Hot Chocolate Meringue Cake

Then in the center of the bowl add in the soft butter, eggs, vanilla, sour cream and espresso.

Beat until smooth on medium high speed, starting on low and then increasing. Make sure to scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl.

Spray your 9" cake pan with a nonstick baking spray and pour in the cake batter. Smooth out the top, then bake in the hot oven for 25 minutes.

After 25 minutes, rotate the cake 180 degrees and bake for another 10-15 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Leave to cool completely.

Heat over medium low heat whisking frequently until steaming and the cocoa powder and sugar have both dissolved.

Add in the chocolate and vanilla and whisk again until the chocolate has melted. Remove from the heat and leave to cool to room temperature.

Put the cake on a piece of parchment paper and then back into the same cake pan.

Use a skewer to poke holes all over the cake all the way to the bottom. Carefully pour or brush the hot chocolate soak over the cake. It will seem like a lot but you want to use it all. If it isn't soaking in anymore, let it sit for 10 minutes, poke a few more holes and add more soak.

Let the cake sit in the soak while prepping the ganache and meringue.

You could prep this the day before and keep it covered in the fridge once soaked!

Heat the heavy cream in a small sauce pot on the stove until steaming. It shouldn't be boiling. It's not the end of the world if it starts to bubble, just turn the heat off immediately.

Pour the hot heavy cream over the chocolate and cover with a cutting board or lid. Let sit for 1 minute.

After 1 minute has passed, remove the cover and whisk gently until smooth. Add in 40 grams of soft butter and whisk again until smooth.

Set aside, stirring gently every 10-15 minutes until it has thickened and cooled enough to be spreadable but not run off the sides of the cake.

Place a medium sauce pot half way full with water onto the stove. Bring the water to a simmer.

Set the mixing bowl with the egg whites and sugar over the bowl of simmering water and turn the heat to low. The water shouldn’t touch the bottom of the mixing bowl.

Whisk the egg whites and sugar constantly until the sugar has fully dissolved into the egg whites. To check and see if the sugar has dissolved, pinch and rub some of the mixture in between your fingers and feel if you still feel any of the sugar granules, if not you’re good to go. If you do just keep cooking a bit longer.

Once the sugar has dissolved, turn off the heat and remove the bowl from the water. Leave it to cool off for about 10 minutes.

Using your mixer, whip the egg white mixture first on medium and then on high speed until fluffy, shiny and stiff.

Add in the vanilla bean paste (vanilla extract will work too!) and whip again until combined.

Scoop the chocolate ganache over the cake and use the back of a spoon to level it out to the edges of the cake. Sprinkle the top with flaky sea salt.

Use a big spoon or rubber spatula to scoop the meringue on top of the ganache. The bigger the scoops the more billowy it will look. Of course you can do this however you want!

If you have a torch, torch the surface of the meringue otherwise leave it as is and it will still be delicious! Serve immediately!