Mini Boccone Dolce
Mini Boccone Dolce – Meringue Nests filled with Vanilla Whipped Cream, Berries and Chocolate. This meringue dessert feels light and refreshing. Did I mention that it’s super easy to make?
Babies of the Boccone Dolce cake (which has quickly became a favorite for everyone who’s ever tried it) these delicate and light Mini Boccone Dolce’s are festive and amazingly delicious! It’s very hard to stop with just one, since meringue base leaves you craving for more.
There are cakes and desserts that while I love eating, I absolutely hate making. This one is definitely not one of them. It takes about 10 minutes to make the meringue (the oven does the heavy lifting) and then after the meringue is baked it takes about 20 minutes to finish them up. The results are always awe inspiring and you can’t help but feel so proud of yourself for making something this beautiful and this good. Check out the step by step pictures below to see just how simple everything is!
Mini Boccone Dolce
Yield: 18-20 pcs
Ingredients for Meringue:
- egg whites
- sugar, granulated
- pinch of salt
- pinch of cream of tartar
How to make Meringue for Mini Boccone Dolce:
Preheat oven to 200F, with the rack in the middle. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
Add the 3 egg whites, pinch of salt and pinch of cream of tartar to a thoroughly cleaned glass or stainless steal bowl. It should have no traces of grease or egg yolk. If there is, the meringue will not whip properly.
Using a mixer start whipping the egg whites until they’re slightly foamy, then add the sugar one table spoon at a time while continuing to whip. Once you’ve added all the sugar, continue whipping on high for about 5 minutes (if you multiply the recipe, make sure to multiply the whipping time as well). The egg whites should look pearly white and very thick.
How to Pipe the Meringues:
Fit a ziplock bag or a pastry bag with a star tip. Fill the bag with the meringue and pipe 2 inch stars about 2 inches apart. To pipe hold the piping bag about 1 inch above the baking sheet, push until a 2 inch star has been piped, then stop pushing and quickly pull up.
If you don’t care for the star design, just spoon the meringue onto the sheet.
Using a teaspoon or a mellon baller, make an indent in the middle of the meringue, like shown on the pictures.
How to Bake this Meringue Dessert:
Place in the oven and bake for 1.5 – 2 hours. To check if the meringue is dry, remove one from the oven and let it cool completely. Now break it apart and check to make sure that the middle is not moist, but thoroughly dry. Once dry, turn off heat, open the oven door just enough to stick a wooden spoon and allow to completely dry.
Meringues can be made several days ahead of time, just make sure to keep them in an airtight container until ready to assemble.
How to make Vanilla Whip Cream (Chantilly Cream)
- heavy cream (at least 33% fat content)
- sugar
- vanilla extract or vanilla emulsion
How to make Vanilla Whipped Cream:
Add all ingredient (1 cup heavy whipping cream, 3 tablespoons sugar, 1 tablespoon vanilla extract/emulsion) to a bowl and whip with a mixer until medium-peaks, about 1-2 minutes. Fit a ziplock/pastry bag with star tip. Fill the bag with prepared cream.
Make Chocolate Ganache
Ingredients for Chocolate Ganache:
- chocolate chips (dark chocolate)
- boiling hot heavy whipping cream
To make the ganache:
Pour heavy cream over chocolate chips, let sit for 2 minutes. Stir until smooth. Transfer to a ziplock bag. Snip off a corner of the bag.
To Assemble gather the rest of the ingredients together to assemble the Mini Boccone Dolce’s.
You will need about 2.5 cups of berries of choice.
I had –
40 pcs raspberry
10 pcs blackberry, cut in half
Strawberries.
Ganache
Vanilla Whipped Cream
Drizzle chocolate ganache over each meringue nest. Pipe a star with the Vanilla Whipped cream. Top with a couple berries and a mint leave for garnish.
Refrigerate until ready to serve. Can be made up to 12 hours ahead, but best served within 2-3 hours of assembly.
Give these other great recipes a try:
- Boccone Dolce – A light and crispy meringue dessert with just the right amount of zing from the berries
- Cherry Chocolate Pavlova Recipe – Meringue dessert topped with whipped cream and cherry sauce.
- Pavlova Cake Recipe – Fluffy and soft meringue cake with berries and sweetened whipped cream.
Mini Boccone Dolce
Mini Boccone Dolce - Meringue Nests filled with Vanilla Whipped Cream, Berries and Chocolate. This meringue dessert feels light and refreshing.
Ingredients
Ingredients for Meringue:
- 3 large egg whites
- 1 cup sugar granulated
- pinch of salt
- pinch of cream of tartar
Vanilla Whipped Cream
- 1 Cup heavy cream at least 33% fat content
- ⅓ Cup sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract or vanilla emulsion
Ingredients for Chocolate Ganache:
- 2 Tbsp chocolate chips dark chocolate
- 2 Tbsp boiling hot heavy whipping cream
Also:
- 40 pcs raspberry
- 10 pcs blackberry cut in half
Instructions
How to make Meringue for Mini Boccone Dolce
-
Preheat oven to 200°F, with the rack in the middle. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
-
Add the 3 egg whites, pinch of salt and pinch of cream of tartar to a thoroughly cleaned glass or stainless steal bowl. It should have no traces of grease or egg yolk. If there is, the meringue will not whip properly.
