Chaga mushrooms make for an amazing tea experience when hot or iced brewed as tea, with their earthy, slightly sweet taste lending depth and mushroom-y character to cakes, cookies and other baked goods. Their earthy notes also work wonderfully when added as an ingredient to soups, stews and rice dishes; for baking enthusiasts a tablespoon or so of strongly brewed chaga can add an extra dimension of flavor without overshadowing original recipes such as coffee cake batter/dough, oatmeal cookies and spiced cakes.

I combined these flavors in this cake for maximum enjoyment: one bite is enough, but serving with mushroom tea (simplified by boiling chaga roots in water) will add another dimension. Plus, mushroom-infused chocolate and the toasted sugar that surrounds meringues add depth and richness.

As this cake requires considerable dedication and time, be sure to allow yourself plenty of preparation time! Allow the meringues to fully cool before covering them in chocolate. This process should take at least an hour – but any longer they can sit the better they’ll turn out!

While your meringues are cooling, prepare the mushroom chocolate. Heat heavy cream until it reaches a simmer, remove from heat, and allow it to steep for 10 minutes – this step helps unlock all of chaga’s flavors while giving the final cream its silky smooth texture.

Whisk the strained cream into the melted chocolate until smooth, set it aside to cool completely, and transfer to an airtight container for storage – up to one week’s shelf life is expected.

Once the chaga chocolate has set, begin assembling your mushrooms. Press a piece of the melted chocolate onto each mushroom cap before pressing in one of its stems – this may help stabilize them when sitting atop your cake! Additionally, pressing down slightly with your finger may also ensure they remain upright more realistically than if all fell to one side.

Once all the mushrooms have been decorated and assembled, cover the tray with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator to allow the chocolate to set – this may take anywhere from several hours up to several days in humid environments. If these glazed mushrooms won’t be needed right away they can be kept in an airtight container at room temperature until needed to decorate your Yule log or other festive food preparations.

Once ready to serve, dust the mushrooms with cocoa powder for presentation and, if desired, add a decorative border of whipped cream along the top edge. This will keep boba from sliding off while cutting and eating your cake! Enjoy!