FLOURLESS CHOCOLATE BAILEYS MERINGUE CAKE
SERVES 12. PREP 30 MINS. COOK 55 MINS
INGREDIENTS
• 200g dark chocolate (70 per cent cocoa), chopped
• 200g butter, chopped
• 215g (1 cup) caster sugar
• 4 eggs
• 55g (½ cup) almond meal
• 30g (¼ cup) dark cocoa powder, sifted, plus extra, to dust
• 60ml (¼ cup) Baileys Irish Cream liqueur
MERINGUE TOPPING
• 3 egg whites
• 155g (¾ cup) caster sugar
• 40g dark chocolate (70 per cent cocoa), finely chopped
CHOCOLATE SAUCE
• 60g dark chocolate (70 per cent cocoa), chopped
• 80ml (⅓ cup) thickened cream
• 3 tsp Baileys Irish Cream liqueur
METHOD
1 Preheat oven to 170C/150C fan forced. Grease base and side of a 22cm springform pan and line with baking paper.
2 Place chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of just simmering water (ensure bowl doesn’t touch the water). Cook, stirring, until melted and smooth. Stir in sugar. Remove from heat. Set aside for 5 minutes to cool slightly.
3 Whisk eggs, one at a time, into the chocolate mixture until well combined and mixture comes together. Stir in almond meal, cocoa and Baileys until combined. Pour into prepared pan. Bake for 35 minutes or until just firm in centre. Set aside in pan to cool completely.
4 To make the meringue topping, preheat oven to 200C/180C fan forced. Place egg white and sugar in a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of simmering
water (ensure bowl doesn’t touch the water). Cook, whisking often, for 4 minutes or until frothy and sugar has dissolved. Remove from heat and cool for 1 minute. Use electric beaters to whisk egg white mixture for 5 minutes or until thick and glossy. Whisk in chocolate on low until just combined. Spoon on top of cake and use back of a spoon to make peaks. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until meringue is firm and crisp. Set aside to cool completely.
5 To make the sauce, place the chocolate, cream and Baileys in a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water (ensure bowl doesn’t touch the water). Cook, stirring with a metal spoon, until melted and smooth. Remove from heat. Set aside for 30 minutes to cool and thicken slightly.
6 Dust cake with extra cocoa and drizzle over the chocolate sauce to serve.