Image is for illustrative purposes only.
Dacquoise is a baked nut meringue: whipped egg whites and sugar folded through ground hazelnuts and almonds with just enough flour to hold the shape. It bakes into a disc that is crisp on the outside and slightly chewy in the middle, with a deep toasted nut flavour and a pale biscuit colour.
I use dacquoise as a base or an inner layer where a normal sponge would go soggy. It stands up well under mousse, buttercream and ganache, and because it is made without any butter or whole egg it stays light while adding a bit of texture and bite to a layered cake or entremet. It is also gluten-light in character, though there is a little cake flour in the mix for stability.
Ingredients
The weights in the recipe table below will yield the following 'weight per unit' and 'number of units'. If you would like to change the recipe to cater to a different 'weight per unit' and/or 'number of units',
you can use the Recipe Calculator Tool below the ingredients table.
Note: The Recipe Calculator Tool is available to subscribers.
Weight Per Unit: 384
Number of Units: 3
Unit Size: 24 cm round disc, about 1.5 cm high
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WEIGHT
(grams)
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ALTERNATIVE METRIC
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INGREDIENT
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IMAGE
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CONDITION
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A
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350 |
11.7 Egg Whites
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Egg White
Egg white is the common name for the clear liquid (also called the albumen or the glair/glaire) contained within an egg. In chickens it is formed from the layers of secretions of the anterior section of the hen's oviduct during the passage of the egg. It forms around fertilized or unfertilized egg yolks. The primary natural purpose of egg white is to protect the yolk and provide additional nutrition for the growth of the embryo (when fertilized). Egg white consists primarily of about 90% water into which is dissolved 10% proteins (including albumins, mucoproteins, and globulins). Unlike the yolk, which is high in lipids (fats), egg white contains almost no fat, and carbohydrate content is less than 1%. Egg whites contain just over 50% of the protein in the egg. Egg white has many uses in food (e.g. mousse) and also many other uses (e.g. in the preparation of vaccines such as those for influenza).
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room temperature |
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B
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350 |
12.3 ounces
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Sugar
Sugar is the generalized name for sweet, short-chain, soluble carbohydrates, many of which are used in food. They are carbohydrates, composed of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen. There are various types of sugar derived from different sources. Simple sugars are called monosaccharides and include glucose (also known as dextrose), fructose and galactose. The table or granulated sugar most customarily used as food is sucrose, a disaccharide. (In the body, sucrose hydrolyses into fructose and glucose.) Other disaccharides include maltose and lactose. Longer chains of sugars are called oligosaccharides. Chemically-different substances may also have a sweet taste, but are not classified as sugars. Some are used as lower-calorie food substitutes for sugar described as artificial sweeteners.
caster
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C
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2 |
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Cream of Tartar
Cream of tartar, also known as potassium bitartrate or potassium hydrogen tartrate, is a byproduct of winemaking. It is known as cream of tartar in context with cooking. It is the potassium acid salt of tartaric acid (a carboxylic acid).
In food, cream of tartar is used for:
- Stabilizing egg whites, increasing their heat tolerance and volume
- Stabilizing whipped cream, maintaining its texture and volume
- Anti-caking and thickening
- Preventing sugar syrups from crystallizing
- Reducing discoloration of boiled vegetables
Additionally it is used as a component of:
- Baking powder, as an acid ingredient to activate baking soda
- Sodium-free salt substitutes, in combination with potassium chloride
A similar acid salt, sodium acid pyrophosphate, can be confused with cream of tartar because of their common function as a component of baking powder.
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D
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1 |
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Salt
Common salt is a mineral composed primarily of sodium chloride (NaCl), a chemical compound belonging to the larger class of salts; salt in its natural form as a crystalline mineral is known as rock salt or halite. Salt is present in vast quantities in seawater, where it is the main mineral constituent; the open ocean has about 35 grams (1.2 oz) of solids per litre, a salinity of 3.5%. Salt is essential for animal life, and saltiness is one of the basic human tastes. Salt is one of the oldest and most ubiquitous of food seasonings, and salting is an important method of food preservation.
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E
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150 |
5.3 ounces
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Hazelnut Meal
Hazelnut meal is simply hazelnuts ground to a fine, sandy powder, much like almond meal. It carries a rich, toasty flavour and its natural oils keep baked nut meringues tender rather than dry.
finely ground
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sifted |
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F
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150 |
5.3 ounces
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Almond Meal
Almond meal, almond flour or ground almond is made from ground sweet almonds. Almond flour is usually made with blanched almonds (no skin), whereas almond meal can be made both with whole or blanched almonds. The consistency is more like corn meal than wheat flour.
