Pavlova is one of my favourite desserts due to its different textures, the easy baking procedure and the wide variety of how to prepare and decorate it. I love how you can adapt the cake to the different seasons by using seasonal fruits or simply using up all those fruits lying around at home. The pavlova is aswell a perfect way to utilize egg whites you had left from another baking session or after cooking a sauce hollandaise.
This time I opted for a classic flavour combination: chocolate and orange. The hearty chocolate and the zesty orange are a great duo and form in combination with a vanilla cream and chocolate merengue a wonderful pavlova.
For 1 large pavlova or 4 small pavlovas you will need:
egg whites from 4 eggs (ca. 120g)
200g caster sugar
1 tsp white wine/balsamic vinegar
1 tsp cornflour
2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
one handfull of finely chopped up or grated dark chocolate
For the cream and decoration you will need:
2 oranges
300ml of double or whipping cream
vanilla extract or 1 vanilla pod
3 tbsp of icing sugar
dark chocolate
First heat up the oven to 150°C. Draw a big circle with a pan on baking paper of around 18cm, you can use a plate as a template (for the small pavlovas use a cup of 8cm diameter).
Whip up the egg whites until they are at soft peak and then step by step add the caster sugar while whisking the whites. You know the merengue is ready when it is shiny and holds stiff peaks. Add the vinegar and mix for a bit. Last but not least, sieve the cornflour and cocoa powder into the mixture, add the chocolate and very slowly fold in everything with a spatula.
Now you can place the merengue inside the big circle or small circles. Try to spread the merengue as even as possible. Turn the oven down to 120°C and bake the big pavlova for 60-70 minutes (around 50 minutes for the small pavlovas). The pavlova is finished when the sides are firm and you will see from the bottom the inside being slightly soft and moist. Let the merengue cool down before using it.
For the vanilla cream topping whip up the cream together with the icing sugar, zest of 2 oranges and the vanilla extract/vanilla seeds until medium peak. Cut the oranges into fillets.
Now assembly everything together by placing the cream nicely on top of the merengue with a big spoon, then place the orange fillets on top. For the final special touch, take a grater and grate a generous amount of dark chocolate on top. Enjoy the pavlova as soon as possible, so the merengue stays crunchy.
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