Chocolate Cinnamon Hazelnut Meringue Cake

Ingredients

6 egg whites
7/8 cup white sugar
3/4 cup sifted confectioners’ sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon cornstarch
3/4 cup ground hazelnuts

4 (1 ounce) squares semisweet chocolate, chopped
1 1/4 cups heavy whipping cream
1 tablespoon sifted confectioners’ sugar
1 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder

Directions

Preheat oven to 250 degrees F (125 degrees C). Line three baking sheets with parchment paper. With a pencil, draw 5 circles 9 inches in diameter on the parchment paper. It is best to trace around a cake pan or large saucepan.

In a large clean bowl, whip the egg whites until soft peaks form. Gradually add the 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons of white sugar and beat until stiff peaks form. Sift together the 3/4 cup confectioners’ sugar, cinnamon and corn starch, toss them together with the ground hazelnuts, then carefully fold them into the egg white mixture. Divide the mixture evenly between the 5 circles, and spread the meringue out to the edge of the drawn circle.

Bake for 3 to 4 hours in the preheated oven, until the meringue is completely dried out. Cool on wire racks.

Melt the semi-sweet chocolate over a double boiler until smooth. Spread over parchment paper or waxed paper into a 12×10 inch rectangle. When chocolate is set, cut the rectangle crosswise into 10-1 inch strips. Cut 8 of the strips into thirds. Cut the remaining strips into fourths. Set aside.

To make the filling, whip the heavy whipping cream with the 1 tablespoon of confectioners’ sugar until stiff. Spread whipped cream over all of the meringue layers. Using one of your prettiest plates, stack the layers on top of one another. Use 2/3 of the remaining whipped cream to spread around the outside edge of the cake. Put the rest of the whipped cream into a pastry bag and pipe rosettes around the edge. Place the 24 long chocolate strips vertically around the sides of the cake. Arrange the remai