Chocolate Pavlova With Raspberries

justcallmetoni's Note:

Though the origins of the Pavlova are sometimes disputed, Australia or New Zealand, there is no doubt that this dessert from down under is a treat. This particular variation comes from Canadian Living on yields a delectable crisp shell and a soft gooey center. Worried about the calories? My friends on the Aussie/NZ inform me its best to use less whipped cream than to use lower calorie substitute. Guessing you could make some elegant individual pavlovas but would need to adjust baking time.

• Total Time: 1 hrs 40 mins
• Prep Time: 25 mins
• Cook Time: 1 hrs 15 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 8

Pavlova

• 6 large egg whites, room temperature
• 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 1 1/4 cups superfine sugar or 1 1/4 cups sugar
• 1 teaspoon white vinegar
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch
• 3 tablespoons Dutch-processed cocoa powder
• 2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped

Topping

• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 6 ounces raspberries

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 275 degrees, placing rack at the center of your oven.
2. Place an 8 or 9 inch cake pan on a sheet of parchment paper and trace around the rim using a pen. Place the parcment on a cookie sheet penciled side down - facing the baking sheet.
3. If you are using regular sugar, place it into the bowl of a food processor and blend for 30 seconds to get a finer granule. Remeasure out 1 1/4 cups and discard any excess.
4. Using a mixer, whisk the egg whites until foamy. Add the cream of tartar and continue to beat on medium-high speed until they hold soft peaks. Add the sugar, a tablespoon at a time, and continue to beat until the meringue holds stiff peaks. Gently fold in the vinegar and vanilla extract. Sift the cocoa powder and cornstarch over the top of the meringue and, using a large spatula, fold together. Lastly, fold in the chopped chocolate.
5. Gently spread the meringue inside the circle drawn on the parchment paper, smoothing the edges. While spreading create a SMALL indentation in the center so that there will be a natural hollow for the raspberries and whipped cream.
6. Bake for about 1 hour to 1 1/4 hours or until the outside is dry. There will be small cracks on the surface but the center will still be soft and gooey.) Shut the oven off, leave the door slightly open, and allow the meringue cool completely in the oven.
7. Just before serving gently place the meringue on a serving plate. Whip the cream until soft peaks form. Sweeten with the sugar and then mound the softly whipped cream into the center of the meringue. Arrange the raspberries on top of the cream.
8. Serve immediately.

Reviews

[LaJuneBug]

Came out perfectly. We at with strawberries. The Dutch cocoa makes this very good.

[Heydarl]

I made this recipe for ZWT3. Although it fell and broke, the taste was wonderful. Next time I will leave out the chocolate pieces to see if it makes a difference. Thanks Toni for a great recipe.

[Cookin'Diva]

The Pavlova was outstanding. After reading that some people had a "fallen" center, I opted to leave out the chopped chocolate, thinking that it may have been too heavy for the delicate pavlova, so I would follow that tip if you are uncertain. Also, for serving, the large pavlova presents beautifully if you show the whole thing, but slicing it is VERY difficult because the exterior crumbles but the inside is very sticky. So if you want pretty individual servings, I would suggest making this into 8 smaller pavlovas.