Dacquoise (dax almond and hazelnut cake)

6 servings

Ingredients

Quantity Ingredient
8 Egg whites
⅛ teaspoon Salt
⅛ teaspoon Cream of tartar
4 Large egg yolks
4 ounces Castor sugar
12 fluid ounce Milk
55929 7. Typed by Heiko Ebeling.
8 ounces Castor or icing sugar
5 ounces Almonds: ground
3 ounces Hazelnuts; grated
5 ounces Unsalted Butter
2 ounces Almond brittle; powdered
3 ounces Hazelnuts; roasted &

Directions

BUTTER CREAM

DECORATION

grated

: Icing sugar

: Blanched, toasted almond : _slivers

Preheat the oven to 140C/275F/gas mark 1. Line a large baking sheet with Bakewell parchment paper. In a large bowl, whisk the egg whites and the salt until the whites are stiff. Fold in the cream of tartar and 1 teaspoon of sugar then whisk in the remaining sugar until the mixture is satiny and voluminous. Fold in the ground almonds and grated hazelnuts. spread the meringue mixture in 2 large discs on the prepared baking sheet. Bake for about 1 hour, or until the meringue is slightly browned. when the paper can be peeled away without sticking, the cakes are done. They will be slightly chewy. To make the butter cream, put the egg yolks in a bowl. Bring the milk to the boil in a saucepan and pour it on to the eggs, beating thoroughly.

Pour the mixture into a clean pan and, stirring constantly, thicken the custard over low heat without allowing it to boil. Remove the pan from the heat and set aside to cool to tepid, beat in the butter and the nuts and leave to become cold. Sandwich the cakes with the butter cream. Sprinkle the top with icing sugar and the toasted almond slivers.

This cake from Dax, the spa town near Bayonne, has conquered France to become part of the national culinary repertoire.

Source: Jane Grigson (ed.): The World Atlas of Food. A Gourmet's Guide to the Great Regional Dishes of the World. Mitchell Beazley Publishers 1974. This edition: Spring Books, London 1988. ISBN 0 600 Submitted By HEIKO EBELING On 05-18-95

Related recipes