Creme Patissiere For Gooey Chocolate Stack

Our answer

Nigella's Gooey Chocolate Stack (from HOW TO BE A DOMESTIC GODDESS) consists of 3 layers of chocolate-flavoured meringue discs that are stacked with a chocolate creme patissiere, similar to a thick chocolate custard, in between the layers and spread on the top of the cake. The meringues themselves are gluten free but the creme patissiere contains plain flour.

The best substitute for the plain flour in the creme patissiere is cornflour (cornstach) and this is often used in recipes for the creme. Rice flour can sometimes be slightly grainy which would stop the creme patissiere from having a smooth texture. Cornflour is usually more efficient at thickening liquids so a little less may be needed. However as the quantity used in the recipe is already quite low, we would suggest using 2 tablespoons of cornflour as it will be difficult to add more if the custard is not thickening enough.