Coffee meringues with ricotta cream, cherries and chocolate

Are you looking for a light, easy-to-serve, sweet treat to accompany your cuppa? I’d encourage you to give these coffee meringues with ricotta cream, cherries and chocolate a try. I loved them!

They are delicious. They also look really nice, with the coffee giving the meringues a nice colour. Best of all, these coffee meringues with ricotta cream, cherries and chocolate are surprisingly low in sugar.

Other things I liked about this recipe are that you can prep them a couple of days ahead too, storing them in an airtight container for ultimate freshness; and they make lovely food gifts, should an occasion arise.

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 4 egg whites
• 1/2 tsp cream of tartar
• 1 tbsp instant coffee granules
• 1/2 cup erythritol/stevia blend sweetener, plus approx. 1 tbsp for ricotta cream
• 1 cup (260g) good quality ricotta
• 1 orange, zested and 1/2 juiced
• 2 cups cherries
• 120g dark chocolate (at least 70 per cent cocoa), grated

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 110C.
2. Place the egg whites in mixer bowl and using the balloon whisk beat until frothy. Add the cream of tartar, coffee and sweetener. Beat until stiff peaks form.
3. Line two oven trays with baking paper. Take a spoonful of the egg mix and spread to form a disc on the baking paper. Repeat with the remaining egg mix to form either 8 larger discs or 12 smaller discs (depending on whether you want your final dessert to have two or three layers).
4. Bake for 45 minutes. Turn off the oven and slightly open the door leaving the trays in the oven. Leave to cool completely.
5. Gently peel the meringues off the paper and store in an airtight container until ready to eat. They will keep for up to three weeks.
6. Beat the ricotta with the orange zest, juice and sweetener. Pit the cherries. Spread a layer of ricotta cream on a meringue and dot with cherries and grated chocolate, top with another meringue and repeat the process, whether using two or three meringues per serve. End with the cream, cherries and grated chocolate on the top. Serve.