Prodigious Chocolate Pavlova

This Chocolate Pavlova is a dessert of joy, love and calm. Crispy, chewy, soft, chocolatey meringue studded with dark chocolate chunks and topped with a thick blanket of cream and raspberries.

Chocolate Pavlova

It has been a success every time I have made it, such is it's reliability. It can be dressed up or down to suit you sir but effortlessly brings a sense of serious style to any Soiree.

I feel it is the Audrey Hepburn of the dessert world, dark, sophisticated and drop dead gorgeous.

 I have come to think of this as a perfect Sunday Lunch Pudding when I am entertaining a small crowd. It is super easy and quick to put together allowing you more time for other prep and panic. I try to pick all my recipes for their ability to be almost completed before people arrive.

I am a  panicker and as anxiety plays more and more a part in my hormonal journey of  dehydration and general loosening, I need things to be more or less just about keeping warm and plating up, otherwise I find myself sweating like a very large person in a sauna wearing a duffel coat.

My brain can no longer cope with more than one job as I struggle to remember why I've gone upstairs most days, never mind what your name is whilst hunting for the last remaining teaspoon for the bl...y  horseradish.

So this Chocolate Pavlova talks me down every time. I can make it the previous day  and decorate an hour before people arrive. That way I can genuinely chat and listen to guests as they arrive.

I also do the same with my other favourite Pavlova recipe- Strawberry Pavlova.

So this beautiful make ahead dessert requires no jostling of space with Roast Potatoes or Cauliflower Cheese. It merely sits reassuringly regal and composed, sending me proverbial hand squeezes and all will be well vibes and many a time I have found myself heavily in her debt.

This Chocolate and Raspberry Pavlova recipe is mostly borrowed from Nigella Lawson. As always I find her recipes outstanding in all the ways that matter to me, no fuss with great style and taste and I can't help but love her muchly for it.

Chocolate Pavlova

Chocolate Pavlova Recipe

STEP 1 - Whisking The Egg Whites

• Don't be afraid it really is easy. Just be careful to have a clean bowl and make sure that no egg yolk gets in the whites. I crack them in one at a time.
• It is just a matter of whisking the egg whites until they are frothy and fluffy. I use a free standing mixer and it makes making meringue an absolute doddle but a hand held electric whisk will do the job very well.
• Whisk until they go frothy and white.
• Add the sugar a tbsp at a time and keep whisking and you will see the meringue mixture change and become thicker, shiny and satiny as you keep whisking. If you are using a hand held whisk perhaps get someone to help you add the sugar, it will make things a lot quicker.
• STEP 2 - Folding In The Cocoa and Dark Chocolate
• When the meringue is very stiff and holds a peak, sieve over the cocoa and gently drop the chocolate chunks in.
• Fold in carefully with a metal spoon making scooping motions up and through the mixture so as not squish the air out of the meringues although it is quite a stable mixture so don't worry too much. Just be light handed.

Folding in the chocolate and cocoa

STEP 3 - Shaping The Meringue

• Tip out the meringue mixture onto a lined baking tray and form into a round disc about 9 ". You could draw out the circle on your baking paper for easiness.
• Form into a pavlova shape ready to hold the cream and raspberries later. I shape the outside edges to stand a tiny bit higher to hold the cream later.

Chocolate Meringue

STEP 4 - Baking The Pavlova

• Bake at 150 C/300 F/Gas Mark 2 for about an hour. If the pavlova starts to brown then turn down 10 C. Ovens really do vary enormously. I use a little independent thermometer.
• Allow to cool on the tray and then very carefully remove to your serving dish. This bit can be tricky, take your time.
• Dollop on the whipped cream and place the raspberries on top. This is a real wow factor dessert and it tastes just as good as it looks baby. 

INCREDIBLE!

Chocolate Pavlova

Chocolate Pavlova Tips

• Crack your egg whites into a mug before tipping into the mixing bowl to avoid getting accidental egg yolk in all of them.
• Make sure the meringue is really, really stiff.
• Make sure your mixing bowl and hands are clean as any grease may stop the egg whites whipping up properly.
• Fold the raspberries and chocolate chunks in lightly, carefully cutting through the mixture with the edge of the spoon, working in a gentle figure of eight.
• Use an independent oven thermometer to make sure your temperature is correct.
• Only whip the cream until it is softly whipped, too thick and it may be hard to spread on the pavlova.
• Get ahead by baking the meringue up to 12 hours before and decorate with cream and raspberries an hour or so before you are ready to serve.

IF YOU LIKE THIS RECIPE THEN YOU MAY LIKE THESE

Meringues

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White Chocolate and Raspberry Roulade

White Chocolate and Raspberry Cheesecake

5 from 6 votes

Print

Chocolate Pavlova Recipe.

This recipe for Chocolate Pavlova is courtesy of Nigella and it is absolutely stunning. One of my absolute faves

Course Dessert

Cuisine Universal

Keyword chocolate pavlova

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 1 hour

Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes

Servings 10

Calories 388 kcal

Author Jenny

Ingredients

• 6 large egg whites
• 300 grams caster sugar
• 3 tbsp quality cocoa powder
• 50 grams of quality dark chocolate
• 500 ml of double cream
• 500 grams of raspberries
• grated dark choc to decorate

Metric - U S Customary

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 150° C/300°F/Gas Mark 2 and line tray with baking parchment.

2. Beat the egg whites until fluffed up and stiff. Beat in the sugar until stiff and shiny. Do this a tbsp of sugar at a time

3. Sprinkle over the cocoa and chocolate and then fold it all in. I sometimes whisk the cocoa in before folding in the chocolate and it does not seem to matter at all.

4. Shape into a disc shape  about 9 inches in diameter whilst drawing up the sides a little so as to contain all the cream and raspberries later.

5. Place into the oven and then  bake for 1 to 1 hour fifteen minutes. I sometimes do it in my Aga simmer oven for about 2 hours. (110 C)

6. Let the pav cool completely before whisking the cream to soft peaks and tumbling on the raspberries (love a tumble)
7. You could also decorate with dark chocolate gratings for a bit of razzle.
8. Apply to Unflushed face.

Nutrition Facts

Chocolate Pavlova Recipe.

Amount Per Serving

Calories 388 Calories from Fat 207

% Daily Value*

Fat 23g35%

Saturated Fat 14g88%

Cholesterol 68mg23%

Sodium 55mg2%

Potassium 241mg7%

Carbohydrates 43g14%

Fiber 4g17%

Sugar 34g38%

Protein 4g8%

Vitamin A 750IU15%

Vitamin C 13.4mg16%

Calcium 56mg6%

Iron 1.8mg10%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

I have linked this post with I should Cocoa and Tin and Thyme as well as CookBlogShare Week 26