Soft chocolate sponge cake layers filled with walnut meringues
and covered in a dulce de leche buttercream.
Start by gathering your ingredients and measuring them out. The cake needs to be started the day before you plan to serve it.
In a mixer fitted with a whisk, whip the egg whites on medium-high speed with 1/2 the sugar and a pinch of salt until foamy, about 2 minutes.
With the mixer still running, slowly pour in the remaining sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time. Continue whipping for about 15 minutes or until a whisk dipped into the meringue then brought upside down keeps the peak straight up without the bend. When the meringue has been properly whipped it will start balling around the whisk instead of splashing on the walls of the mixer. Using a hand mixer instead of a stand mixer will take more time.
Sift 4 tsp cocoa into the meringue, then carefully fold it in as to keep the meringue from deflating. Now, get a teaspoonful of meringue and using a second teaspoon scrape it onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Take a good pinch (about a teaspoon) of chopped nuts and press into the top of each meringue mount.
Bake in a preheated to 225°F oven for about 1.5 hours. To check if it is dry, remove from the oven, break in half and allow to cool. If the inside is dry when it is cooled down the meringue is baked and ready to be removed from the oven.
Make the Chocolate Sponge Cake following the recipe here.
Whip 2 sticks room temperature butter for about 5 minutes stopping and scraping the sides and bottom several times through. When the butter is properly whipped, it is white in color, increased in volume and very fluffy. Add 1 can dulce de leche in halves, whipping for about 30 seconds after each addition. Also, don’t forget to scrape the bottom of the bowl in between.
Add 8 oz whipped cream and carefully fold it into the buttercream. Do not overmix or the cream will be runny. As soon as everything is incorporated and folded thoroughly, the lightened dulce de leche buttercream is ready to be used. Refrigerate until you’re ready to use it, but no more than half an hour to 1 hour, otherwise it might be too thick to spread.
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