Cuban Capitolios with Chocolate Coating

Prepare the panetela

1. Preheat the oven to 175 °C, with top and bottom heat and no fan. Place paper liners 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.
2. Beat the 3 eggs with the 90 g sugar and vanilla for about 8–10 minutes, until you obtain 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 the 90 g flour with the salt. Incorporate it in two batches with a spatula using folding motions, reaching the bottom of the bowl. Stop when no traces of flour remain: this panetela rises thanks to the air from the beating.
4. Distribute the batter evenly among the 12 cavities, approximately 27–28 g in each. You will bake small and low bases. Start checking at 12–15 minutes and remove them when they are lightly golden, 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.

   

5. Let the bases rest in the tin for 5 minutes and transfer them to a rack. Wait until they are completely cold, approximately 30 more minutes. Keep the paper liners during assembly and dipping to better hold each panetela.

Optional light syrup for the bases

6. If you desire a slightly juicier base, heat the 30 g sugar with the 45 ml water until the sugar dissolves and let it cool. Lightly brush the surface of the cold panetelas, using at most one teaspoon per unit. Let it absorb before assembly and keep the outer edge dry to hold the pieces during dipping.

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 cream of tartar if you use it. In a small saucepan, mix the 300 g sugar with the 90 ml 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. Monitor the temperature with the thermometer, ensuring the probe does not touch 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 too quickly, 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 letting it fall on the beaters and splash. Handle the saucepan with care: the syrup is very hot.

   

10. Once you have incorporated all the syrup, increase to medium-high speed and beat until you obtain 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 by itself guarantee the temperature of the entire mixture.

Assemble and chill the domes

11. Transfer the firm, barely warm meringue to a piping bag with a wide tip. On each completely cold panetela, form a first turn well adhered to the base and continue with increasingly smaller circles until finishing in a point. Leave a small edge of panetela free to hold it. Distribute the meringue among the 12 pieces.

    

12. Place the capitolios upright on a tray and chill them in the freezer for about 15–20 minutes, until the surface of the meringue is firm. While they chill, prepare the coating as indicated below. This chilling is brief: it aims to give firmness for the dipping, without completely freezing the interior. If the meringue is already firm and the coating is not yet ready, move the capitolios to the refrigerator until the moment of dipping.

Prepare the coating and dip the capitolios

13. Chop the chocolate and place it with the oil in a completely dry container. Melt it over a gentle water bath, without the bottom touching the water, stirring until smooth. Avoid letting steam or water droplets enter and remove from heat as soon as it melts.
14. Pour the chocolate mixture into a cup or a tall, narrow container with an opening wide enough to insert the dome. Let it cool for about 10–15 minutes, stirring occasionally: it must remain liquid and be barely warm. If it thickens too much again, heat it very briefly over a water bath and check its temperature again before dipping.
15. Work with two or three capitolios at a time and keep the rest cold. Hold each base carefully, invert the piece, and submerge only the meringue in the chocolate. Remove it immediately, let it drain for a few seconds without shaking, and place it upright again. A thin layer should cover the dome leaving the panetela visible.

    

16. If the panetela is too delicate to invert, use this alternative: place the capitolios on a rack with a tray underneath and pour the chocolate with a spoon over each dome until covering the meringue with a thin layer. This avoids holding or turning the bases.
17. Refrigerate the capitolios for about 20–30 minutes, or until the coating is firm. Remove the paper liners if desired and store the sweets in a tall container that does not touch the domes. The result should show a golden base and a dome covered with dark chocolate, with white meringue inside.