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Boccone dolce means “sweet mouthful.” It is a classic Italian dessert. It’s similar to our Himmelstorte Recipe but the Boccone Dolce is a cake without any cake. Instead, it’s made up of three crunchy meringue layers, chocolate, cream, berries, and more berries. Each slice is drizzled with a berry syrup. Oh my gosh! It’s the best of everything in one cake.
My friend Mila Ivanov sent me this wonderful recipe and I’m so glad she did! I made this for my sister’s baby shower, and it was a hit! There was a run on the cake and no slice was left behind. Mila, thank you so much!
Before you start, Watch how to make the Boccone Dolce:
P.S. Recipe updated 5/12/16 – reduced the amount of egg whites and sugar, added cream of tartar to stabilize and salt for flavor, increased mixing time to 7 minutes, rephotographed and also, added a super handy how-to video, all because I think you’re worth it! 🙂
Boccone Dolce Cake Ingredients:
10 egg whites, room temp (about 1 1/3 cups + 1 Tbsp of egg whites)
1 3/4 cups sugar
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
1/4 tsp salt
For the Berry Syrup:
2-4 cups fresh or thawed frozen strawberries
1-2 Tbsp granulated sugar, or to taste
Frosting & Topping Ingredients:
3 cups heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 cup chocolate chips (milk chocolate or semi-sweet, or both)
1/2 lb strawberries
1 pint raspberries or other berries to decorate
Preheat the Oven to 200 °F.
1. Draw three 9 1/2″ circles with a pen on parchment paper, then flip the paper over so you aren’t placing meringue over ink. Use a pen so you can still see the circle through the paper.
2. Beat the Room Temp Egg whites with sugar, 1/4 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp cream of tartar for about 7 minutes on high speed in your stand mixer with the whisk attachment, or until stiff peaks form. Note: if they aren’t at room temp, they will take much longer to beat.
3. Divide the egg white mix between the three circles on parchment paper. Form the three layers into about 1″ tall circles and shape them as evenly as possible. Flatten the top so the layers sit on top of each other easily when you assemble the cake.
4. Bake for 6 hours at 200˚F, rotating the pans every 2 hours for more even cooking (mine were on two racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven). If any of your layers are still springy in the center after baking, turn off the oven and leave them in there another hour to fully dry out. Remove from oven, pull layers off the baking pans and cool to room temp.
How to Make Frosting:
1. Freeze the mixing bowl and whisk attachment for 15 minutes. The cream will form best if your bowl and whisk are super cold. Also, keep your heavy cream in the fridge until you are ready to use.
2. Beat 3 cups heavy whipping cream with 1/2 cup powdered sugar for about 2 minutes or until stiff peaks form. Refrigerate frosting until ready to use.
Assembling Boccone Dolce Cake:
Assemble the cake shortly before serving. It is best eaten within 2 hours of assembling.
1. Rinse and dry berries and slice strawberries the long way.
2. Melt chocolate according to package instructions. As soon as the chocolate is melted, spread it over the tops of each of the three layers (see tip for success #2 below).
3. Place the first meringue layer on the platter you will be serving the cake on. Spread or pipe a little less than 1/3 of the frosting over the first layer. Place a layer of sliced strawberries over the frosting.
4. Repeat with the next two layers and decorate the top by piping the remaining whipped cream and topping with berries and more chocolate if desired.
Serving the Cake:
The slices get a little messy and that’s ok! 🙂 Use a food processor or blender to pulse your thawed strawberries with 1 to 2 Tbsp sugar and drizzle over the top of each slice.
I’ve been bombarded with requests for this cake. Hope you enjoy it thoroughly!! Does anyone know what I can do with all of those egg yolks hanging out in the fridge?
Boccone Dolce Cake Recipe
Ingredients
Boccone Dolce Cake Ingredients:
- 10 egg whites, room temp (about 1 1/3 cups + 1 Tbsp of egg whites)
- 1 3/4 cups sugar
- 1/4 tsp cream of tartar
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 cup chocolate chips, milk chocolate or semi-sweet, or both
- 1/2 lb strawberries
- 1 pint raspberries or other berries to decorate
For the Berry Syrup:
- 2-4 cups fresh or thawed frozen strawberries
- 1-2 Tbsp granulated sugar, or to taste
Frosting Ingredients:
- 3 cups heavy whipping cream
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
Instructions
Prep:
- Preheat the Oven to 200°F. Draw three 9 1/2 inch circles with pen on parchment paper then flip paper over so you aren't placing meringue over ink. Use a pen so you can still see the circle through the paper.
How to Make Boccone Dolce Cake:
- Beat the room temp egg whites with sugar, 1/4 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp cream of tartar for about 7 minutes on high speed in your stand mixer with the whisk attachment, or until stiff peaks form. Note: if they aren't at room temp, they will take much longer to beat.