-
Using a mixer start whipping the egg whites until they're slightly foamy, then add the sugar one table spoon at a time while continuing to whip. Once you've added all the sugar, continue whipping on high for about 5 minutes (if you multiply the recipe, make sure to multiply the whipping time as well). The egg whites should look pearly white and very thick.
-
Fit a ziplock bag or a pastry bag with a star tip. Fill the bag with the meringue and pipe 2 inch stars about 2 inches apart. To pipe hold the piping bag about 1 inch above the baking sheet, push until a 2 inch star has been piped, then stop pushing and quickly pull up.
-
If you don't care for the star design, just spoon the meringue onto the sheet.
-
Using a teaspoon or a mellon baller, make an indent in the middle of the meringue, like shown on the pictures.
-
Place in the oven and bake for 1.5 - 2 hours. To check if the meringue is dry, remove one from the oven and let it cool completely. Now break it apart and check to make sure that the middle is not moist, but thoroughly dry. Once dry, turn off heat, open the oven door just enough to stick a wooden spoon and allow to completely dry.
-
Meringues can be made several days ahead of time, just make sure to keep them in an airtight container until ready to assemble.
How to make Vanilla Whip Cream (Chantilly Cream)
-
Add all ingredients (1 cup heavy whipping cream, 3 tablespoons sugar, 1 tablespoon vanilla extract/emulsion) to a bowl and whip with a mixer until medium peaks, about 1-2 minutes. Fit a ziplock/pastry bag with a star tip. Fill the bag with prepared cream.
To make the ganache:
-
Pour heavy cream over chocolate chips, let sit for 2 minutes. Stir until smooth. Transfer to a ziplock bag. Snip off a corner of the bag.
To Assemble
-
Gather the rest of the ingredients together to assemble the Mini Boccone Dolce's.
-
Drizzle chocolate ganache over each meringue nest. Pipe a star with the Vanilla Whipped cream. Top with a couple berries and a mint leave for garnish.
-
Refrigerate until ready to serve. Can be made up to 12 hours ahead, but best served within 2-3 hours of assembly.
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As a Papa Haydn fan, I can say this recipe is perfect! Boccone Dolce is a family favorite and these “little bites” are wonderful. Perfect for a light treat!
I would like to make for Christmas Eve. I am looking for something I can make ahead of time can I make your recipe? Thank you.
If your meringue comes out properly, it is ok to make these a day or two ahead. I just wouldn’t add the fruits until you’re about ready to serve them. If the meringue is not properly made, the meringues will melt from the whipped cream if made ahead of time.
Never ever use cream of tartar. Why do we need it? Thanks
It helps to stabilize the meringue.
I never thought I could make these by myself. Your clear/precise instructions with pictures made me step out of my comfort zone and attempt this! The results were amazing!!!! Thank you! Can’t wait to try your other recipes. Already using many of your suggestions in everyday cooking/baking.
Thats amazing! Thanks so much for your feedback!
Will the baked meringue hold well if frozen in air tight container for few days prior to holiday prep?
You dont even have to freeze it, just store at room temperature in a ziplock 🙂
These were soo yammi! I made a trial at home and they were gone in one day. My 5 year old requested them for her birthday party, They were a hit, everyone loved them, kids and adults including. Perfect size. Thank you for sharing!
Hey Marina!
Thanks for sharing tsuch great recipe with us. 🙂
Do egg whites have to be at room temperature before whipping?
Thanks,
Oxy
Hi Oxy!
I have used both room temperature and eggs straight from the fridge with success. So either one will work.
Wow! These look amazing! I love that they are mini, perfect for parties 🙂 i ordered the boccone dolce cake at papa Haydn for my bday last month and it was so hard to cut, it was falling apart. I love how these are perfect size and no need to cut into slices. I will be making these soon 🙂 Love all your recipes. You’ve got some talent Marina!!!
Thank you Marinochka!
Yes, this is why I like to make the Boccone Dolce in one layer, because it is so much easier to cut and serve. Also, if you let the cake sit (in the fridge) for a couple hours before serving, it will be easier to cut it, because the meringue layers absorb some of the moisture and make it softer.
Of course, to avoid the hassle you could just make these mini versions 😉 Thanks for your kind words dear!
Hey, Marina. I was wondering if I could use organic white sugar, it has bigger crystals then regular granulated sugar? Will it still turn out ok? The only other thing I have on hand is powdered sugar:) any suggestions? I want to make it now but can’t get to the store with kiddos:(
Hi Natasha,
Generally for meringue it is best to use finer kind of sugars, so even using the granulated (regular) sugar is probably not as good as using powdered sugar, even though it does work. So what I would do if I was you, is probably either run the organic white sugar through your blender to break the crystals into finer crystals, or just use 1 3/4 cups powdered sugar for every 1 cup of sugar in the recipe. Good luck dear!
I love these as minis. So smart!! Your photography is stunning as usual!
Thanks Natasha!
You have got some serious talent, my friend. Recipe is superb and photography, Mmmmm….:) 🙂
Thanks girlfriend 😀
Beauties! You’re amazing, Marina!!! If only I could be half the baker you are!!!
Thank you Zhenya! This really isn’t that hard though!