Gluten Free Apricot Dacquoise Recipe

Gluten Free Apricot Dacquoise Recipe

Dacquoise is a French dessert made with meringues to which ground nuts have been added, layered with butter cream frosting. It is fabulous and it makes for a really lovely and different holiday dessert.

I recall seeing Julia Child make a rectangular Dacquoise on a cooking show where she mentioned that the great thing about the shape was that you could always slice off the end and eat it, then re-ice the cake with extra buttercream, and your guests would be none the wiser. That’s yet another reason why I love Julia Child.

Julia’s version was a complicated affair with piped meringues, steeped dried apricots run through a food mill and boozy buttercream beat over an ice bath. My version is simplified; I bake the meringues in cake pans to avoid the piping and add apricot preserves to a quick buttercream. For a taste closer to what I imagine Julia’s to be like, use orange liqueur in the buttercream instead of the cream. If you omit the cream and use dairy free butter, the dessert is dairy-free.

With some simple ingredients – eggs, nuts, sugar – you can whip up this wonderful dessert. I always use organic, cage free eggs from pastured chickens (mine are from Nature’s Yoke) – they make for really lovely meringues. I buy my nuts when they are on sale and keep them in the freezer – they stay so much fresher that way!

End your Holiday dinner with style – Julia style (simplified by Carol!)

Gluten Free Apricot Dacquoise Recipe

5 from 1 vote
Gluten Free Apricot Dacquoise Recipe
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Gluten Free Apricot Dacquoise Recipe

Prep Time15 mins
Cook Time45 mins
Cooling time1 hr
Total Time1 hr
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: French
Servings: 8 people
Calories: 414kcal
Author: Gluten Free & More

Ingredients

Meringues

  • 3 egg whites
  • 1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar
  • 1/8 teaspoon kosher or sea salt
  • ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • ¼ teaspoon pure almond extract
  • ¾ cup granulated sugar
  • 1 ½ cups blanched almonds ground or very finely chopped

Buttercream

  • cup confectioners’ sugar
  • ½ cup unsalted butter at room temperature
  • Pinch kosher or sea salt
  • ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 2 teaspoons heavy cream or orange liqueur
  • ½ cup apricot preserves

Instructions

Meringues

  • Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Lightly spray 3 – 9 inch cake pans with non-stick cooking spray.
  • In an electric mixer, fitted with a whisk attachment, beat the egg whites at medium speed until they start to foam. With the mixer still running, add the cream of tartar and salt. Turn the mixer up to high and gradually add the sugar. Continue beating until stiff peaks form and the sugar is completely dissolved. Test this by rubbing some of the egg white mixture between your thumb and forefinger. If it no longer feels gritty, you are done. Turn off mixer, add the vanilla and almond extracts, turn the mixer back up to high and mix until extracts are fully incorporated. Fold in the 1  1/2 cups ground almonds.
  • Divide the meringue batter evenly between the three prepared pans, smoothing the top with a spatula. Bake for 40 – 45 minutes or until the meringues are firm and lightly browned. Let cool in the pans for 1 hour.
  • While meringues are cooling, make the buttercream.

Buttercream

  • In an electric mixer fitted with a wire whisk attachment, whisk together the confectioners’ sugar and butter and salt, starting on low and gradually turning the speed up to medium. Continue beating for 3 minutes. Add the vanilla extract, lemon juice and 2 teaspoons of cream or orange liqueur and whisk for 1 more minute, adding more cream or liqueur if necessary until a creamy, spreadable consistency is achieved. With a spatula, fold in the apricot preserves. Refrigerate until ready to use.
  • Remove meringues from pans by flipping them over onto a counter and gently rapping them until they fall out.
  • To assemble, place one meringue on a serving platter. Spread a little less than a third of the buttercream over the meringue, top with another meringue, more buttercream and finally the last meringue. Frost the top and sides with the remaining buttercream.
  • Garnish the dacquoise by patting the sliced almonds around the sides, sticking them to the buttercream.
  • Refrigerate until serving.

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts
Gluten Free Apricot Dacquoise Recipe
Amount Per Serving
Calories 414 Calories from Fat 216
% Daily Value*
Fat 24g37%
Saturated Fat 8g40%
Cholesterol 32mg11%
Sodium 62mg3%
Potassium 180mg5%
Carbohydrates 46g15%
Fiber 2g8%
Sugar 42g47%
Protein 6g12%
Vitamin A 375IU8%
Vitamin C 0.5mg1%
Calcium 59mg6%
Iron 0.8mg4%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

The views and opinions expressed on this blog are purely the blog owner’s. This blog accepts free manufacturers’ samples and forms of cash advertising, sponsorship, paid insertions or other forms of compensation. Affiliate links may be included in this post.

Disclaimer: All nutrition facts on Gluten Free & More are meant only as a guide and may differ depending on product brands used or ingredient substitutions. Some errors may occur, so you are encouraged to confirm the recipe’s ingredient and nutrition suitability for your own diet.
Have you tried this recipe? Give it a star rating and let us know your thoughts in the Ratings & Reviews section below.
Tags: Almonds Apricots Cake Dacquoise Dairy Free Gluten-Free Gluten-Free Recipes Meringue Nature's Yoke Recipe
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  1. kel
    November 16, 2012

    Do you think it would be OK to substitute other flavors for the preserves, such as strawberry? This looks great, esp because it is made with ingredients that are usually on hand! Thanks Carol!!!

    1. Gluten Free & More
      November 16, 2012

      Yes! Any kind of preserves you like, it will be fabuolous! Enjoy Kel.

  2. Donna
    November 17, 2012

    I can totally make this with what is on hand – love it! Thank you, thank you, thank you!

    1. Gluten Free & More
      November 17, 2012

      You are welcome, welcome, welcome! Enojy.

  3. Pingback: Gluten Free Apricot Dacquoise | Gluten Free Recipes | Dessert | Diet … | SDiet.com

  4. November 18, 2012

    Oh, my. this looks superb. I’m on my way to your place for dessert. ;)

    1. Gluten Free & More
      November 19, 2012

      Come on over!

  5. Dianne
    December 25, 2012

    Yikes!! All was fine until I realized there were no instructions on the finely chopped almonds?? I folded them in but the meringue went flat. Hoping for miracle! Dianne

    1. Gluten Free & More
      December 27, 2012

      Yikes!!! I fixed the recipe – so sorry but you did the right thing. If the egg whites were whipped stiffly enough all should have worked out fine. LEt me know!

  6. Judy
    May 22, 2015

    Regarding the buttercream, when are the salt and lemon juice incorporated? They are listed as ingredients, but no mention is made after that.

    1. Gluten Free & More
      June 9, 2015

      Hi Judy, Oops! I forgot to add those in the directions! I updated it and they should be in there now. Thanks for pointing that out. :)
      xo,
      Carol

  7. Pingback: Gluten Free Raspberry Dacquoise Recipe | Simply Gluten Free

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