CHOCOLATE CAKE WITH DELICIOUS CREAM WITH CRISPY MERINGUE PIECES INSIDE

This is a finger-licking cake you can do for different occasions. First you feel a moist and very chocolate cake, then a delicate mascarpone cream and finally: crispy meringue that literally melts in your mouth!! GIVE IT A TRY!!

Ingredients:
   
  For chocolate cake:

• 3 cups flour
• 3 cups sugar
• 200 g butter, softened at room temperature
• 2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tbsp baking powder
• 125 g melted and cooled down dark chocolate
• 1 cup hot water
• 4 eggs
• 1 cup buttermilk

   For mascarpone cream:

• 500 g heavy cream
• 500 g mascarpone
• about 1 cup powder sugar(depends on your preferences)

   For meringue:

• 6 egg whites
• pinch of salt
• 300 g + 2 tbsp sugar

Instructions:

   Chocolate cake (make it a day before making an actual cake!):

1. Put the flour, sugar, butter cocoa, baking soda, baking powder and chocolate in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachement.(You can certainly also use a hand mixer.) Mix on low speed until the ingredients are blended together. (If the butter is to stiff and the mixture is not completely smooth, don't worry. Just go to step 2; the water will warm up the butter)
2. Stop the motor and pour in the water. Mix until mixture is smooth. Add the eggs, one egg at a time. When the eggs have been absorbed, pour in the buttermilk and wait until all the ingredients are fully absorbed.
3. Put a baking paper on a 24cm cake pan. Pour the batter in and put the cake pan into a heated to 180C oven. Bake for about 1,5h. It may take longer, just check the cake from time to time with a toothpick. Even when the cake would be ready, the toothpick still wouldn't be dry, cause this is a very moist cake! The cake pieces can be even attached to the toothpick. The point is  there can't be raw, liquid batter attached to it! When ready, remove from the oven and let cool.

     Mascarpone cream:

1. Whip the cream until stiff
2. Add the mascarpone cream and powder sugar and mix until they're thoroughly mixed in.

     Meringue:

1. Whip the egg whites with salt until stiff
2. Add the sugar, little at a time, until stiff and glossy
3. Put the mixture on a pan and put in the oven heated to 180C and bake for 5 min. Then reduce the temperature to 140C and bake for about  90 min. The meringue should be crispy and dry when touched. Remove from the oven and let cool.

     The cake:

1. Cut the chocolate cake into 3.
2. Put the 1st layer on a plate and put on a 1/3 of a cream. Then sprinkle with crushed meringue(save something for a decoration). Repeat with a 2nd layer.
3. Put the 3rd piece of chocolate cake and cut off the top so that the cake is flat(Don't throw the cut pieces out! they will come in hany in decorating). Ice a cake with the rest of the cream.
4. Put the chocolate cake savings at the edges of the cake and put the crushed meringue savings in the middle of the cake. You can sprinkle the meringue with powder sugar.

So that would be it!! Serve the same day! Otherwise the meringue wouldn't be that crispy anymore and we don't want that!! Good luck with making the cake and Bon Appetite!!!