Marquise with Dulce de Leche and Italian Meringue
Marquise is the Argentine birthday cake that is not really a cake. The base is closer to a dense brownie, no flour and no raising agent, just chocolate, butter, sugar and six eggs beaten until pale. It bakes into something fudgy that sets firm as it cools.
Then it gets a thick layer of dulce de leche repostero and a cloud of Italian meringue on top, blowtorched if you are feeling dramatic. Here is the meringue recipe → If meringue is not your thing, whipped cream is the classic alternative and takes five minutes.
We have the recipe
This recipe calls for dulce de leche repostero, and we have our own recipe for it.
We have the recipe
This recipe calls for Italian meringue, and we have our own recipe for it.
How to Make Marquise with Dulce de Leche and Italian Meringue
The base is one bowl over simmering water and one bowl of beaten eggs, folded together. The only technique is beating the eggs properly pale, because with no flour in the recipe that air is the entire structure.
All Ingredients
1. Melt the chocolate base
- 1
Put the chocolate, sugar and butter in a bowl set over simmering water.
- 2
Stir until completely melted and very liquid, then set aside to cool for about 5 minutes.
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2. Beat the eggs pale
- 1
Beat the eggs on high until they turn pale, almost white, and roughly triple in volume.
- 2
Keep going for several minutes. This air is the only lift the recipe has.
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3. Fold and bake
- 1
Fold the cooled chocolate into the eggs with a spatula until it becomes one smooth mass. No mixer here.
- 2
Pour into the lined tin and bake at 180°C for 30 minutes, until a skewer comes out with moist crumbs. Cool completely.
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4. Dulce de leche and meringue
- 1
Spread the dulce de leche over the cooled base in an even layer.
- 2
Top with Italian meringue, swirl into peaks and blowtorch if you like. Whipped cream works here too.
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The Recipe
Prep25 min
Cook30 min
Total1h 55m
Serves12
DifficultyMedium
Ingredients
for 12 serves
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 180°C and line a cake tin, or two small loaf tins, with baking paper.
Put the chocolate, sugar and butter in a bowl over a pan of simmering water. Stir until completely melted and very liquid, then set aside to cool for about 5 minutes.
In a separate bowl, beat the eggs until pale, almost white, and roughly tripled in volume. Give this several minutes on high speed.
Pour the cooled chocolate into the beaten eggs and fold with a wooden spoon or spatula until it comes together as one smooth mass. Do not use the mixer here.
Pour into the tin and bake for 30 minutes. A skewer should come out with moist crumbs, not clean.
Cool completely, in the tin. The base firms up as it cools, so do not rush this.
Spread the dulce de leche over the cooled base in an even layer.
Top with the Italian meringue, swirling it into peaks, and blowtorch if you like. For the whipped cream version, spread softly whipped cream over the dulce de leche instead.
Tips & Notes
Beat the eggs properly pale
There is no flour and no baking powder here, so every bit of lift comes from the air you beat into the eggs. Keep going until they are genuinely pale yellow and have roughly tripled, several minutes on high. This is the step people rush and it is the one that decides the texture.
Let the chocolate cool before it meets the eggs
Straight off the bain-marie the chocolate is hot enough to scramble egg. Give it five minutes, then fold it in with a wooden spoon or spatula rather than the mixer, so you keep the air.
It is meant to look underdone
At 30 minutes a skewer should come out with moist crumbs, not clean. It carries on setting as it cools and firms up completely in the fridge. Bake it until a skewer comes out clean and you will have a dry marquise.
Cool completely before the dulce de leche
Spread dulce de leche onto a warm base and it turns to liquid and runs off the sides. Let the base come fully to room temperature, or chill it for half an hour, before you touch it.
Repostero, not classic
This is the one place you want the thick style. Repostero holds a clean layer under the meringue instead of soaking into the base and disappearing.
Meringue or whipped cream
Italian meringue is traditional and it torches beautifully, but it needs a thermometer. For whipped cream instead, whip 400 ml of cold thickened cream with 2 tablespoons of icing sugar to soft peaks and spread it over the dulce de leche. Assemble that version close to serving, since cream will not hold as long as meringue.
Make ahead
The base keeps well wrapped for 3 days at room temperature or up to a month in the freezer. Add the dulce de leche and the topping on the day you are serving.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 557 kcal
- Protein
- 7.3 g
- Carbohydrates
- 62.2 g
- Total Fat
- 31.7 g
- Dietary Fiber
- 1.2 g
- Sugars
- 58.6 g
- Sodium
- 97 mg
Per serving, calculated from the ingredient list using USDA reference data. Estimates only, and they will shift with brands, portion size and how much of any sauce or oil you actually eat.
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