Praline meringue stacks recipe

By Matthew Drennan

Serves 6
Takes 45 minutes to make and 35 minutes to bake, plus cooling
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This beautiful recipe might seem time-consuming, but the end result is worth it – stacks of praline meringue and boozy cream, topped with crunchy praline pieces

Ingredients

Vegetable oil, for greasing
75g caster sugar
40g whole blanched hazelnuts
40g whole blanched almonds

For the meringue

2 large egg whites
Pinch of cream of tartar
50g caster sugar
35g icing sugar, sifted
142ml carton double cream
1 tbsp Frangelico (hazelnut liqueur), Tia Maria or Baileys

Method

1. Lightly oil a baking sheet. Put the caster sugar into a wide pan over a medium-low heat to slowly dissolve. Once melted, increase the heat slightly and cook until it turns a dark amber colour – watch carefully as it can burn easily. Quickly stir in the nuts to coat, then immediately tip out onto the baking sheet. Set aside to cool and harden. Break off half the praline, break into pieces and whizz in a food processor to a fine powder. Set aside with the remaining praline.
2. Preheat the oven to 150°C/fan130°C/gas 2. Draw 18 circles about 5.5cm-6cm across, spaced apart, on 3 sheets of baking paper. Turn the paper over and use to line 3 large baking trays (the circles should still be visible through the paper).
3. Whisk the egg whites and cream of tartar to soft peaks. Whisk in the caster sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, until you have a thick meringue. Using a large metal spoon, gently fold in the icing sugar and praline powder – it will collapse a little.
4. Spoon the meringue into a large piping bag fitted with a 1cm plain nozzle (do in 2 batches, if necessary). Pipe inside each marked circle, starting in the centre and spiralling outwards to just reach the edge. Bake for 35 minutes, until pale golden – they should be set but still soft. Remove from the oven. Set aside on the trays to cool and firm up.
5. In a large bowl, whip the cream and liqueur to soft peaks. Spread a little cream onto 1 meringue, top with another, spread with some more cream, then top the stack with a final meringue. Repeat with the remaining meringues and cream to make 6 stacks in total. Roughly chop the remaining piece of praline and decorate to serve.