hazelnuts in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Toast until fragrant and skins start to crack, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from oven; rub vigorously with a clean kitchen towel to take off skins. Let cool; roughly chop. Set aside.
• Make cake batter: In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter and brown sugar until pale and smooth. Add egg yolks, one at a time, beating well after each addition, until mixture is light and fluffy. Add melted chocolate, vanilla, and rum, if using; beat until combined. Set aside.
• In a clean mixer bowl, combine 6 egg whites and salt; using the whisk attachment, beat on high speed until soft peaks form, about 2 minutes. Stir one-third of the egg whites into chocolate mixture. Fold in remaining beaten egg whites just until combined. Pour batter into prepared pan, and bake 25 minutes.
• Meanwhile, make meringue: Combine hazelnuts, chopped chocolate, and cornstarch in a small bowl, and set aside. Place remaining 4 egg whites and cream of tartar in a clean mixer bowl; using a clean whisk attachment, beat on high speed until frothy. With mixer running, slowly add superfine sugar; continue beating until stiff peaks form, about 8 minutes. Fold in hazelnut mixture.
• Remove cake from oven. Using an offset spatula, spread meringue mixture on top of cake, and return to oven. Bake until meringue is lightly browned and crisp, 25 to 30 minutes. Transfer pan to a wire rack; let stand 10 minutes. Run a knife around the edge of the cake to loosen, and release sides of pan. Let cool, about 30 minutes, before slicing and serving.

CHOCOLATE DATE CAKE II

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9x13 inch pan. In a mixing bowl or small saucepan, pour the boiling water over the chopped dates. Set aside. Sift together the flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt.
• In a large bowl, cream together the butter and 1 cup sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then mix in the flour mixture. Add in the dates with the soaking liquid, and stir until just combined. Pour batter into prepared pan.
• In an another bowl, combine the chocolate chips, walnuts, and remaining 1/2 cup sugar. Sprinkle mixture over top of cake. and bake in the preheated oven for 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool before serving.
• Bake in the preheated oven for 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool before serving.

CHOCOLATE, DATE & HAZELNUT MERINGUE TORTE

Steps:

• Cake:.
• Preheat oven to 180c (170C fan forced).
• First, prepare the nuts. Place the hazelnuts on a baking tray and bake at 180C for exactly 8 minutes (set a timer so you don't burn them).
• Remove nuts from oven, wrap in a tea towel and then rub firmly to remove as much skin as possible. You may have to do this a couple of times and rub stubborn ones between your fingers. Don't fuss too much if some skin won't come off - just get rid of as much of the loose papery stuff as possible.
• Put skinned and roasted hazelnuts into a food processor and chop roughly. Place nuts into a medium mixing bowl.
• Now break up the chocolate and place it in the food processor and chop roughly. Don't worry if it's not evenly chopped, some will be like grated chocolate, and you'll have some larger bits. That's fine. Just don't overchop it. Add chocolate to nuts in mixing bowl.
• Cut dates in half then process in a food processor until finely chopped, but be careful not to pulverise them to mush. Add dates to mixing bowl.
• Using your hands or a spoon, mix nuts, chocolate and dates well.
• Now, spray a 22-24cm (9") springform tin with spray oil and line base and sides with silicone paper. Paper should come 2.5cm-5cm (an inch or two) over the top of the tin.
• In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat egg whites until soft peaks form, then add sugar, 1 tablespoon a time, beating after each addition, until all the sugar is used. Continue beating until mixture is stiff and glossy.
• Note: If you don't have a large mixer, it's a good idea to divide the egg whites and sugar in half and beat each half in a different medium sized bowl.
• Using a spatula, gently fold date, hazelnut and chocolate mixture into the egg whites until well combined.
• Spoon mixture evenly into prepared tin, smooth top and bake on the centre shelf of the oven at 180C (170C fan forced) for 50 minutes.
• After 50 minutes, turn off oven, but DO NOT OPEN THE OVEN DOOR! Leave the cake in the oven overnight (or at least for several hours until the oven is completely cold) without opening the door.
• The next morning, you can remove the cake from the oven and decorate it just before serving.
• Ganache:.
• It's best to make the chocolate ganache the day before too. Simply bring the cream to a boil, remove from the heat, add the chopped chocolate and stir until chocolate is melted. Pour into small bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate overnight.
• The next day, remove the ganache from the refrigerator and sit on the kitchen bench until it comes back to room temperature (this will take at least 2 hours).
• Decoration:.
• Just before serving, remove cake from springform tin onto a serving plate.
• Add sugar and vanilla to whipping cream and beat with electric mixer until thick.
• Spread whipped cream over the top of the cake.
• Spoon room temperature ganache into a piping bag with a large star nozzle fitted.
• Pipe rosettes around the perimeter of the cake and one large rosette in the centre.
• Remove stems from strawberries and cut strawberries in half.
• Pile strawberries (or berries of your choice) onto the top of the cake.

