Chocolate Chantilly Cake

I'm sure someone else has already invented this cake and gave it a name, but I haven't come across it yet, so I'm just going to call it a chocolate chantilly cake. It has four layers of crispy meringue (that probably won't stay crispy by the time the cake has chilled), and is frosted with chocolate chantilly. I guess it's sort of like a dacquoise, without the buttercream or nuts. It's also meant to be a simple recipe, because other than the little bit of cream of tartar and salt, there are only four main ingredients. Hope you enjoy this rich-tasting cake too! 

By the way, if you know of the proper name for a cake like this, please let me know! University has made me obsessively vigilant about not plagiarizing or taking credit for anything that's not mine. So I definitely don't want to do that here. 


The Recipe:
Ingredients:

• 3 egg whites
• 1/3 cup white sugar
• 1/4 tsp cream of tartar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 200 g dark, unsweetened chocolate (you can also use bittersweet)
• 175 mL water

Stir sugar, cream of tartar, and salt together. In a clean bowl, whisk egg whites until they reach a soft peak (or when you don't see anymore clear, runny egg whites at the bottom of the bowl). Gradually add sugar as you continue to whisk. Beat to the egg whites are glossy and reach a stiff peak. Spread into four 1 cm, 15 cm diameter round disks with a stencil onto a lined baking sheet. I used the hole in a removeable bottom pie tin. Make sure the top is even. With the leftover egg whites, scoop into a piping bag (or plastic bag and cut off a corner) and pipe small rounds to use for decoration later. Bake in a 250F oven for 30-40 minutes until the meringue is crisp and dry, and you can easily remove them from the sheet without them sticking. Allow them to cool in the oven. 

In the mean time, bring the water to a boil in a small pot (covered). Take water off the stove and drop in 175 g of chocolate. Whisk to help chocolate melt into the water. Once the chocolate has completely melted and mixed with the water, pour into a large bowl, set over a bowl of ice water, and whisk as if you're whipping cream. The chocolate should begin to firm up and resemble chocolate frosting. Spread the whipped chocolate on each meringue disc generously, keeping 1 cm border clear of the edge, stacking each layer on top of the last as you go. With the remainder of the chocolate, spread onto the sides to cover the whole cake. Stick the mini meringues on the side for decoration. With the remaining 25 g of dark chocolate, you can melt and pipe shapes to add additional decoration to put on the cake. Chill for at least a few hours in the fridge, slice, and enjoy! 

My first time making this; not sure if it was supposed to look like this. 

Meringue disks, before baking

Tada!