Step 1

In a bowl, whisk the egg whites until they are about 60% foamy. Gradually add the sugar in 2-3 additions while continuing to whisk, creating a stiff meringue. The meringue is ready when it holds stiff peaks and doesn’t flow down when you turn the whisk upside down.

Step 2

Sift the almond flour, powdered sugar, cake flour, and cinnamon powder together twice. Gently fold these dry ingredients into the stiff meringue. Don’t worry if the mixture looks a bit streaky; it will fully combine during baking. It’s crucial to mix quickly and gently to avoid deflating the meringue.

Step 3

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and place dacquoise molds on top. Fill a piping bag fitted with a 1cm round tip with the batter. Pipe the batter into the molds, aiming slightly higher than the mold’s height. You can skip smoothing the tops with a spatula; the piped zigzag pattern will bake beautifully as is.

Step 4

Evenly sprinkle powdered sugar over the surface of the piped dacquoise. Bake in a preheated oven at 180°C (350°F) for 12-15 minutes. Baking for longer than 15 minutes can make the dacquoise tough and chewy.

Step 5

[Prepare Anglaise Butter Cream Ingredients] 90g Milk, 10g Sugar A, 68g Egg yolks, 15g Sugar B, 225g Unsalted butter (softened at room temperature)

Step 6

1. In a bowl, whisk the egg yolks with Sugar A until well combined. (You can also combine all the sugar, A and B, at once.) 2. In a saucepan, heat the milk and Sugar B until the sugar dissolves, just simmering around the edges. Lower heat to medium-low. 3. While whisking the yolk mixture vigorously with a hand whisk, slowly pour the warm milk mixture into it. 4. Return this mixture to the saucepan and cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until it reaches about 82°C (180°F) and thickens slightly. 5. Let the crème anglaise cool completely to below 32°C (90°F). 6. Cream the softened unsalted butter in a separate bowl until smooth. Gradually add the cooled crème anglaise in three additions, whisking well after each addition, until you achieve a light and fluffy Anglaise butter cream.

Step 7

[Prepare Caramel Sauce Ingredients] 130g Sugar, 40g Water, 120g Heavy cream (heavy whipping cream, unsweetened)

Step 8

In a saucepan, combine sugar and water over medium heat and bring to a boil. **Do not stir** during this process. Once the sugar mixture turns a caramel brown color, carefully pour in the warm heavy cream (heated to a simmer). Be cautious as it may bubble up. Whisk well to combine the caramel and cream. You can adjust the caramelization time to control the depth of color and flavor.

Step 9

Pair up the baked dacquoise cookies. Using a piping bag, pipe the prepared caramel butter cream onto one half of each dacquoise pair. This cream is already a mixture of Anglaise butter cream and caramel sauce.

Step 10

Lightly drizzle the remaining caramel sauce onto the other dacquoise half. (Adjust the amount of sauce to your preference.) Then, gently place the sauced half on top of the cream-filled half to complete the caramel dacquoise. Press down lightly.