- Divide the egg white mix between the three circles on parchment paper. Form the three layers into about 1" tall circles and shape them as evenly as possible. Flatten the top so the layers sit on top of each other easily when you assemble the cake.
- Bake for 6 hours at 200˚F, rotating the baking pans every 2 hours for more even cooking (mine were on two racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven). If any of your layers are still springy in the center after baking, turn off the oven and leave them in there another hour to fully dry out. Remove from baking pans and cool to room temp.
How to Make Frosting:
- Freeze the mixing bowl and whisk attachment for 15 minutes. The cream will form best if your bowl and whisk are super cold. Also, keep your cream in the fridge until you are ready to whip it.
- Beat 3 cups heavy whipping cream with 1/2 cup powdered sugar for about 2 minutes or until stiff peaks form. Refrigerate frosting until ready to use.
Assembling the Cake:
- Rinse and dry berries and slice strawberries the long way.
- Melt chocolate according to package instructions. As soon as the chocolate is melted, spread it over the tops of each of three layers (see notes for tip #2).
- Place the first meringue layer on the platter you will be serving the cake on. Spread or pipe a little less than 1/3 of the frosting over the first layer. Place a layer of sliced strawberries over the frosting.
- Repeat with the next two layers and decorate the top by piping remaining whipped cream and topping with berries and more chocolate if desired.
Serving the Cake:
- Use a food processor or blender to pulse your thawed strawberries with 1 to 2 Tbsp sugar and drizzle over the top of each slice.
Notes
1. Meringue layers take awhile to bake/dry out in the oven so feel free to make them the day before. Let cool to room temp and cover with cellophane on the counter overnight.
2. This cake should be assembled the day you are eating it and is BEST eaten within 2 hours of assembly since the frosting softens the meringue.
3. If you want the cake to stay crunchy longer, brush every layer (top and bottom) with melted chocolate. Once chocolate hardens, it will act as a barrier between the meringue and the cream resulting in a crunchier cake, making it last an extra hour or two at room temp. .
4. If you forget to bring your eggs to room temp, you can place egg whites in a bowl and set the bowl over luke-warm water for 5 to 10 minutes to bring them to room temp, giving them a swirl or two in the process.
Can I pre bake the meringues layers a day ahead and put it together when we going to eat it?
Absolutely! Just cover with a dry towel or put them into a plastic bag and leave on the counter
I can’t wait to try this out! YOU INSPIRE ME
THANK YOU SO MUCH,
PrettyOrange
I hope you love it as much as we all do 🙂
This is what you can do with the egg yolks in your fridge: Olive Garden Alfredo Sauce Recipe: Yummy!!!!
http://www.olivegarden.com/Connections-to-Italy/Recipes/Sauces/Alfredo-Sauce/
Silly question but do you bake the cakes on baking sheets or just on the parchement paper?
On baking sheets lined with parchment paper. No question is a silly question. Ok that’s not true, but your question was perfectly legitimate 🙂
hey i tried making your cream and it work out
Came out awesome! Thanks!
Very delicious cake. I love it. Thank you very much. The best thing about your recipes is that you explain in English I tried some Russian recipes earlier and didn’t work out, couldn’t understand in Russian. So thank you again.
Tanya; thank you! I’m so glad you loved the cake 🙂 I’ve also had trouble with translating Russian recipes; some of them just don’t turn out right for one reason or another. Thanks for the motivation to post more!
With all the eggs I made Creme Brulee.
This is a wonderful recipe! My meringues are in the oven as we speak. I just wanted to point out one thing- I’m not sure if it’s been said or not. The directions you gave for the meringue is extremely time-consuming. It’s suggested to use room-temp egg whites, and to whip them and then add the sugar at soft-peaks, then continue whipping. I’m not sure if it was these things or the fact I was using my in-laws’ ancient hand mixer, but it took me half an hour to 45 minutes to get hard peaks. Phew! I think I’ll get an arm rub while I have them bake.
Hi Emma; did you use room temp eggs? I have found that it takes much longer with cold eggs. It may be the hand mixer; but it still shouldn’t have taken that long!! I’ll have to try your suggestion next time with whipping them and then adding sugar to see if it goes faster. I’ve made this meringue this way many times and it’s 6 minutes every time in my kitchenaid on high speed. But it has taken longer if the eggs were cold. I’ll write that in again in the the instructions in case people miss it in the ingredients list. I’m sorry about your aching arm 🙁
It’s all good. At least I didn’t try hand-whipping like I originally intended, though I insisted on hand-whipping the cream. It’s like making a baby- hard work, but worth it when you stare lovingly at it’s perfection and think “I made this!”. And eat it.The cream, of course.
I have to say though, it tasted amazing! Sadly said inlaws’ oven only runs at 350, so one layer burnt. To me, all that meant was extra cream and chocolate on ym two-layer dessert!
I’m glad it all worked out in the end and that you loved it. 🙂 I’m sure it was beautiful too. I wish there was some way to let people easily show me how their cakes turned out; like a phone app or something. I’m always so curious! I’ll probably dwell on that idea until it becomes a reality one day!