It is used in pastry and confectionery – in the manufacture of almond macarons and other sweet pastries, in cake and pie filling, such as Sachertorte and is one of the two main ingredients of marzipan and almond paste. In France, almond meal is an important ingredient in frangipane, the filling of traditional galette des Rois cake.
Almond meal has recently become important in baking items for those on low carbohydrate diets. It adds moistness and a rich nutty taste to baked goods. Items baked with almond meal tend to be calorie-dense.
finely ground
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sifted |
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G
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150 |
5.3 ounces
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Cake Flour
Cake flour is a finely milled white flour made from soft wheat. It has very low protein content, between 8% and 10%, making it suitable for soft-textured cakes and cookies. The higher protein content of other flours would make the cakes tough. Highly sifted cake flours may require different volume amounts in recipes than all-purpose flour. Using the scoop and level method, well-sifted flour usually produces 125 g per cup. However, most American recipes are written with 140 g of flour per cup, so weighing and experimentation can be helpful in baking unfamiliar recipes. Small weight differences can greatly affect the texture. American Cake flour is bleached; in countries where bleached flour is prohibited, plain flour can be treated in a domestic microwave to improve the texture of the end product.
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sifted |
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1153
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Recipe Calculator Tool
Using this tool, you can alter this recipe for your own requirements. Use the two fields below to generate new weights for the ingredients above.
STEP 1. Enter your Custom Weight Per Unit
The 'Custom Weight Per Unit' is already loaded with the weight per unit for this recipe but can be changed if required. If all you wish to do is change the number of units (or servings), just leave the current weight per unit.
STEP 2. Enter your Custom Number of Units
This is the number of units (or servings) you want this recipe to yield.
STEP 3. Click Calculate
The new weights for your adjusted recipe will be displayed in the table above.
Method
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STEP
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ACTION
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DETAIL
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CONDITION
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1 |
Pre-heat |
Pre-heat the oven to 170°C (340°F). Line two flat baking trays with baking paper and draw 24 cm circles on the underside of the paper as a guide. |
Trays flat, not warped, so the discs bake evenly |
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2 |
Sift |
Sift E, F and G (hazelnut meal, almond meal and cake flour) together into a bowl and set aside. |
Evenly blended, no lumps of nut meal |
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3 |
Whip |
Whip A, C and D (egg white, cream of tartar and salt) in a clean, grease-free bowl on medium speed. |
Soft, foamy peaks that just hold their shape |
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4 |
Add |
With the machine running, add B (caster sugar) in a slow, steady stream and continue whipping. |
Firm, glossy meringue that holds a peak and feels smooth, not gritty, between the fingers |
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5 |
Fold |
Tip the sifted nut and flour mixture over the meringue in two or three lots and fold it through gently with a large spatula. |
Just combined; the mixture should stay airy and hold its shape |
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6 |
Pipe |
Spoon the mixture into a piping bag with a plain 10–12 mm nozzle and pipe spirals from the centre out to fill each marked circle, or spread it evenly with a palette knife. |
Even thickness of about 1.5 cm, no gaps |
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7 |
Bake |
Bake at 170°C (340°F) for about 25–30 minutes, turning the trays once if your oven bakes unevenly. |
Light golden, dry and firm to a light touch on top |
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8 |
Cool |
Leave the discs on the paper on a rack until completely cold, then peel the paper away. |
Crisp at the edge, slightly chewy in the centre; peels away cleanly when fully cold |
Important Notes
This batch makes about 1,150 g of mixture, enough for roughly three 24 cm discs about 1.5 cm high, or four 20 cm discs. Pipe or spread it as soon as it is mixed, as the meringue will slowly lose volume if it stands. Bake it a little longer and lower if you want a drier, crisper disc for a base that must sit under a wet filling. Once cold, the discs keep for several days in an airtight container in a dry place; they soften quickly in humid weather, so refresh them in a low oven if needed. Layered up with mousse or ganache, they soften slightly overnight into a pleasant chew.
Tools & Arrangements
Electric mixer with whisk attachment, clean grease-free mixing bowl, sieve, large spatula, piping bag with a plain 10–12 mm nozzle (or a palette knife), two flat baking trays, baking paper, cooling rack, kitchen scales.
