This post may contain affiliate links. Please see disclosure policy here.
This boccone dolce is heaven on a plate! It’s made with layers of soft, chewy meringue topped with whipped cream and berries. It’s pretty and delicious!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe!
A local Portland restaurant, Papa Haydens, that is famous for their desserts, serves this amazing meringue dessert. I order it EVERY time I go there despite the dozens of choices on the menu. Not wanting to wait until we went to the restaurant to enjoy Boccone Dolce I googled the recipe and found this great version and now I can make my favorite dessert at home.
What is Boccone Dolce?
Boccone Dolce is a combination of melt in your mouth meringue layered with whipped cream and fruit. YUM! Don’t let the picture of the dessert or the mention of meringue scare you away. It is actually very easy to make!
Ingredients Needed
Egg whites, room temperature
Vanilla Extract. Use a good quality vanilla.
Cream of Tartar. This acts as a stabilizer to your egg whites.
Sugar. I prefer using a superfine sugar which is also called Baker’s sugar but have used regular granulated sugar too. You will also need a little powdered sugar for the whipped cream and for garnish.
Heavy Cream
Berries. I love using a combination of strawberries, raspberries and blueberries. You can also used sliced banana.
How to Make Boconne Dolce
Meringue Layer
This meringue is not like the soft meringue that is on lemon meringue pie. This meringue is crisp and dry and melts in your mouth when you bite into it!
Tips from Leigh Anne
- Be sure and use egg whites at room temperature and a clean bowl in order to get your egg whites to whip properly.
- Also make sure none of the egg yolk gets in with the whites or they won’t whip properly.
Whipped Cream Layer
Whip your cream until it is a medium stiffness. You can read all my tips for making whipped cream here.
Fruit Layer
You can use any berries that are in season such as strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, blueberries (remember I live in berry heaven!) and if no berries are in season you can also use bananas.
How to Make Boccone Dolce
- Preheat oven to 225 degrees F. Line baking sheets with parchment or waxed paper. Trace three (3), 8-inch circles on paper.
- Using a mixer, beat egg whites, cream of tartar, and vanilla extract until soft peaks form.
- Gradually beat in sugar and continue beating until meringue is stiff and glossy.
- With a rubber spatula, spread meringue evenly and equally over top of each parchment paper 8 inch circle.
- Bake approximately 1 hour or until meringue becomes bisque colored and is dry to the touch.
- NOTE: The low temperature will prevent them from browning too quickly. Then turn off oven, open oven door, and let the meringues “rest” in the oven another 15 minutes. Remove from oven and carefully peel off parchment or waxed paper. Put cake on racks to dry until thoroughly coo
How to Assemble Boccone Dolce
- Place one meringue layer on a serving dish.
- Add a layer of whipped cream
- Add fruit.
- Place the other meringue on top and layer it with whipped cream and more fruit and repeat with the third layer!
- Drizzle with chocolate if preferred. I dusted mine with some powdered sugar.
On the very top, pile on the berries. It looks so pretty!
Now this boccone dolce looks super fancy and impressive but it really is easy to make. The hardest part of the whole thing is cutting it.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I cut meringue?
This meringue dessert is not the easiest to cut – I find using a serrated bread knife works well and use a sawing like motion. Even if it falls apart a bit when you slice it, it is still going to taste amazing.
How far ahead can I make this?
You can make the meringue layer 1-2 days ahead of time and keep them stored in an airtight container at room temperature. Do not store in the fridge. I recommend assembling the dessert with the whipped cream and berries the day you are going to serve it.
How do I store leftover boccone dolce?
At our house there are rarely leftovers but if you have any leftover, store in an airtight container or covered with plastic wrap in the refrigerator for a day or so, it won’t last much longer than that.
Other delicious meringue desserts to try:
Be sure and follow me over on You Tube for weekly cooking demos
Boccone Dolce
Ingredients
MERINGUE
- 4 egg whites room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp cream of tartar
- 1 cup superfine sugar also called Baker’s sugar
FILLING
- 3 Tbsp. powdered sugar
- 3 cups heavy whipping cream
- ½ tsp. vanilla extract
- 2 pints berries sliced
Instructions
MERINGUE:
- Preheat oven to 225 degrees F. Line baking sheets with parchment or waxed paper. Trace three (3), 8-inch circles on paper.
