Merveilleux — meringue cakes with whipped cream and chocolate shavings

Preheat the oven to 100°C with top and bottom heat. Draw twelve circles, each 6 cm across, on parchment paper in three columns and four rows, leaving gaps of at least 2 cm. Turn the paper over onto a baking sheet with internal dimensions of about 30 × 40 cm. Have a clean, dry, grease-free bowl and a mixer ready; keep the cream in the refrigerator.

Pour the weighed egg whites into the bowl and start beating at medium speed. Once a soft foam forms, add the fine sugar a spoonful at a time, continuing to beat. After adding all 180 g, increase the speed and beat until thick and glossy with a stiff peak. This will take about 7–10 minutes in total; the sugar should dissolve.

Transfer all the meringue to a piping bag with a wide round tip and pipe twelve similar discs onto the marked circles. Move the tip in a spiral from the center to make flat tops rather than tall cones. Divide all the meringue among the discs and scrape it from the bowl and piping bag. Gently smooth any pointed tips with a small spatula.

Dry the meringues at 100°C for about 105–120 minutes, until pale, dry on the surface and easy to lift off the paper. If the bottoms are still sticky, dry them longer. Turn off the oven, leave the door ajar and let the discs cool for about 45 minutes. All the meringues must be completely cold and light before assembling.

Use a vegetable peeler or coarse grater to shave all 60 g chocolate over a wide plate, collecting the small crumbs too. Pour 300 g cold cream into a chilled bowl and add 20 g powdered sugar. Whip until the cream holds the whisk marks and forms a soft peak that holds its shape. Stop the mixer before the cream becomes grainy.

Set aside about two thirds of the cream for coating and refrigerate it. Divide the remaining one third among six meringue discs. Cover with the remaining six discs and press lightly so the cream reaches the edges without crushing the meringue. Put all six cakes on a tray and chill for 20 minutes to make coating easier.

Support each cake from underneath with a spatula and spread the remaining cold cream over the sides and top. Divide all the cream among the six portions. Working over the plate, gently press shavings onto the cream or carefully roll the sides in them, covering the top with chocolate too. Divide the collected loose shavings among the finished portions, serving all 60 g chocolate.

Set the cakes on a tray and refrigerate for about 30 minutes to let the cream firm up. Serve cold, preferably the same day: prolonged contact with the cream gradually softens the meringue. Keep the merveilleux in the refrigerator, protected from odors, until serving; use any leftovers the next day.