Katie Quinn Davies Mum's Chocolate Meringues

By MJH

Ingredients

• 1 tspn cream of tartar
• 1 tspn cornflour
• 1 tbspn espresso coffee powder
• 1 tbspn Dutch-process cocoa powder, plus extra for dusting
• 100 g good-quality dark chocolate, finely chopped (~1/2c)
• 1/2 lemon
• 6 free-range egg whites, at room temperature
• 300 g caster sugar (~1 1/2c)
• 1 tspn white vinegar
• Whipped cream, to serve

Details

Adapted from kitchenaid.co.nz

Preparation

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 140˚C fan-forced and line two baking trays with baking paper.

Place the cream of tartar, cornflour, coffee powder, cocoa powder and chocolate into a small bowl, stir to combine and set aside.

Wipe the inside of the mixing bowl with the cut-side of the lemon to remove any traces of oil.

Place the mixing bowl on your stand mixer and attach the whisk.

Add the egg whites and beat on speed 2 until soft and frothy and just starting to hold soft peaks.

Turn up the speed to speed 8 and gradually add the caster sugar, beating just until the mixture turns thick and super-glossy and holds stiff peaks.

Add the dry ingredients and the vinegar, then gently fold together using a large metal spoon (you can also do this on speed 1 using your stand mixer).

Don't overwork the mixture – five or six folds should do it.

Take dessert spoonfuls of the mixture and drop onto the prepared trays.

Bake in the oven for 1 hour or until the bases of the meringues are firm, then turn off the oven and leave the meringues in the oven to cool (use a wooden spoon handle to keep the oven door ajar, if you wish).

Serve dusted with cocoa, with freshly whipped cream alongside.