- Using a mixer, beat egg whites, cream of tartar, and vanilla extract until soft peaks form.
- Gradually beat in sugar and continue beating until meringue is stiff and glossy.
- With a rubber spatula, spread meringue evenly and equally over top of each parchment paper circle.
- Bake approximately 1 1/2 hours or until meringue becomes bisque colored. and is dry to the touch. It will release easily from the parchment paper.
- NOTE: The low temperature will prevent them from browning too quickly. Then turn off oven, open oven door, and let the meringues “rest” in the oven another 15 minutes. Remove from oven and carefully peel off parchment or waxed paper. Put cake on racks to dry until thoroughly cool.
FILLING
- In a large bowl, whip the cream until stiff; gradually add powdered sugar and then vanilla extract.
- Slice berries
- To assemble, place a meringue layer on a serving plate, rounded side down
- Top with a layer (about ¾ inch thick) of whipped cream
- Top cream with a layer of sliced berries
- Place a second layer of meringue on top of this, and repeat filling
- Top with final meringue, rounded side up, add whipped cream and lots of berries
- Refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight
- Garnish with several whole strawberries and powdered sugar
Tips & Notes:
- Be sure and use egg whites at room temperature and a clean bowl in order to get your egg whites to whip properly. Tip Number Two
- Also make sure none of the egg yolk gets in with the whites or they won’t whip properly.
- You can make the meringue layer 1-2 days ahead of time and keep them stored in an airtight container at room temperature. Do not store in the fridge. I recommend assembling the dessert with the whipped cream and berries the day you are going to serve it.
Skeerguy says
I fell in love with this dessert at Papa Hayden’s 30 years ago while visiting your city! I found a similar recipe but I wanted to find a way to stabilize the whipped cream. Otherwise, the whole thing collapses within a day. I finally borrowed from another recipe that mixes cream cheese into the cream. It makes a great dessert even richer and holds for several days.
Whipped Cream
8 ounces cream cheese , room temperature
1/2 cup sugar (3 1/2 ounces)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon table salt
2 cups heavy cream
Place cream cheese, sugar, vanilla, and salt in bowl of standing mixer fitted with whisk attachment. Whisk at medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 1 to 2 minutes, scraping down bowl with rubber spatula as needed. Reduce speed to low and add heavy cream in slow, steady stream; when almost fully combined, increase speed to medium-high and beat until mixture holds stiff peaks, 2 to 2 1/2 minutes more, scraping bowl as needed (you should have about 4 1/2 cups).
Linda says
I have made this many time but lost my recipe. Thanks for putting it on your web site! I’m making it tonight for a dinner party. Always a crowd pleaser.
Emma says
mmmmm looks so heavenly. Thanks for this wonderdful recipe. This is my first time hearing about it
Kris says
Love your site, a friend passed it on to me. This dessert looks awesome! My mom makes one similar to it but the filling has crushed Heath candy bars in it. Anyway, we cut it with an electric knife and it works great – you might want to give that a try.
Joan Callaway says
I KNOW how delicious this is going to be. I make something very similar, although only one layer,called
Pavolva, which I learned from a visitor from New Zealand. It is only one layer, so much easier to cut. I’ve not thought to add chocolate…Yummm!
Pavlova
3 large or 4 small egg whites
1 1/4 cup sugar
3 T. cold water
1 T. vinegar
pinch of salt
1/2 tsp. vanilla
2 tsp. cornstarch
Beat egg whites until they begin to peak. Gradually add sugar and water alternatly 1 T. at a time. You beat this beyond the time you think. Then salt, vinegar and vanilla. Then gently fold in cornstarch. Spread on greased foil on a pan (I use a Silpat pad!) Bake at 275 degrees for one hour and then turn off oven and leave in for another hour.
Garnish with whipped cream and strawberries and/or kiwi, (any berries, really). (My secret tip about whipped cream: add a teaspoon of Knox gelatin dissolved in a teaspoon or so of hot water as you are whipping the cream and adding the sugar. This will keep whipped cream of separating and getting watery over time. Not that “over time” ever has a chance with this kind of dessert! Trust me!) Refrigerate.
Thanks for your recipes. I love them. (I also love rosemary outside my back door!)
Joan
Joan