Ingredients

Method

For the dacquoise:
• 2 t instant coffee granules
• 1⁄2 t water
• 1 T cornflour
• 180 g almond flour
• 6 free-range egg whites
• 220 g caster sugar
For the cheesecake filling:
• 1 T espresso
• 250 g plain full-cream cream cheese
• 1 lemon, juiced
• 1 cup cream, whipped
• icing sugar, for dusting

Method

Ingredients

1. To make the dacquoise, preheat the oven to 120°C. Mix the coffee and water and set aside. Combine the cornflour and almond flour and set aside.

2. Whisk the egg whites with the sugar until stiff peaks form, then add the almond mixture and fold through. Add the coffee mixture and fold through. Spoon or pipe 4 x 23 cm circles onto a tray lined with baking paper, then bake for 40 minutes.

3. To make the filling, beat the espresso, cream cheese and lemon juice until smooth. Gently fold in the whipped cream.

4. To assemble, layer the dacquoise and the cheesecake filling in a lined, 23 cm loose-bottomed cake tin starting and finishing with a dacquoise layer. If the dacquoise circles don’t fit, trim them with a knife. Chill overnight to set.

5. To serve, loosen the sides of the cake tin and gently lift the cheesecake onto a serving dish. Dust
with icing sugar.

Chef tip: The dacquoise layers can be made a few days in advance and kept wrapped in clingwrap. The cheesecake mixture can be made two days ahead and kept covered in the fridge.

Find more Christmas dessert recipes here. 

Photographs: Myburgh Du Plessis
Food assistants: Bianca Strydom and  Nadia Meyer