Ingredients
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**Meringue Stack**
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5 egg whites
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½ tsp cream of tartar
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80g desiccated coconut
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330g caster sugar
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90g roasted skinless hazelnuts chopped roughly
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250g blackberries or blueberries
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3 tsp icing sugar
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3 tbs toasted coconut pieces
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**Hazelnut Praline**
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110g caster sugar
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2 tbs water
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45g roasted skinless hazelnuts
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**Mascarpone Cream**
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2 egg yolks
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55g caster sugar
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2 tsp Lemon zest (any citrus is fine)
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500g mascarpone
Directions
A perfect dessert to impress your guests at Christmas Table, crunchy, sweet, coconutty, and slightly sour with blackberries.
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 120 degrees Celsius. Make an 18cm circle on 4 pieces of baking paper, turn the baking paper marked side down on 4 baking trays.
- Beat egg whites & cream of tartar in a large bowl with an electric mixer on high speed until soft peaks form. Slowly add the caster sugar 2tbs at a time, beating after each addition until the sugar is dissolved.
- Once the mixture is glossy and firm add the desiccated coconut and chopped hazelnut to the mixture and gently fold everything together.
- Spread the mixture evenly among the circles. Bake for an hour or until firm to touch, turn the oven off, leave the oven door ajar and let it cool in the oven overnight or at least 6-8 hours.
- Meanwhile to make the hazelnut praline, combine sugar and water in a small saucepan, stir over medium heat until the sugar is dissolved. Bring the mixture to boil, until the mixture is golden colour. Remove from the heat, stir in the hazelnuts, then pour over a baking paper and let it cool and set. Break the praline into pieces.
- To make the mascarpone cream, beat the egg yolks, sugar, and lemon zest with an electric beater until thick and pale. Add the Mascarpone and beat until it is combined or folded until it is combined. Do not overbeat as Mascarpone can split. Refrigerate until required.
- Remove the meringue stack from the oven and peel off the baking paper, place one meringue layer on a serving plate or a cake stand, spread with mascarpone cream, scatter some praline pieces, place berries and toasted coconut pieces. Repeat layering all 4 Meringue stacks. Finish with another layer of mascarpone cream, blackberries, praline, coconut pieces, edible leaves, and flowers. Dust with sifted icing sugar.
