Coffee and chocolate meringue cake

Method

1. For the meringue; preheat the oven to 150C/gas 1. Whisk the egg whites in a large bowl until they reach soft peak stage. Add the sugar, a little at a time, whisking continuously until the meringue becomes stiff and glossy. Fold in the vinegar, cocoa and cornflour.

2. Spread the meringue into a Swiss roll tin, lined with baking parchment and bake for approximately 1 hour, until the surface is crisp and the inside still soft. Remove from the oven and leave to slightly cool in the tin before turning out and cutting into 3 even strips.

3. To make the filling; mix the coffee and chestnut puree in a bowl until smooth and stir in the cream.

4. To assemble the cake, lay one strip of meringue on a serving platter, spoon over half the coffee cream and level out. Top with another strip of meringue and add the rest of the cream. Finish with the remaining strip of meringue.

5. Chill thoroughly before slicing and serving - you can always dust the top of the cake with icing sugar, cocoa powder or grated chocolate for extra wickedness!