Ingredients

• 4 egg whites
• 200g/7oz golden caster sugar
• 25g/1oz cocoa powder
• 1 tsp white wine vinegar
• 35g/1¼oz dark chocolate
• grated (optional)
• 400g/14oz whipping cream
• 30g/1oz icing sugar
• 3–4 maron glace
• crumbled (optional)
• 250g/9oz sweetened chestnut puree
• 50g/1¾oz dark chocolate
• grated or flaked (optional)

Directions

• Preheat the oven to 200C/180C Fan/Gas 6 and cut out a 20cm/8in round of baking paper and place onto a baking tray.
• Whisk the egg whites in a stand mixer or with a hand held electric whisk
• until soft peaks. Gradually whisk in the sugar
• a tablespoon at a time
• until the meringue is stiff and glossy. Sieve over the cocoa and gently fold in until combined. Fold in the vinegar and chocolate
• if using.
• Pile the mixture onto the centre of the baking paper
• building the meringue up in the middle
• into a small peak.
• Place in the oven and immediately turn down to 170C/150C Fan/Gas 3½. Bake for 1 hour 15 minutes – 1 hour 30 minutes or until the sides are crisp but with some give. Turn off the oven and leave the meringue to cool completely.
• Meanwhile
• make the filling. Whisk the cream until fairly stiff
• then fold in the icing sugar and vanilla extract. If using the maron glace
• place two large spoonfuls of the cream into a small bowl for later and crumble the marons into the large bowl of cream. Spoon the cream and maron mixture around the meringue peak.
• To decorate
• place the chestnut puree into a piping bag with a 2mm nozzle and pipe the puree all over the cream
• in loops or straight lines. Sprinkle the grated chocolate over the piped chestnut
• if using. Place the reserved cream into the middle of the pudding and build up into a peak
• so Mont Blanc looks snow covered.