Coconut Dacquoise (Dacquoise De Coco)

Quick Summary: Coconut dacquoise, or Dacquoise de Coco, is a French dessert made of crisp, chewy coconut-almond meringue layers filled with light diplomat cream and fresh red fruit. It needs no chilling and comes together in just over an hour.

What is a dacquoise?

Dacquoise is a French cake made with layers of nut meringue (primarily almond and hazelnut) and whipped cream or buttercream. The dessert takes its name from the French word dacquois, meaning 'of Dax', which is a town in southwestern France.

According to food historians, dacquoise originated in the 17th century, when the dessert was created as a sumptuous cake for French royalty. Over the years, the recipe became popular in England when some French chefs moved there to serve the upper class.

Why you'll love this recipe

• Full of summer flavor: loaded with red fruit for a fresh, fruity taste.
• Showstopping look: bright berries give the cake a colorful presentation.
• Nutty coconut flavor: almond and coconut flour give the meringue layers a rich, nutty taste.
• Easy to customize: swap in mango, pineapple, or other fruit combinations.
• No chilling needed: made in just over an hour and ready to serve right away.

Ingredients

For ingredients and detailed instructions, refer to the recipe card below.

• Almond flour: Gives the dacquoise its nutty flavor and chewy texture.

• Coconut flour: Adds coconut flavor and helps give the meringue layers their chewy texture.

• Powdered (icing) sugar: Sweetens the dacquoise batter and helps it stay tender.

• All-purpose flour: Just a small amount to give the layers structure.

• Egg whites: Whip them to stiff peaks so the meringue is light and airy. Use room-temperature whites.

• Granulated sugar: Stabilizes the meringue and sweetens the diplomat cream.

• Salt: A pinch to balance the sweetness.

• Milk: The base of the diplomat cream. Whole milk gives the richest result.

• Egg yolks: Thicken the pastry cream that forms the diplomat cream.

• Cornstarch: Thickens the cream, so it holds its shape.

• Whipping cream: Folded into the pastry cream to make it light. Use cold cream.

• Fresh berries: Strawberries, raspberries, and blackberries for a fresh, fruity topping.

• Apricot preserves: Brushed over the fruit for a glossy finish.

• Shredded coconut: Sprinkled on top to echo the coconut flavor.

Equipment

• Stand mixer or hand mixer
• Mixing bowls
• 8-inch (20 cm) round cake ring
• Pastry bags and plain round piping tips
• Saucepan (for the diplomat cream)
• Silicone brush
• Fine-mesh sieve

How to make coconut dacquoise cake

Step 1. To make the coconut dacquoise, preheat the oven to 345°F (175°C). Using an electric mixer, whisk the egg whites with 1 pinch of salt, then gradually add granulated sugar until the meringue is firm and glossy (photo 1).

Step 2. Mix almond flour, coconut flour, sifted icing sugar, and all-purpose flour in a separate bowl. Add dry ingredients to the beaten whites and combine with a rubber spatula (photo 2).

Step 3. Butter an 8-inch/20 cm round cake ring and place it on the parchment paper.

Step 4. Transfer the mixture to a pastry bag fitted with Ateco plain pastry tip 809 and pipe a spiral at the bottom of the cake ring.

Step 5. Begin piping in the center and end at the edges of the ring. Pipe large balls in the direction towards the center (photo 3). Bake for about 20 to 25 minutes until slightly browned (photo 4).

Step 6. To make the diplomat cream, mix the egg yolks with the sugar and cornstarch using a hand whisk (photo 5). Bring the milk to a boil in a saucepan, then add the boiling liquid to the egg yolk mixture, stirring constantly.

Step 7. Return the mixture to the pan and cook over medium heat, whisking continuously until the cream thickens (photo 6). Pour the cream onto a shallow plate, cover it with plastic film in contact, and let it cool.

Step 8. Whisk the whipping cream (photo 7) and mix it with the cooled cream (photo 8).

Step 9. To assemble the coconut dacquoise, sprinkle the cake with powdered (icing) sugar. Using a pastry bag with the same plain tip, push the diplomat cream in a spiral on top of the dacquoise (photo 9).

Step 10. Arrange red fruit on top of the cream (photo 10) and sprinkle with powdered (icing) sugar.

Step 11. With a silicone brush, apply the apricot preserves all around the cake base and sprinkle with the shredded coconut.

Expert tips

1. To make the cake gluten-free, substitute all-purpose flour as 1:1 with almond flour, but NOT with coconut flour.
2. Sprinkle red fruit with powdered (icing) sugar right before serving the cake.
3. Mix red fruits with one can of raspberry jam and place the fruit mixture on top of the cake if you prefer. Omit the powdered sugar sprinkled over the fruit in this case.

Recipe variations

• Different nuts: swap the coconut for a classic almond or hazelnut dacquoise.
• Tropical fruit: replace the red berries with mango, pineapple, or passion fruit.
• Chocolate layer: add a thin layer of chocolate ganache between the meringue and cream.
• Toasted coconut: toast the shredded coconut for a deeper, nuttier flavor on top.

