Meringue Crusted Chocolate Cake

Meringue-Crusted Chocolate Cake

Happy New Year to you!  I'd like to share this exotic-looking {but quite simple to make} Meringue-Crusted Chocolate Cake with you as my first recipe of 2013--I doubt that there is a more spectacular way to start off the New Year!  In all actuality, we had this cake as we rang out the old year at my sister's home, celebrating the birthday of someone quite special, my Mother.  Whether you make this cake or any other recipe in celebration of a New Year or Another Year, may you do all to the honor and glory of God.

1-2/3  Cups  Cake Flour

1/2  Cup  Cocoa

1  Tablespoon  Baking Powder

1/2  teaspoon  Salt

1-1/3  Cups  Sugar

1/2  Cup  Butter, room temperature

1  Egg

3  Eggs, separated 

1  Cup  Buttermilk

1  Cup  Chocolate Chips, Mint Chips preferred

3/4  Cup  Sugar

Preheat oven to 325*.  Generously butter 9-inch springform pan; flour pan.

Sift together Flour, Cocoa, Baking Powder and Salt; set aside.

In a stand mixer, cream 1-1/3 cups Sugar, Butter, 1 Egg, and 3 Egg YOLKS.  Beat in Flour mixture alternately with Buttermilk in three additions.  Stir in Chocolate Chips.  Place in another bowl; set aside.  Wash and thoroughly dry mixing bowl and beaters.

Beat Egg Whites until soft peaks form.  Gradually stir in 3/4-cup Sugar, one Tablespoon at a time, beating until stiff glossy peaks form, about 5 minutes.  Spread two-thirds of the meringue halfway up sides of springform pan--NOT on bottom of the pan.  Spoon batter into pan, top with remaining meringue.  Using the tip of a table knife, swirl top meringue and some of the batter together.

Bake until tester inserted in center come out with a few crumbs attached, approximately 1 hour 15 minutes.  Cool 10 minutes on rack.  Using a sharp thin-bladed knife, carefully cut around pan sides, release from pan and cool completely.  Use a thin-bladed knife to cut for serving, taking care while cutting to minimize crushing the meringue crust.  Serve with Mint Chip ice cream.  Serves 12.

"And whatever ye do, do it heartily,

as to the Lord, and not unto men.

Knowing that of the Lord ye shall

receive the reward of the inheritance;

for ye serve the Lord Christ."

Colossians 3:23 & 24   

Spread the meringue only on the sides of the pan

 

Fill the pans with the batter

 

Top the batter with the meringue

This cake I swirled a lot

And this cake I swirled just a little

Here you can see the difference in how the cakes look baked--
much-swirled and little-swirled

Notice these next few photos--the springform pans were not the same size in height--
the 'much-swirled' cake was in the taller pan.

These photos show what happens when you don't follow the instructions to spread the meringue only half-way up the side of the pan--the cake in the taller pan ended up with a tall shoulder on the side crust, and it was harder to cut.  Ahem:  Always follow instructions!

From Bon Appetit, March 1998