Chocolate Pavlova

I love all things Pavlova. There is rarely a pavlova variation which I do not want to gobble down at a super human speed. But, forgetting the eating part (just for a moment) pavlova is very easy to make. It has less ingredients than a cake, it can be left alone to cook and it’s easily assembled. Oh, and, of course, it’s delicious. Smother with cream and raspberries and it is unbeatable.

INGREDIENTS

6 egg whites

300 g caster sugar

3 tablespoons cocoa powder, sieved

1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar

50 g dark chocolate, finely chopped

500 ml cream

500 g raspberries (I use frozen)

METHOD

Preheat oven to 180 degrees. Line a large, flat baking tray with baking paper. Beat the egg whites until satiny peaks form and then gradually beat in the sugar, one tablespoon at a time, until the mixture is stiff and shiny. Sprinkle over the cocoa and the vinegar and then add the chopped chocolate. Gently fold the whole mass together until thoroughly combined. Mound on to a baking tray and shape in to a fat, thick disk. Put your meringue mountain in the oven and then immediately turn the temperature down to 140 degrees. Cook for one to one and a quarter hours. When cooked, the meringue will be crisp and hollow on the outside, but the inside should still be soft and meringue-y. Turn off the oven and open the door slightly, leaving the pavlova inside to cool down completely.

When you are ready to serve, edge the paper away from the bottom of the meringue carefully, until free. This can be quite tricky, so you can invert the whole disc in you prefer. You will find the pav is quite crumbly, but don’t worry, it will all be swathed in cream later anyway. Whisk your cream until thick but still wobbly and spread generously over the top of the meringue. Scatter with raspberries and gobble!