Ingredients

• 200g/7oz good-quality dark chocolate roughly chopped
• 200g/7oz unsalted butter
• softened
• plus extra for greasing
• 250g/8¾oz icing sugar
• 3 free-range eggs
• 110g/4oz plain flour
• 4 free-range egg whites
• 200g/7oz caster sugar
• ½ tsp cream of tartar
• 100g/3½oz hazelnuts
• roasted
• chopped
• 300ml/10½fl oz whipping cream
• 100g//3½oz icing sugar
• 200g/7oz raspberries
• handful hazelnuts
• chopped
• handful pistachios
• chopped

Directions

• Preheat the oven to 190C/375F/Gas 5. Grease and line two 23cm/9in sandwich tins
• For the brownie base
• melt 180g/6¼oz of the chocolate in a bowl set over a pan over simmering water. Chop the remaining chocolate and set aside.
• Meanwhile
• cream the butter and icing sugar together in a separate bowl until light
• creamy and fluffy. Slowly whisk in the eggs
• one at a time
• until well combined.
• Gradually beat in the flour until the mixture is very smooth. Slowly pour in the melted chocolate and fold it into the mixture
• then fold in the chopped chocolate.
• Pour the brownie mixture into the prepared sandwich tins and bake for 10-12 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 170C/325F/Gas 3.
• Meanwhile for the meringue topping
• whisk the egg whites and cream of tartar in a bowl until soft peaks form when the whisk is removed. Slowly whisk the sugar until smooth and glossy
• then fold in the chopped hazelnuts with a metal spoon.
• Spoon the meringue topping onto the cooked brownie base. Use a palette knife to smooth the meringue mixture in one sandwich tin and use a skewer to make peaks in the meringue mixture in the other tin.
• Return the sandwich tins to the oven for a further 30 minutes
• or until the meringue is golden-brown. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool. Carefully remove the cakes from the tin and set aside to cool completely on a wire rack.
• For the filling
• whip the cream and icing sugar together in a bowl until stiff peaks form when the whisk is removed. Fold in the raspberries.
• To assemble
• place the flat meringue brownie
• meringue-side down onto a cake stand or large plate
• spoon over the raspberry cream and top with the remaining cake
• brownie-side down. Sprinkle over the chopped hazelnuts and pistachios.