Chocolate Pavlova with Strawberries

This week, I decided to make pavlova since I have four egg whites in the fridge which I haven't use. Pavlova is said to be named after the Russian ballet Anna Pavlova. It is actually a cake of meringue with a crispy crust and a marshmallowy interior.

I've never eaten pavlova before but I know it would be very sweet, looking at the amount of sugar in it. However, I have to say that this recipe is not very sweet at all. Well, it is a little sweet but the dark chocolate sort of balance out the sweetness in it, making it a perfect dessert for any special occasions.

This recipe is adapted from Nigella Lawson's recipe. Since it is hard to find fresh raspberry here, I simply replace the raspberries with strawberries. The sweetness of the pavlova is further reduced by the sourness of the strawberries.

Recipe (Chocolate Pavlova) :

Ingredients :

• 4 large egg whites
• 1 cup superfine sugar - I think I used less than this
• 2/3 tsp vinegar
• 2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
• 40g dark chocolate chips
• 1 1/2 cup whipping cream
• 1 tsp vanilla essence
• strawberries

Method :

1. Preheat the oven to 175C and line the baking tray with baking parchment.

2. Beat the egg whites until satiny peaks form and slowly add in one tablespoon of sugar at a time until the meringue is stiff and shiny.

3. Sprinkle the cocoa powder, vinegar and chocolate chips. Gently fold in everything until the cocoa powder is thoroughly mixed in.

4. Mount the meringue onto the baking parchment and smooth out the top and sides.

5. Place in the oven and immediately turn down the temperature to 150C. Bake for one to one and a quarter hours. The crust should be crispy and the interior should still be a little gooey. 

6. Leave the meringue with the oven door slightly ajar until it has cooled completely.

7. When you are ready to serve, invert it onto a big, flat-bottomed serving dish.  

8. Whisk the cream until thick but still soft and mount it onto the meringue. Put strawberries (or other fruits) on top of it.

I'm submitting this to Aspiring Bakers #7 - Chocolate Delight (May 2011) hosted by DG from tested and tasted.