Vegan Dacquoise (gluten-free, nut-free)

Vegan, gluten-free and nut-free version of classic French dessert Dacquoise that tastes just divine.

Special thank you to Amore di Mona for sponsoring this post.

Today I have a really special dessert recipe for you, one that I would have never thought to recreate, Vegan Dacquoise.

Dacquoise is a French dessert originated in the 17th century. Traditionally it is made with layers of almond or hazelnut meringue and filled with buttercream, whipped cream or chocolate ganache.

My vegan, gluten-free and nut-free version is created with aquafaba and sunflower seed flour, chocolate ganache and sunflower seed agar cream. A complete reinvention of this classic French recipe that tastes absolutely divine.

To create the meringue I had to make an exception and use caster sugar this time. I tried to make it with rapadura sugar first, which has a similar consistency, it whipped really well into a thick meringue but it didn’t hold the shape while baking. If you don’t mind flat meringue you can use rapadura but for more fluffy one I recommend using white caster sugar. I will experiment with it little more and will update you if I find a better solution.

To make the meringue beat the aquafaba on high speed for at least 10 minutes until soft peaks. It takes me about 10 minutes on the highest speed with my stand-up mixer. Add cream of tartar halfway in between. Then start adding the sugar 1tbsp at the time and whip for at least another 5 minutes until you have a really thick meringue batter that forms stiff peaks. It should hold its shape once ready. By hand gently fold in the sunflower seed flour mixed with tapioca flour.

Line large baking sheet with baking paper and draw eight 9cm (3 1/2″) size circles, keeping some space in between. Turn the paper over so the pencil line is at the bottom. Use a piping bag fitted with a large nozzle and pipe eight circles. If you have little bit of leftover mix pipe few small shapes to finish the mix. Bake for 1 hour on 100°C (200F), turn the oven off and leave it inside the oven until cooled down. I just left it in the oven overnight. 

To make the chocolate ganache simply heat the oat cream and pour over the chopped chocolate, stir until completely smooth and refrigerate overnight until set to a pipeable consistency. 

To make the sunflower seed agar cream; gently heat the oat cream, sugar, cinnamon and agar flakes until dissolved, add the cornflour and bring back to boil. Turn off the heat and stir in the sunflower seed butter. Refrigerate until set and then gently whip into a smooth consistency. 

I didn’t add any extra sweetener to the chocolate ganache and only 2tbsp of sugar to the sunflower seed cream because the meringue is already sweet enough and it’s not necessary. Together they all complement each other so well and I feel that the dessert has the right level of sweetness.

The best thing is to prepare all of the elements the night before and then just finish the dacquoise before serving or serve it within two hours or so after decorating. The meringue will become moist after being layered with the fillings.

Continue to Content

Yield: 4 servings

Vegan Dacquoise (gluten-free, nut-free)

Print

Vegan, gluten-free and nut-free version of classic French dessert Dacquoise that tastes just divine.

Prep Time 25 minutes

Cook Time 1 hour 20 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 45 minutes

Ingredients

Dacquoise:

• 1/3 cup aquafaba (80 ml)
• 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 1/2 cup caster sugar (100 grams)
• 1/3 cup sunflower seeds, ground into flour consistency (70 grams)
• 1 tablespoon tapioca flour
• Chocolate ganache: make the night before
• 7.7-ounce dark vegan chocolate (220 grams)
• 1 cup oat cream (240 ml)

Sunflower agar cream:

• 2 cups oat cream (480 ml)
• 2 tablespoons sugar of your choice
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons agar flakes
• 1 and 1/2 tablespoons corn flour
• 4 tablespoons sunflower seed butter

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 200 °F (100 °C)
2. Line large baking sheet with baking paper and draw eight 3 1/2" (9cm) size circles, keeping some space in between. Turn the paper over so the pencil line is at the bottom.
3. To make the meringue place the aquafaba into a bowl of stand-up mixer and beat on high speed for at least 10 minutes until soft peaks. Add cream of tartar halfway in between.
4. Now start adding the sugar 1 tablespoon at a time and whip for at least another 5 minutes until you have a really thick meringue batter that forms stiff peaks. It should hold its shape once ready. Remove the bowl from the mixer.
5. Whisk the sunflower seed flour with tapioca flour and using a large wooden spoon gently fold it into the meringue.
6. Use a piping bag fitted with a large round nozzle and pipe eight circles. If you have a little bit of leftover mix pipe a few small shapes to finish the mix.
7. Bake for 1 hour at 200 °F (100 °C). Now turn the oven off and leave it inside the oven until cooled down. I just left it in the oven overnight.

Chocolate ganache:

1. Roughly chop the chocolate for the chocolate ganache and place into a medium bowl. Place the oat cream into a small pot and gently heat until boiling point. Pour over the chopped chocolate and stir until completely melted and smooth.
2. Leave to cool down before placing into a fridge to set overnight into a pipeable consistency. It should be perfect consistency for piping but if it's too hard leave it at room temperature for a little while to soften.

Sunflower agar cream:

1. Place 1 1/2 cups (400 ml) of oat cream (leaving little to mix with the corn flour), sugar, cinnamon, vanilla, and agar flakes into a medium pot and gently heat until boiling point. Leave to simmer for about 10 minutes until the agar flakes have dissolved.
2. Mix the cornflour with the rest of the oat cream and pour into the pot stirring constantly until it comes to a boiling point. Take off the heat and stir in the sunflower seed butter. Place into a fridge for about an hour until set. Once set gently whisk until smooth and creamy and place back to fridge until needed. Can be left in fridge overnight.
3. Before serving spoon the chocolate ganache into a piping bag fitted with a large round nozzle and the sunflower agar cream into a piping bag fitted with a large star nozzle.
4. Decorate the dacquoise layers and stack them on top of each other.
5. Best to serve within two hours of assembly.
6. Enjoy!

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

4

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving:Calories: 1032Total Fat: 44gSaturated Fat: 16gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 24gCholesterol: 30mgSodium: 1158mgCarbohydrates: 140gFiber: 12gSugar: 64gProtein: 22g

Similar Posts:

• Buche De Noel (vegan & gluten-free)
• Chocolate Raspberry Mousse Cups (vegan, grain-free, nut-free)
• Rose Cardamom Chocolate Mousse (vegan)
• Blackberry Chocolate Cardamom Tart (vegan & gluten-free)
• Chocolate Gingerbread Mini Cakes (vegan & gluten-free)