It’s February and that means all things heart shaped, chocolate, and in varying shades of pink and red! Let’s kick off our Valentine’s Day desserts with these wonderful dacquoise hearts. They are light, delicious, and, most importantly, can be made in advance and then assembled just before serving.
The Recipe
by volume by weight
hearts:
1/3 cup hazelnuts 50 grams hazelnuts
2 tablespoons powdered sugar 16 grams powdered sugar
2 large egg whites 100 grams egg whites
1/8 teaspoon salt 0.5 gram salt
1/3 cup sugar 66 grams sugar
buttercream:
4 teaspoons instant 8 grams instant
espresso powder espresso powder
2 teaspoons water 10 grams water
4 large egg yolks 72 grams egg yolks
1/4 cup water 60 grams water
1/2 cup sugar 99 grams sugar
6 tablespoons soft butter 84 grams soft butter
Directions
Heat the oven to 250F. Grind the hazelnuts and the powdered sugar to a fine flour and set aside. Be careful not to blend too long or it will become a paste.
Beat the egg whites and the salt until soft peaks form.
While beating, gradually add the sugar and then beat until stiff, glossy peaks form.
Fold in the nut flour just until incorporated.
Transfer the mixture to a piping bag and pipe half solid hearts and half open hearts on parchment paper.
Bake for 1 hour to 1 hour and 15 minutes. The meringues should be crisp and dry. Cool completely. Use an offset spatula to gently remove the hearts from the paper.
At this point, if you want to store the dacquoise hearts, place them in an airtight container or wrap airtight and freeze.
To make the coffee buttercream, dissolve the espresso powder in the 2 teaspoons of water.
Bring the remaining water and the sugar to a boil and cook until the mixture reaches 238F.
While the sugar is coming up to temperature, whip the egg yolks until light and fluffy. While beating, slowly pour the sugar syrup down the side of the pan into the egg yolks.
Beat until the mixture is cool. Add small pieces of the butter into the beating yolk mixture until all of the butter is incorporated. Mix in the espresso just to combine.
The buttercream can also be made several days in advance. Refrigerate in an airtight container and bring it back to room temperature before assembly.
To assemble the hearts, put one of the solid hearts on a flat work surface. Pipe some of the coffee buttercream in a thick layer over the surface.
Place one of the open hearts on the top to sandwich the buttercream.
Fill the opening with berries, sprinkle with finely chopped nuts, and drizzle with chocolate.
Alternatives
You can make these wonderful dacquoise hearts with many kinds of nuts. I have used hazelnuts, cashews, almonds, and pistachios all to great effect.
You can also fill the hearts with whatever you choose. Not a coffee fan? Use a different flavored buttercream to sandwich the hearts. Whipped cream would also be very nice for filling and then any fruit you choose (red, of course!).
If you have a nut allergy, you can leave the nuts out. Just be sure to include the powdered sugar that was mixed with the nuts at the beginning.
