Chocolate Meringues

By Alqualonde

You have to be mindful of the weather conditions when you make meringues: don't attempt to them if it's really humid and hot, as they'll probably flop. Also, once whipped, try not to let the egg whites sit around for too long as the key with meringues is to work fast and get them into the oven straight away.

Ingredients

• 1 tsp cream of tartar
• 1 tsp cornflour
• 1 tbsp espresso coffee powder
• 1 tbsp Dutch process cocoa power, plus extra for dusting
• 1/2 lemon
• 6 free range egg whites, at room temperature
• 300 g caster sugar
• 1 tsp white vinegar
• Whipped cream, to serve

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.