CHOCOLATE-DATE PUDDING CAKE

Steps:

• Make the chai ice cream, if desired: Combine milk, tea, cardamom, cinnamon, and ginger in a medium saucepan. Split vanilla bean lengthwise and scrape seeds into the mixture using the back of a knife, then add pod to mixture and bring to a boil. Cover and let steep at least 30 minutes and up to 1 hour.
• Prepare an ice bath. In a medium bowl, whisk together egg yolks and sugar until light and fluffy. While whisking, slowly add a little of the warm milk mixture into the yolk mixture to temper. Continue this process until all of the milk mixture has been added. Pour mixture back into pan and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, 3 to 5 minutes. The custard should retain a line drawn across the back of the spoon with your finger. Strain mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a medium bowl set in the ice bath; discard solids. Add cream and stir occasionally until cooled. Cover and refrigerate until chilled, at least 1 hour and up to overnight.
• Pour into an ice cream maker and process according to the manufacturer's instructions until set but not hard. Transfer soft ice cream to a container and freeze at least 4 hours and up to overnight.
• Make the cake: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9-cup Bundt pan and dust with cocoa powder and flour, tapping out excess. In a large glass measuring cup or medium bowl, combine dates, hot water, coffee, and cocoa and let stand 10 minutes. In another medium bowl, whisk together flour, salt, cinnamon, and cardamom. Using an immersion blender, puree the date mixture until smooth. Add baking soda and stir to combine.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together butter and dark-brown sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition. Beat well to combine (batter will look curdled). Add the flour mixture in two additions, alternating with the date mixture, beginning and ending with the flour. Beat in the chocolate.
• Transfer the batter to prepared pan. Bake until a cake tester inserted in center comes out with moist crumbs attached, about 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, make the glaze: Bring butter, dark-brown sugar, date syrup, salt, and 1/4 cup water to a boil in a saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally. Boil 3 minutes. Remove from heat. Whisk in cream. Add chocolate and whisk until smooth.
• Transfer cake pan to a wire rack to cool for 10 minutes. Invert cake onto rack, and let cool 20 minutes (the cake should still be warm). Poke cake all over with a skewer or toothpick. Pour half of the glaze into the bottom of the pan and return cake to pan. Pour remaining glaze over top and allow to soak into cake, about 20 minutes. Invert cake onto plate or cake stand and serve warm or at room temperature with chai ice cream, if desired.

UKRAINIAN LAVISH CHOCOLATE MERINGUE CAKE

Steps:

• The day before assembling the cake, make the meringue layers. Cut out TWO-11-inch circles from parchment or freezer paper; grease well with butter and sprinkle lightly with flour.
• Preheat the oven to 250°F Fold the rim of the baking circles slightly upward.
• In a large bowl, beat the egg whites, cream of tartar, and vinegar together until the whites hold a stiff peak. Add the superfine sugar, a few Tablespoons at a time, beating until the mixture is stiff and glossy. To make superfine sugar blend in the blender until it is superfine.
• Gently fill each circle with half the meringue mixture, spreading evenly with a rubber spatula. Bake until the meringues are light golden and dry, 1 hour.
• Invert the meringues onto a plate and peel off the parchment paper. Leave in a dry spot overnight.
• The next day, preheat the oven to 350°F Line the bottom a 10-inch sprinform pan with parchment or freezer paper. Lightly butter the paper and sprinkle lightly with flour.
• To make the walnut chocolate layer, in a large bowl, beat the egg yolks with the sugar until the mixture is pale yellow and forms a ribbon when the beaters are lifted.
• With clean, dry beaters, beat the egg whites in a separate bowl until soft peaks form. Gently fold one-third of the whites into the beaten yolks, then fold in the rest, alternating with the grated chocolate and walnuts.
• Fold in the bread crumbs, coffee, and lemon juice.
• Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 20 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 300°F and bake until the cake tester comes out clean, another 20 to 25 minutes.
• When the cake cools off a little, remove the sides of the pan. Invert the cake and peel off the paper. Using a serrated knife, cut it horizontally into two layers.
• Whip the cream with the sugar, instant coffee, and rum extract until it holds stiff peaks.
• Place one of the walnut-chocolate layers, cut side up, on a cake platter and spread it with 1/2 cup of the red currant preserves and then with one-third of the coffee-flavored cream. Top with one meringue layer. Spread another one-third of the cream on the meringue layer and top with the second meringue layer. Spread the rest of the cream filling on the meringue. Spread the remaining preserves over the remaining walnut-chocolate layer. Place the walnut-chocolate layer, preserves side down, on top of the cream filling.
• You should have the following layers, starting at the bottom: walnut-chocolate, preserves, cream, meringue, cream, meringue, cream, preserves, walnut-chocolate.
• For the icing, melt the chocolate and shortening in the water in the top of a double boiler, over barely simmering water.
• Spread the top and sides of the cake with warm chocolate icing. Refrigerate the cake for at least 1 hour before serving. Serves 12.