I am definitley making this cake…now i just need an excuse of what to make it for!
Yes you do need to think of an occasion; maybe mothers day? It’s too dangerous to eat it alone! 😉
This looks amazing! its in the oven as we speak! keep it up! Also for egg yolks I make “gogal mogal” “Espresso Zabaglione” you mix equal portions with sugar, i wouldnt use all 12 though.. whip it with a mixer till really fluffy and light color and you spoon that into a espresso or fresh brewed black cup of coffee. sounds weird i know but a neat twist to coffee. we learned that in italy.
That sounds very interesting and I’m looking forward to trying it! Let me know how you like the cake.
Thank you Natasha.
hi Natasha,
Do you have a good recipe for cake pops? My sons birthday is coming up and I was looking for a good recipe. Thanks
My son never appreciated cake pops so I haven’t really experimented much with those. Sorry 🙁 As far as I know, bakerella.com is like the mother of all cake pops!
My aunt makes a “lazy version” of this type of cake- it was my most favorite thing ever as a kid, then i grew up and asked her how to do it….. she told me she buys meringues from Trader Joes, basically rough crushes them, then puts the cream and berries, it all sorts of sticks together better after being in the fridge overnight even though you can tell it is not perfectly layered….but it tastes greats in my mouth. This has always been my most favorite cake EVER .. sadly i can not make it or bring any meringues in the house anymore …. my DS is allergic to eggs- last time i made a meringue layer for a cake he climbed on a chair stole the layer from the counter and ate a bunch of it and we had to epipen him… all was well in the end but clearly any sort of sweets with eggs are too tempting for him to avoid.
Oh man how sad. 🙁 You had to use the epi pen? That’s quite a severe reaction to eggs! I do love the meringues from trader joes; i’ve always wanted to replicate them; they are so thick and perfect. So what kind of egg free sweets do you make?
Well he is only 3 so he is easy to satisfy- i make birds milk A LOT for him and for DD. If i bake i look for Vegan recipes usually as they are always egg free- i add butter and what not instead because it just tastes better than the vegan alternatives. I make a lot of banana stuff because bananas are a good sub for eggs, banana bread, banana muffins, banana cupcakes with banana icing and banoffee pie. … and my son likes bananas luckily.
Those sound like some great ideas for my son too (he’s almost 3). And your ideas sound like really healthy desserts too! Definitely a good thing he likes bananas! Did you know bananas help people sleep and help regulate acidity in the stomach to prevent heartburn? I just learned that 🙂
My hubby LOVES brown-ish bananas, but the odd thing is… he actually gets heartburn.
I did too until I stopped snacking before bed 😉 It really did the trick for me!
Just wondering.. Do u place them to bake straight on top of the oven racks with the paper or put them on cookie sheets first? Might be a silly question but I tried figuring it and thought its probably best to just ask 🙂 for having to bake them so long id hate to ruin it. Thanks
I put them on the baking sheets
nice, but 5 hours? wow!
Yep, but you just stick it in the oven and forget about it (well, mostly; except for rotating the pans a couple of times); it’s not alot of work, just alot of oven time and it can be made a day before 🙂
What temp. did you bake the layers at?
220 for 5 hours
I’m making this today. With the extra egg yolk I made mayonnaise and tomorrow (when the butter thaws) I’m going to make some Meyer lemon curd.
Oooh mayonnaise. I’ve never tired that! There must be something to the curd; Do you have a tried and true recipe?
This looks so good!!! Will have to try it for my daughters bday party!!! Thank
you for posting all these recipes!!!
Help! I’ve been beating the egg whites for 20 minutes now and they’re not stiffening up! What should I do?
Were they room temp when you started? If they weren’t it can take quite a bit longer. Are you using a hand mixer? That also can add a few minutes to your time. Just to be sure, are you beating them with the sugar?
first time i hear that eggs have to be at room temp. i know to get the perfect peaks are only when they are really cold, thats how i do them, turns out great for me.
I’ve tried with cold before and it seemed to take longer. It still worked, just took longer.
Keep me posted please!! I really hope it works out for you because it’s such a yummy cake.
If any hint of fat gets into the egg whites they won’t whip up right. Thats why I’m always really careful about seperating the eggs. I bet that’s why your eggs are not whipping up.
ever since i was a little girl i have been working with egg whites and i experienced that if u add sugar all at the same time u will just ruin it, cus they are very light and sugar weights them down, u add the sugar after they get peaks and in portions… hope this helps for next time.
Sounds like you started making meringue long before I did! Thanks for the tip! I’ve never had problems with adding the sugar if the whites are at room temp, but it may help. I’ll try it next time to see if the results are different.
Make sure the bowl and mixing utencels are very clean of any oil residu. That can make your egg whites not stiffen up.
Very true, thank you Vera!