• 4 jumbo egg whites
• ½ tsp white vinegar
• a pinch of salt
• 210g caster sugar
• 100g dark chocolate, chopped into chunks
• 2 tbsp coffee beans, slightly crushed

For The Topping

• 1½ cups cream, whipped
• 50g caster sugar
• ½ tsp vanilla extract
• 250g assorted berries

1 Preheat oven to 130ºC. In a large bowl whisk egg whites, vinegar and salt until soft peaks form. Add caster sugar two tbsp at a time, beating well until it is all dissolved before adding any more.

2 Heat the chocolate in a heatproof bowl over a pot of boiling water, stir until melted, remove and allow to cool slightly.

3 Spoon 12 dollops of meringue mixture onto a lined baking tray.

4 Swirl teaspoonfuls of melted chocolate through the meringue mixture.

5 Place chopped coffee beans on a lined baking tray and spread over remaining melted chocolate, allow to set, then chop roughly.

6 Place meringues in the oven and bake for 1 hour, switch off oven and allow oven to cool completely before removing meringues. Remove and place on a cooling rack.

7 Stir the cream, caster sugar and vanilla together, spoon cream onto eight of the discs, sprinkle over berries and some of the chopped chocolate-covered beans. Assemble stacks and top with remaining discs.

Text and image: Fairlady