Merveilleux: Marvelous French Pastries to Make at Home

The dreamy melding of meringue, cream, and chocolate is a simple yet elegant French bakery staple

A merveilleux consists of two light and crisp meringues, sandwiched together with whipped cream, and then generously covered with chocolate shavings. (Audrey Le Goff)

A popular specialty from Northern France and Belgium, a merveilleux is a flawless marriage of textures: Two light and crisp meringues, sandwiched together with whipped cream, and then generously covered with chocolate shavings. This bakery staple is a fun project to recreate at home—and is perfectly suited for romantic occasions, too.

Glamorous Beginnings

While this delicate little pastry was born in Belgium, its exact date or place of creation is difficult to locate. It is, however, almost certain that the name “merveilleux,” literally meaning “marvelous,” references the French “Merveilleuses,” a fashion movement of aristocratic Parisian women during the French Directory (1795–1799). The Merveilleuses were known in Paris for their luxurious and decadent way of life, in which they threw extravagant balls and wore daring outfits, big feathers, and wigs.

It was pastry chef Frédéric Vaucamps who truly built the fame of the merveilleux in the late 20th century. In 1982, he opened his first pastry shop in the town of Hazebrouck, in French Flanders, and started to work on perfecting his merveilleux recipe. Fifteen years later, Vaucamps opened his first (of many) Aux Merveilleux de Fred, a shop to give his now-signature dessert a place of its own to shine. In the early 2000s, the chef opened new locations in Europe, including Paris, London, and Brussels, and even a New York location in 2015.

Merveilleux has gained huge popularity in the past 10 years in France, with several chefs now putting their own twist on the recipe, making it with chocolate whipped cream, mousse, or buttercreams. That said, the classic version made of two little meringues, a simple whipped cream, and chocolate shavings remains the most popular—and the easiest to recreate in your kitchen.

It’s also a great make-ahead dessert, which makes it perfect for hosting a dinner party. You can prepare the little meringues up to three days prior, and the whipped cream and chocolate shavings the morning of. Right before your guests arrive, you can assemble the desserts and keep them in the fridge until they’re ready to be served.

Before starting, here are some simple tips to create the meringues, whipped cream, and chocolate shavings.

Bake the meringues until they are dry and peel off easily from the parchment paper. (Audrey Le Goff)

For the Meringues

An electric beater is strongly recommended for making meringues; it makes the process much quicker and less tiring than by hand.

For best results in getting stiff egg whites, choose eggs that aren’t too fresh (3 to 4 days old at least), and make sure you take them out of the fridge at least 1 hour prior to allow them to reach room temperature. When beating older egg whites at room temperature, their proteins will have more elasticity. They will stretch and welcome more air, rather than break if too fresh or cold.

When beating the egg whites, make sure you are using a bowl and beater that are perfectly clean. Egg whites tend to refuse to whip if they encounter any residual fat or even if there are tiny amounts of egg yolk.

Lastly, make sure you beat the whites all the way to stiff peaks before you start adding the sugar. If the sugar is added too soon, you won’t be able to reach a firm peak.

Combine the cream and powdered sugar and whisk until the cream is whipped to very stiff peaks. (Audrey Le Goff)

For the Whipped Cream

Place the bowl and whisk(s) in the freezer 30 minutes before you start making the whipped cream. You will get much better results when whipping cream with very cold equipment.

For merveilleux specifically, you'll want to whip the cream more than usual. The whipped cream should be closer to a fluffy buttercream consistency, so it keeps the meringues together. Still, be careful not to over whip—the cream shouldn’t separate.

For the Chocolate Shavings

Use good-quality dark chocolate. Do not swap in milk chocolate, as it tends to melt easier and will not hold a good shape as shavings.

To make the shavings, you can simply use a vegetable peeler. Make sure the chocolate bar is at room temperature: It shouldn’t be too cold (or it will be hard to shave) nor too warm (or it will melt under your fingers while holding). Place the chocolate shavings in an airtight container in the fridge until you are ready to use them.

Spoon a large dollop of whipped cream on top of one meringue and then top it with another, flat bottom up. (Audrey Le Goff)

For Assembly

When these three components—meringues, chocolate shards, and whipped cream—are ready, work quickly to assemble them, and place all the completed merveilleux in the fridge as you go, before serving.

Merveilleux can be placed into cupcake liners; they make for great hand-held desserts. You can also serve them on a plate with a fork or a spoon. But beware: They get scrumptiously messy when eaten.

Use a spoon or offset spatula to cover the sandwich with cream, leaving the bottom cream-free. (Audrey Le Goff)

Sprinkle and roll the meringue sandwich in chocolate shards. (Audrey Le Goff)

Merveilleux

The key to this recipe is to whip the whipped cream until very firm. Don’t hesitate to push it to a consistency that is firmer than your usual whipped cream, so it holds the meringues together well.

You can bake the meringues up to 3 days prior and keep them in an airtight container on the counter (avoid humid environments, such as the fridge). Merveilleux are best eaten the day they are made, as the meringues soften quickly once covered with cream.

If you’re feeling fancy, or for special occasions, you can decorate the top of the cakes with a candied cherry.

Makes 12

For the Meringues

• 4 large egg whites
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/4 cup sugar

For the Chocolate Shavings

• 7 ounces dark chocolate, shaved with a vegetable peeler

For the Whipped Cream

• 2 cups heavy whipping cream
• 1/4 cup powdered sugar

To Make the Meringues

Take the eggs out of the fridge at least 1 hour before you start working with them. Preheat the oven to 250 degrees F and prepare two baking sheets lined with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, beat together the salt and egg whites to stiff peaks. Keep beating and slowly sprinkle in the sugar, in three separate additions, until the sugar dissolves (the peaks should still be stiff).

Transfer to a large piping bag fitted with a large round piping tip. Pipe 1 1/2-inch circles onto the lined baking sheets, leaving a 1-inch space between them, in a row.

Bake for 1 hour, or until the meringues are dry and peel off easily from the parchment paper. Turn the oven off, and leave to cool (in the oven) for 30 extra minutes. Peel all the meringues from the parchment paper and set aside.

To Make the Whipped Cream

Place a large mixing bowl and whisk or beaters in the freezer 30 minutes before you start making the whipped cream. Combine the cream and powdered sugar in the bowl and whisk for 10 minutes, until the cream is whipped to very stiff peaks.

To Assemble the Merveilleux

Taking 2 small meringues at a time, spoon a large dollop of whipped cream on top of one, and then top it with the other meringue, flat bottom up. Use a spoon or offset spatula to spread more cream on the outside and the top of the sandwich to cover it all over (leave the bottom cream-free). Sprinkle and roll in chocolate shards.

Place the merveilleux carefully in a cupcake liner or onto a serving plate, and chill for at least 15 minutes before serving.

Repeat to build the other merveilleux. If the whipped cream softens after a while, place it in the fridge for 15 minutes.

Chill the merveilleux for at least 15 minutes before serving. (Audrey Le Goff)