Dacquoise—it may sound fancy, but it’s simply a delightful nut-based meringue dessert that can be adapted in countless ways. Whether you aim for soft, cakey layers or crisp, Pavlova-like textures, this versatile recipe is a gateway to dessert creativity.
Distracted by the caster sugar in the recipe (also known as superfine sugar), I googled images for caster shakers and found an assortment of antique, modern, and art deco containers that are now on my wish list. (One was even selling for $1139 on eBay.) I already own a variety of shakers, but you can never have too many beautiful things to hold something sweet.
“fruiter di una torta di noci”
("fruitier than a nutcake" which is a bad translation of "nuttier than a fruitcake")
Back to the recipe. The first step is to make a meringue (egg whites and sugar) and whisk until soft peaks form. Soft, firm, stiff. The difference can only be seen, and Kitchn has a visual guide and descriptions to help in that area.
"Soft Peak - When you turn your whisk upside down, the peaks are just starting to hold. They're soft and melt back into themselves after a second." ~Kitchn
Folding in the ground almonds, icing sugar and flour is more fun with your hands.
Finally, it’s time to dust off the piping bag and with one of the larger tips, pipe it into a fun shape. {I used my round egg shaper!} Bake “until done”, as a chef at LCB would say. How long depends on your oven, the temperature you use, and how big the shape of your dacquoise is. Sometimes, your dacquoise may turn out cakey and other times more crispy like Pavlova. I’m aiming for cakey.
After that, it’s up to your imagination how you want to dress it up.
"If you use chocolate buttercream and chocolate ganache, it's a marquise. If you use hazelnuts in the meringues and bake them in rectangles, with chocolate buttercream and ganache, it's a marjolaine." ~BondC
You can also use other nut meal for variety. Mmmm hazelnuts, chestnuts, pine nuts...
Recipe: Spiced Pear Dacquoise with Chocolate and Red Wine Sauce
Serves: 6
Ingredients:
Dacquoise
4 egg whites
50 g caster sugar
70 g ground almonds, sifted
75 g icing sugar, sifted
30 g flour, sifted
Ganache
90 g bitter chocolate (55 to 70% cocoa)
100 ml double cream
15 g honey of neutral flavour
35 g unsalted butter, softened
Spiced Pears
6 pears
½ lemon
30 g unsalted butter
40 g honey of neutral flavour
ground cinnamon
cloves
ground nutmeg
freshly ground black pepper
Chocolate and Red Wine Sauce
100 g chocolate
½ bottle red wine
3 star anise
20 ml water, only if necessary
30 g caster sugar
4 egg whites
50 g caster sugar
70 g ground almonds, sifted
75 g icing sugar, sifted
30 g flour, sifted
Ganache
90 g bitter chocolate (55 to 70% cocoa)
100 ml double cream
15 g honey of neutral flavour
35 g unsalted butter, softened
Spiced Pears
6 pears
½ lemon
30 g unsalted butter
40 g honey of neutral flavour
ground cinnamon
cloves
ground nutmeg
freshly ground black pepper
Chocolate and Red Wine Sauce
100 g chocolate
½ bottle red wine
3 star anise
20 ml water, only if necessary
30 g caster sugar
Instructions:
1. Make the Dacquoise:
- Whisk egg whites until soft peaks form. Gradually add caster sugar, whisking until stiff peaks form.
- Gently fold in ground almonds, icing sugar, and flour using a spatula or your hands.
- Pipe into desired shapes using a piping bag with a large round tip.
- Bake at 325°F (160°C) until lightly golden and set. Baking time varies based on the size and shape, but check after 20 minutes.
2. Prepare the Ganache:
- Heat cream and honey until just boiling.
- Pour over chopped chocolate, let sit for 1–2 minutes, then stir until smooth.
- Add softened butter and mix until glossy. Set aside to cool.
3. Poach the Spiced Pears:
- Peel pears, halving or quartering them as desired. Squeeze lemon juice over to prevent browning.
- Melt butter in a skillet, add honey, and heat until bubbling.
- Add pears, spices, and a touch of water if needed. Cook until tender and caramelized, about 10–15 minutes.
4. Make the Chocolate and Red Wine Sauce:
- Simmer red wine with star anise and sugar until reduced by half.
- Stir in chocolate until melted. Add water to adjust consistency if necessary.
5. Assemble the Dessert:
- Layer or stack Dacquoise rounds with ganache and poached pears.
- Drizzle with the chocolate and red wine sauce.
Tasting Notes
The Dacquoise, with its nutty, meringue-like texture, acts as the perfect base for the rich chocolate ganache and spiced pears. The red wine sauce adds a sophisticated, slightly tangy note that ties everything together. While the components are delicious individually, their harmony is what elevates this dessert.
More Dacquoise
My French Yule Log
Ezra Pound Cake: Coconut-Roasted Pineapple Dacquoise from Dorie Greenspan
Zoe Bakes: Dacquoise with Peaches and Cream
David Lebovitz: Poaching Pears
Sea Salt with Food: Matcha-Green Tea Dacquoise
Next Time
Tarte aux Agrumes (Citrus Tart) in Le Cordon Bleu at Home cookbook (page 102)
::Whisk::
I'm baking my way through a cooking school curriculum using the Le
Cordon Bleu at Home (affiliate link) cookbook The "classes" are based on the Le Cordon Bleu curriculum found online and used as a guideline. Not all the items in the curriculum are in the cookbook, but most are. Where the items are not in the book, I try to find a suitable substitution.
More to Explore:
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