Recipe FAQ

What is a dacquoise made of?
A dacquoise is made of a meringue batter with whipped egg whites, sugar, and ground nuts such as almond or coconut, baked into crisp, chewy layers.

Is a dacquoise the same as a sponge?
No. A dacquoise sponge is a nut-based meringue layer, so it is lighter and chewier than a classic butter or genoise sponge.

Is coconut dacquoise gluten-free?
No. This recipe uses a small amount of all-purpose flour, so it is not gluten-free as written. To make it gluten-free, replace the all-purpose flour 1:1 with almond flour (not coconut flour).

What is diplomat cream?
Diplomat cream is pastry cream lightened with whipped cream. It stays soft and holds its shape between the dacquoise layers.

Can I make the dacquoise layers ahead?
Yes. Bake the coconut dacquoise layers a day ahead and store them in an airtight container, then assemble the cake with cream and fruit before serving.

How do I store coconut dacquoise cake?
Keep the assembled cake in the fridge and eat it within 2 days, as the fresh fruit and cream do not keep long.

Why is it called dacquoise?
The dessert takes its name from Dax, a town in southwest France where this nut meringue cake originates.

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Recipe card

Coconut Dacquoise (Dacquoise De Coco)

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5 from 10 reviews

This coconut dacquoise cake layers crisp, chewy coconut-almond meringue with light diplomat cream and fresh red berries. Made in just over an hour with no chilling, this easy coconut dacquoise recipe is a fruity French summer dessert.

• Author: Irina Totterman
• Prep Time: 50 minutes
• Cook Time: 25 minutes
• Total Time: 1 hour, 15 minutes
• Yield: 8 1x
• Category: Cakes
• Method: Baking
• Cuisine: French

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

For the coconut dacquoise:

• ⅔ cup + 4 tablespoons (88 g) almond flour
• ⅔ cup + 2 tablespoons (88 g) coconut flour
• ⅔ cup + ½ tablespoon (88 g) powdered (icing) sugar
• 3 ½ tablespoons (28 g) all-purpose flour
• 8 large egg whites
• ⅔ cup + 2 tablespoons (175 g) granulated sugar
• 1 pinch of salt

For the diplomat cream: 

• ⅔ cup + 2 ½ tablespoons (200 g) milk
• 2 large egg yolks
• 2 tablespoons (30 g) granulated sugar
• 8 teaspoons (20 g) corn starch
• ½ cup + 2 teaspoons (125 g) whipping cream

For the decoration:

• powdered (icing) sugar
• 14 oz (400 g) fresh berries (strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, blueberries)
• 30 g apricot preserves
• shredded coconut

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** If needed, please refer to Baking Conversion Charts.

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Instructions

1. To make the coconut dacquoise, preheat the oven to 345°F (175°C). Using an electric mixer, whisk the egg whites with 1 pinch of salt, then gradually add granulated sugar until the meringue is firm and glossy. Mix almond flour, coconut flour, sifted powdered (icing) sugar, and all-purpose flour in a separate bowl. Add dry ingredients to the beaten whites and combine with a rubber spatula.
2. Butter an 8-inch/20 cm round cake ring and place it on the parchment paper. Transfer the mixture to a pastry bag with Ateco plain pastry tip 809 and make a spiral at the bottom of the cake ring. Begin piping in the center and end at the edges of the ring. Pipe large balls in the direction towards the center. Bake for about 20 to 25 minutes until slightly browned.
3. To make the diplomat cream, whisk together egg yolks, sugar, and cornstarch with a hand whisk. Bring the milk to a boil in a saucepan, then add the boiling liquid to the egg yolk mixture, stirring continuously. Return the mixture to the pan and cook over medium heat, whisking continuously until the cream thickens.
4. Pour the cream onto a shallow plate, cover it with a plastic film in contact with the cream, and let it cool. Whisk the whipping cream and mix it with the cooled cream.
5. To assemble the coconut dacquoise, sprinkle the cake with powdered (icing) sugar. Using a pastry bag with the same plain tip, push the diplomat cream in a spiral on top of the dacquoise. Arrange red fruit on top of the cream and sprinkle with powdered (icing) sugar. With a silicone brush, apply apricot preserves all around the cake base, then sprinkle with shredded coconut.

Notes

1. To make the cake gluten-free, substitute all-purpose flour 1:1 for almond flour, but NOT coconut flour.
2. Sprinkle red fruit with powdered (icing) sugar right before serving.
3. Mix red fruits with one can of raspberry jam and place the fruit mixture on top of the cake, if you prefer. In this case, omit the powdered sugar sprinkled over the fruit.

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1 slice
• Calories: 341
• Sugar: 41.3 g
• Sodium: 76 mg
• Fat: 12.5 g
• Saturated Fat: 4.4 g
• Carbohydrates: 52.3 g
• Fiber: 3.8 g
• Protein: 8.8 g
• Cholesterol: 72 mg

The nutritional information has been calculated using an online recipe nutrition calculator such as Verywellfit.com and is intended for informational purposes only. These figures should be used as a general guideline and not be construed as a guarantee.

The recipe was adapted from http://avenuedesdelices.over-blog.com/. It was originally published on July 24, 2018. The recipe has been revised to include improved content and photos. All posted pictures are mine.