Hazelnut Meringue Torte | THM: S

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I want to say that this Hazelnut Meringue Torte is Northern Nester’s magnum opus, but that kind of reminds me of Charlotte in Charlotte’s Web, and she died shortly after saying that about her nest of spider eggs, so I think I’ll just call this my favorite Trim Healthy Mama-friendly dessert ever.

It looks so complicated and tricky, but it’s not.

My great-aunt used make a wonderful, light, tender, flavorful, slightly crunchy hazelnut torte with layer upon layer of meringue, rich, espresso-flavored chocolate, and whipped cream. She passed the recipe onto my Mom, and it used to be an occasional Sunday treat growing up since it took quite a bit of time to make. That torte was out-of-this-world amazing though, and a fast favorite.

This recipe is the Trim Healthy Mama-friendly version of that hazelnut meringue torte, and wouldn’t you know it? It’s just as tasty, but it’s practically carb-less, contains no special ingredients, and is a cinch to put together! The trick is to bake the meringue portion of the torte at night and so you can leave it in the oven to dry out while you’re sleeping. When you wake up, Ta-da! Your torte is ready for assembly!

If you’ve never made a meringue before, this is a perfect recipe to start with. Instead of drawing circles on parchment paper and trying not to over work the egg white mixture while you  divide and spread it evenly between them, you simply line two rimmed 17″ cookie sheets, spread out the mixture between them, bake, and each cut each meringue in half the next morning, giving you four layers to make cake with! Easy-peasy.

The chocolate sauce and layers are made by melting 1 1/2 bars of 85% dark Lindt chocolate with instant espresso powder and xylitol in heavy cream.

Yield: 15 servings

Hazelnut Meringue Torte

Hazelnut Meringue Torte

This complicated-looking Hazelnut Meringue Torte is actually very easy to make! A novice THM baker can totally pull it off! The trick is to bake your meringue at night and leave it in the oven while you're sleeping. You'll wake up to a perfect, low-carb meringue to use in this incredibly delicious torte! A THM S.

Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Additional Time 13 hours
Total Time 15 hours

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups dry roasted hazelnuts
  • 1 1/2 cups xylitol, divided
  • 1/2 tsp xanthan gum
  • 6 egg whites
  • 3 cups whipping cream, divided
  • 1 1/2 3.5 ounces 85% dark chocolate bars, coarsely chopped
  • 1 Tbsp instant espresso powder
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 275 F. Line 2 rimmed cookie sheets with parchment paper.
  2. Add hazelnuts, 3/4 cup xylitol, and xanthan gum to a blender and blend until hazelnuts resemble small crumbs.
  3. In a separate bowl, beat egg whites on high speed until stiff. Fold in hazelnut mixture. Divide and spread evenly onto lined cookie sheets. Bake at 275 for 1.5 hours. Leave in oven overnight to dry out.
  4. In the morning, slice each meringue in half lengthwise. Stack the four layers on top of each other and square off with a knife until they are equal in shape.
  5. To make the chocolate filling, heat 1 cup of whipping cream with 1/4 cup of xylitol in a saucepan until hot, but not boiling. Remove from heat and stir in espresso powder and coarsely chopped chocolate until smooth. Cool in the fridge for 30 minutes until slightly thickened and spreadable.
  6. Beat remaining two cups of whipping cream together with 1/4 cup xylitol, and 1 tsp vanilla extract until stiff.
  7. To assemble, place one meringue layer on a serving tray and spread chocolate mixture on top. Add the second meringue layer. Spread on a layer of whipped cream, followed by a layer of chocolate sauce. Top with third meringue. Spread on chocolate sauce. Top with final meringue layer. Spread remaining whipped cream on the top and sides of the cake. Drizzle remaining chocolate sauce on top. Garnish with coarsely chopped hazelnuts and grated chocolate, if desired.
  8. Refrigerate for 2 hours before serving.

Notes

You can use Gentle Sweet instead of xylitol in half the amount.

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9 thoughts on “Hazelnut Meringue Torte | THM: S”

  1. Aww..Jacinda, this torte makes me feel all Dutch inside! Yes, you don’t want to call it your magnum opus b/c we want to keep you around a good long time – Ha!
    Glad to see that you have Mediavine! I love it and am so happy to find out about it from Rosilind Jukic at A Little R&R.
    Hugs to you and your precious family 😀

    PS I’ve never tried Gentle Sweet before..will need to now!

    Reply
  2. Hi Jacinda, I know you don’t look at this on sunday’s. But I was attempting to make the Hazelnut torte. Something went wrong. First of all, my meringue when I added my hazelnuts flopped down and did not stay fluffy or poofy. Did I grind my nuts to fine maybe. I did also add while my egg whites where whipping up some more. But that would not explain why it caved in when I added the hazelnut mixture. What did I do wrong and what can I do to fix it next time. I tasted a bit of the meringue and it tasted fine. I just did one cookie sheet but it’s very, very, very flat. Some help or advice. Better still you make it one day and I’ll come and watch. Or make a video of how some of these desserts are made. 🙂 I know you have your hands full with a “growing” family. Congrats. Children truly are a blessing from the Lord.

    Reply
    • Hi Denise! Sorry it’s taken me so long to reply! I did in my head long before I realized I hadn’t on here… 😉

      Egg whites are tricky to work with. They are very sensitive to the environment and meringues do not whip or rise well if you make them on a humid or rainy day. The air should be dry and the whites should be at room temperature. Also, they need to be stiff before you add in any extra ingredients, included your sweetener. I hope that helps with the trouble shooting!

      Reply

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