Chocolate Pavlova

Pavlova is a must in the summer!

And the chocolate version is an even bigger must - especially when you add all those amazing berries you can find around!

I am not going to tell you the story why Pavlova is called Pavlova or how different/similar it is from meringue. Instead I am going to say:

G o m a k e t h i s a m a z i n g P a v l o v a y o u w o n ' t r e g r e t i t !

(the recipe is from Nigella Lawson with a few adjustments)

What you will need:

6 egg whites

200gr cane sugar

1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar 

2 heaped tablespoons of cocoa powder

Topping:

400ml of whipped cream

Berries (it's up to you - I prefer a mixture of strawberries, raspberries, blueberries etc.)

Chopped dark chocolate

1. Preheat oven to 150C
2. Beat the eggs until soft peaks form. Then start adding the sugar little after little till it creates a nice stiff meringue. Sprinkle the cocoa and balsamic vinegar - you can either mix it in until the whole mass is evenly colored or you can just slightly stir it around so it creates a 'Mable' effect.
3. Now you can either just create one layer or you can make two. Create a circle (about 23cm) with the mass and even it out so it is approx. the same amount all over the circle. If you decide to do a two layered version just make the circle smaller.
4. Lower the temperature to 120C and bake it for 1-1.5hours.
5. The Pavlova is done when its dry on top but a little bit gluey in the middle. Now just open the oven slightly so that the Pavlova can cool.
6. Whip the cream till its thick and chop all of your berries, just as the chocolate.
   When the Pavlova has cooled down then you can add a nice layer of cream and drizzle berries with the chocolate all over it.
7. Now when you have layered it according to your dreams - you have two options:
   A) you eat it right away because it looks so delicious and you just can't stop yourself from doing so - I ain't judging. But prepare for a mess as the 'dough' will crack
   B) put it into the fridge overnight or at least for a few hours so that the Pavlova absorbs some moisture - and then you can cut it like a classic cake! 

As you can see here in the last photo - my Pavlova cracked a little bit. However, that small detail did not make it any less tasty - it just gave it that cute rustic charm.

Enjoy!