Chocolate Meringue Torte

Here is the finished dessert using the meringue bases from yesterday. It is rich and chocolatey, but incredibly nice and light at the same time. It is composed of a decadent whipped cream chocolate cream cheese filling sandwiched between three eight inch layers of meringue circles, and finished off on the outside with more filling and some fresh cherries. This creates a beautiful contrast between the base and the filling, both in taste and texture. The meringue is light and delicate, and the filling is deep and rich. The meringue is made with brown sugar, which as I had previously discovered, lends it a more sweet and caramel-like flavor that complements the chocolate cream cheese filling perfectly. Although this dessert looks very impressive and earns the name of a torte, it is relatively simple and quick to put together. It also must be made in advance, so it can chill overnight and set and blend flavors. You may just need to add on a few last minute decorations, slice, and serve!

FILLING
1 package cream cheese (eight ounces, or 250 grams), softened
2 Tablespoons milk
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips, melted and slightly cooled
1 cup whipping cream

FILLING: Beat the cream cheese, milk, and sugar together until smooth. Beat in the melted chocolate. In a separate bowl, whip the cream until stiff. Fold into the other mixture. Spread between the layers of meringue, and frost the top and sides of the torte. Chill for eight hours or overnight.

I found this filling recipe made too much filling for the three meringue circles - it would have overpowered the delicate flavor of the meringues and weighed them down. So I didn't end up using all of the filling. Next time, I would cut down on the filling recipe by at least a third, maybe even halve it. Actually, the meringues are so good they could almost star on there own, you hardly even need a filling!

Paré, Jean. "Chocolate Meringue Torte." Recipe. Desserts, Edmonton Alberta: Company's Coming Publishing Limited, 1989. 94.