Chocolate Capitolios with Toasted Meringue

Prepare the chocolate sponge

1. Preheat the oven to 175 °C, with top and bottom heat and no fan. Place paper cups in a 12-cavity muffin tin, about 6–7 cm in diameter at the opening. Prepare a rack, a piping bag with a wide tip, and a candy thermometer. For the finish you will need a culinary torch or an oven with a grill, plus a suitable metal tray.
2. Beat the 3 eggs with the 90 g of sugar and vanilla for about 8–10 minutes, until obtaining a clear, very airy and thick mixture. When lifting the beaters, a ribbon should fall that remains on the surface for a few seconds.
3. Sift together the 72 g of flour, the 18 g of cocoa and the salt, breaking up any cocoa lumps well. Incorporate this mixture into the beaten eggs in two batches, with a spatula and folding movements that reach the bottom. Stop when the color is uniform: the sponge rises thanks to the air from the beating.

   

4. Distribute the batter evenly among the 12 cavities, approximately 27–28 g per unit. You will bake small, low bases. Start checking at 12–15 minutes and remove them when they regain their shape when touched gently and a skewer comes out clean; depending on the tin and oven they may need up to about 20 minutes. The dark color of the cocoa does not allow judging doneness by browning.

   

5. Let the bases rest in the tin for 5 minutes and transfer them to a rack. Wait until they are completely cool, approximately 30 more minutes, before carefully removing the paper cups and placing the meringue.

Optional light syrup for the bases

6. If you desire a slightly juicier base, heat the 30 g of sugar with the 45 ml of water only until the sugar dissolves. Let cool. Lightly brush the surface of the cooled panetelas, using at most one teaspoon per unit, without soaking them. The yield of the syrup will depend on evaporation.

Prepare the Italian meringue

7. Check that the pasteurized egg whites are suitable for whipping. Place them in the clean, grease-free bowl of an electric mixer, with the cream of tartar if you use it. In a small saucepan, mix the 300 g of sugar with the 90 ml of water. Heat until boiling and stop stirring once boiling begins.
8. While the syrup heats, start beating the egg whites until they form soft peaks. Control the temperature with the thermometer, without the probe touching the bottom of the saucepan, and adjust the heat so both preparations are ready at the same time. Remove the syrup when it reaches 118–120 °C. The egg whites must be whipped before incorporating it; if they advance, keep the electric mixer on low speed while the syrup finishes reaching its point.
9. Remove the syrup from the heat. With the electric mixer on medium-low speed, pour it slowly in a thin stream between the beaters and the wall of the bowl, avoiding that it falls on the beaters and splashes. Handle the saucepan with care: the syrup is very hot.
10. When you have incorporated all the syrup, increase to medium-high speed and beat until obtaining a shiny, firm meringue that is barely warm, approximately 8–12 minutes depending on the electric mixer. It must hold a peak and keep its shape. The use of pasteurized egg whites is part of this recipe: the temperature of the syrup does not guarantee by itself the temperature of the entire mixture.

    

Assemble and toast the meringue

11. Transfer the firm, barely warm meringue to a piping bag with a wide tip. On each completely cool base, form a tall spiral: start at the edge and draw increasingly smaller turns until finishing in a point. Distribute the meringue among the 12 pieces.

    

12. Refrigerate the capitolios for 15 minutes so they are well chilled when browning. Check that you have removed all paper cups. Place them on a metal tray suitable for grilling, without parchment paper, plastic or decorations, and choose one of the two following methods.
13. With a culinary torch: start about 15 cm from the meringue, respecting the device instructions. Move the flame continuously with brief passes, covering the turns and the tip. Stop when slightly golden areas appear and keep white parts; the interior must remain soft. Avoid concentrating the flame on one point.

    

14. With the oven grill: preheat it to high power and position the tray so that the meringue tips are at least about 20–25 cm from the heating element. Watch from the first moment and remove the pieces as soon as they start to brown. As a guide, check the color at 20–30 seconds; some ovens will take around 1–2 minutes. Color rules over the clock: look for a light toast, without burning the tips or drying the meringue.
15. Let the pieces lose surface heat for a few minutes and serve, or refrigerate them again. The desired finish is a white dome with golden relief and a soft center.