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The merveilleux (marvelous) is a small cake that originated in Belgium and is now found in France and some U.S. cities. It consists of a sandwich of two light meringues welded with whipped cream which has been covered with whipped cream and dusted with chocolate shavings. A candied cherry sometimes decorates the cake.
The confectioner and chocolatier Pierre Marcolini developed his own version, as did the French confectioner Frédéric Vaucamps, and Etty Benhamou of Le Mervetty. Vaucamp named each of his variations using comparable adjectives: ''impensable'' (''unthinkable'') for coffee, ''excentrique'' (''eccentric'') for cherry, and ''magnifique'' (''magnificent'') for Praline (nut confection), praline. He also used names derived from the association of the word ''merveilleux'' with Incroyables and merveilleuses, French fashion of the late 18th century: sans-culotte for caramel. His ''incroyable'', which uses speculoos cream and white chocolate shavings, translates as ''unbelievable'' but is also a term paired with ''merveilleux'' in French fashion.
In various French provinces, the "boule choco", "boule meringuée au chocolat" or "arlequin" uses chocolate butter cream in place of whipped cream and the cake is completely surrounded by chocolate chips and takes the shape of a ball.
The merveilleux (marvelous) is a small cake that originated in Belgium and is now found in France and some U.S. cities. It consists of a sandwich of two light meringues welded with whipped cream which has been covered with whipped cream and dusted with chocolate shavings. A candied cherry sometimes decorates the cake.
The confectioner and chocolatier Pierre Marcolini developed his own version, as did the French confectioner Frédéric Vaucamps, and Etty Benhamou of Le Mervetty. Vaucamp named each of his variations using comparable adjectives: ''impensable'' (''unthinkable'') for coffee, ''excentrique'' (''eccentric'') for cherry, and ''magnifique'' (''magnificent'') for Praline (nut confection), praline. He also used names derived from the association of the word ''merveilleux'' with Incroyables and merveilleuses, French fashion of the late 18th century: sans-culotte for caramel. His ''incroyable'', which uses speculoos cream and white chocolate shavings, translates as ''unbelievable'' but is also a term paired with ''merveilleux'' in French fashion.
In various French provinces, the "boule choco", "boule meringuée au chocolat" or "arlequin" uses chocolate butter cream in place of whipped cream and the cake is completely surrounded by chocolate chips and takes the shape of a ball.
See also
* List of cakes * Angel pie, an American dessert pie made with a meringue shell * Incroyables and Merveilleuses, French fashion trend, 1795–1799References
Further reading
*, May/June 2009 *, Recipe * Willy Bal et al., ''Belgicismes: inventaire des particularités lexicales du français en Belgique'' (Louvain-la-Neuve: Duculot, 1994), , page 90 French pastries Meringue desserts Belgian confectionery {{belgium-stub