Gluten Free: Chocolate Dacquoise

I'm not (whisper it) a big fan of chocolate, but when the craving hits it does so in a massive way! It means that when the desire arrives I'm completely unprepared. When such a need for chocolate swept over me this weekend, I'd even run out of cocoa powder so I couldn't even knock up a hot chocolate to cope with the cravings. Needless to say, my house is now well stocked with chocolate of every description so now's the moment when the craving disappears, never to return (or, at least, not for a few months). 

Dacquoise is a cousin of the Pavlova, with the addition of ground nuts. You can go crazy when you decorate, using lashings of buttercream and making it look like a fancy gateaux, or keeping it simple with whipped cream. Only one option would make Paul Hollywood crack a smile, but I'm sure Mary Berry would gaze at you in a warm, motherly, way no matter how you serve it. She's lovely that way.

Chocolate Dacquoise (serves 4-6 people)
You'll need:

• 160g icing sugar
• 40g cocoa powder
• 100g ground hazelnuts
• 6 egg whites
• ⅛ tsp cream of tartar
• 150g caster sugar
• 300ml double cream

Make it!

1. Preheat your oven to 130°C/275°F/gas mark 1.
2. Sift the icing sugar and cocoa powder together to remove lumps and remove 3 heaped tablespoons to use in the cream. Stir in the ground hazelnuts.
3. Put the egg whites in a bowl and add the cream of tartar. Whisk until the mixture goes foamy and starts to stiffen.
4. Add the sugar, a little at a time, whisking all the time. Keep going until the egg whites stands in stiff peaks.
5. Sprinkle the icing sugar, cocoa and ground nuts over the meringue mix and gently fold it together until completely incorporated. (Don't use a wooden spoon! It'll make your meringue sink.)
6. Spoon the mixture on to three sheets of baking paper and spread each one into even circles.
7. Place on baking trays and bake for 2 hours, then switch your oven off and leave to cool in there.
8. Whisk the cream with the reserved icing sugar and cocoa powder until just firm, and layer it up with the cooled dacquoise and decorate with fruit, grated chocolate or chopped nuts.