Concorde Cake Draft

How I make it

Meringue

1. Cut parchment paper to fit the baking sheet and draw 4 circles of different sizes on it, from 5½ to 10 inches (14 to 26 cm). Leave room around them to pipe meringue strips.

2. Sift the powdered sugar and cocoa together.

3. Whip the egg whites on medium speed. After 3-4 minutes, start adding the sugar gradually and whip until very stiff.

4. Gently fold the powdered sugar and cocoa mixture into the whites until even.

5. Divide the meringue between two piping bags, one with a small No. 10 tip and one with a large No. 12 tip.

6. With the large tip, pipe meringue spirals to fill the circles drawn on the parchment. With the small tip, pipe meringue strips in every free spot on the sheet.

7. Dust all the meringue with powdered sugar through a fine sieve, so it dries quickly.

8. Bake at 300°F (150°C) for about 1¼ hours.

9. Take out one meringue strip and let it cool to check whether the meringue is done, that is, dry and crisp. If it isn't dry yet, leave it in the oven about 15 minutes more.

10. Remove from the oven and let cool. Go straight on to the mousse, so it has time to set to a spreadable texture.

Chocolate mousse

1. Melt the chocolate over a hot water bath (bain-marie). Meanwhile, dissolve the coffee in the boiling water.

2. When the chocolate has melted, take it off the heat, add the dissolved coffee and then the butter, and stir well with a spatula.

3. Once the butter has melted, add the yolks.

4. Whip the egg whites on medium speed. Once foamy, add the sugar gradually.

5. Fold the whites into the chocolate mixture very gently until even.

6. Divide the mousse among 3 metal bowls so it cools and sets faster, and press plastic wrap onto the surface.

Crunch layer

1. Melt the chocolate and butter over a hot water bath. Add the praline paste and stir well, then add the wafer flakes.

2. Spread between 2 sheets of parchment paper to about ⅓ inch (8-10 mm) thick and chill.

3. Once firm, cut out circles to match the meringue disks.

Assembly

1. Once the meringue has cooled and the mousse and crunch have set, place the largest meringue disk on a cardboard cake board, sticking it down with a little water.

2. Spread a layer of mousse over the meringue, top with a crunch disk and then another meringue disk, and repeat with all 4 disks.

3. Cover the top and sides with mousse, thick enough to hold the meringue sticks. Chill for 15 minutes.

4. Take it out and press the meringue sticks all over in any pattern you like.

What I've learned

• These amounts make a huge cake. For a regular-size cake I make half and only two meringue disks.
• You can only tell if the meringue is done once it cools, so I test one strip before taking out the rest.