Dacquoise

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This almond meringue recipe can be used for an almond gateau filled with almond butter cream.

For 6 - 8 :

150g egg white(5medium)
100g caster sugar
125g ground almonds
125g icing sugar
25g plain flour
2 baking trays
baking parchment
flan ring 20cm in diameter

Dacquoise

Preparation - 35 mins
Cooking time - 30 mins

For a better flavour, dry-toast the ground almonds in a pan, stirring with a spatula to prevent them from burning.
Prepare the ingredients : set aside the caster sugar and mix together the almonds, flour and icing sugar in a bowl.
Line the baking trays with baking parchment, and, with a pencil, draw the outlines of 3 20cm circles, 2 on one tray and 1 on the other.
Heat the oven to 140°.
Using either an electric whisk or a food mixer, beat the egg whites for 2-3 mins. As soon as they become frothy, add half of the caster sugar, continuing to beat all the time. After 4-5 mins add the remaining half of the sugar and beat for a further 4-5 mins, increasing the speed to maximum. The meringue will become very thick.
Using a spatula, fold in the almond mixture in two lots, lifting and turning it to ensure it is well amalgamated into the meringue.
{mosimage}Spoon the mixture onto the 3 prepared circles, allowing it to overlap the edges slightly, so that you can trim them back when they’re cooked. You may need to even the surface with a spatula. Alternatively you can use a 10mm icing nozzle to pipe a spiral starting at the outside edge. This will give you a more regular surface so there’s no need to smooth over afterwards.
Cook for 25-30mins. The cake won’t colour very much; the surface should be hard and the inside just cooked.
Leave to cool on the tray.
{mosimage}Trimming :
Take each disc carefully off the tray and peel off the baking parchment. Replace in the tray and, using the flan ring as a guide, trim each one to a circle of 20cm.
This cake base is very easy to freeze : simply freeze in a plastic container or freezer bag with a cardboard base to stop it breaking.