Between this cake’s thin, soft meringue layers are very thin layers of wonderful coffee buttercream. Lightly sweetened whipped cream is on the top. Delicious! “Baiser” means kissing in French, so the cake may also be called “The Cake of Kisses”. This is the same basic meringue recipe used for the little melt-in-the-mouth meringue cookies, also known as “meringue kisses” or “forgotten kisses”. The word “forgotten” refers to the way they are baked – after the initial baking in a warm oven, the oven is turned off, and the cookies are left inside (or forgotten) to dry out overnight. My mother frequently prepared this cake as our Sunday treat. Thus Baiser torte remained a part of my fond memories of many pleasant afternoons spent in good company of our usual Sunday visitors.

Cake layers

• 6 egg whites (reserve the yolks for the filling, covered)
• 2 cups/ 9 oz/ 250 g confectioners’ sugar (or superfine sugar)
• (for dried-out, crispy layers use 2¾/ 12 oz/ 350 g cups sugar)

1. Preheat the oven to convection 225°F/ 110°C (or 250°F/ 120°C radiant in case your oven does not have the convection mode) without a baking stone. Turn three 9in/ 23cm round baking pans upside down and line the bottoms with aluminum foil or parchment or wax paper.
2. Beat the egg whites in a large mixing bowl with an electric mixer at high speed until soft peaks form (see the section on "tips & tricks" for details on preparing meringue cakes). Gradually add the sugar, two tablespoons at a time, while beating continuously. Continue beating for at least 10 minutes until the sugar dissolves and the mass is stiff, thick, and shiny. Distribute evenly over the bottoms of the three prepared baking pans turned upside down.
3. Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour. Do not open the oven door during the first 35 minutes of baking. The layers should form a thin, pale, dry crust, but stay white and soft inside. If the surface of the layers begins to melt or change color to light brown, lower the oven temperature. Keep the layers in the turned-off oven for an additional 15 minutes (or more for a drier crust). If you prefer crispy and completely dried-out layers, use more sugar as indicated in the ingredient list and bake from 1 to 1½ hours. If your oven is too small to hold all three pans on one level, do not bake on two levels, but bake in batches. This batter is stable enough to stay at room temperature for 2 hours.
4. Allow the layers to cool completely before peeling off the aluminum foil or parchment or wax paper (tear up the foil as you peel it off to prevent the layers from breaking).

Filling

• 6 egg yolks
• 4 tablespoons sugar
• 5 tablespoons strong black coffee
• 4 oz/ 110 g/ 1/4 lb/ 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• For decoration:
• chocolate chips
• 2 tablespoons cocoa powder

1. Fill the pot of an improvised double boiler (see section on "equipment") with water and bring it to a simmer (the water should not be in direct contact with the mixing bowl). Place the egg yolks and sugar into the mixing bowl of the double boiler and beat with an electric mixer until pale and thick. Add the coffee and mix well. Place the mixing bowl on the pot with simmering water and beat with an electric mixer at high speed for 10 minutes until the mixture begins to thicken and is hot to your finger.
2. Discard the boiling water and fill the pot with cold water for cooling. Place the mixing bowl on the pot (this time the bowl needs to be immersed in the water). Beat the mixture with an electric mixer for 5 minutes until it cools completely, otherwise the warm mixture will melt the butter in the next step.
3. Beat the butter with an electric mixer until creamy. Gradually add the cold egg yolk mixture into the butter, one tablespoon at a time, while continuously beating with a mixer. Make sure to always bring the butter mixture to a very smooth stage before another addition of the egg yolk mixture. Keep beating until the mixture is smooth.

Topping (whipped cream)

• 2 cups/ 16 oz/ 1/2 liter liquid whipping cream (or heavy cream)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract + 11⁄2 tablespoons sugar (or 3 packages vanilla sugar (30 g))

1. Assemble and refrigerate the cake before preparing the whipped cream topping. Combine the liquid whipping cream, vanilla extract and sugar (or vanilla sugar). Beat with an electric mixer until medium firm. Do not overbeat.

Assembling the cake

1. Place the first cake layer on a serving tray and use a spoon to spread a third of the filling over it. Repeat with the other two layers. Spread the whipped cream topping over the entire cake. Smooth it out with an offset spatula.
2. For decoration, use a fork to make a decorative pattern in the whipped cream on the sides of the cake. Sift cocoa powder over the top and place chocolate chips around the edge.
3. Keep the cake refrigerated under a dome for up to three days. Remove from the refrigerator