Chocolate Pavlova cake...I finally did it!

I finally did it....Pavlova cake!!! I always wanted to do it, but I have to admit that I am having a huge respect for meringue. Pavlova cake has been introduced to me by my husbands grandma, a lady of over 90 years, who made this delicious cake for us some years ago. I never heard anything about this cake till then, but felt in love with it directly. According to her, this is a very simple cake to do, but then again she is a very experience baker and everything she is doing seems to be so easy. It is always a pleasure to spend time with her in the kitchen, I love to watch her preparing things, she on the other hand watches me when I prepare cakes or cookies. She would take a small sample of a frosting I would use for a cake and would tell exactly what is in it, which proves again how experience she is. The most nicest things about this however, is the fact that we both do not speak the same spoken language, she is from Norway I am from Germany, but still when it come to baking we seems to understand each other perfectly....

Coming back to my Pavlova... my husband surprised me with fresh blueberries and raspberries the other day and so the idea was born to make a Pavlova cake. I just love it when he surprises me with something special, which I did not put on the shopping list, giving me the opportunity to be spontaneous and prepare something sensational.
It is Easter time, time for getting nice treats and I think Pavlova cake is indeed something perfect to treat yourself or others in a special way...

I decided to make a chocolate Pavlova, the outcome was just amazing (I know you shall not really price yourself, but the cake turned out just perfect)...

Chocolate Pavlova with berries

• 50 gr dark chocolate melted + cooled
• 4 white eggs
• pinch of salt
• 180 g sugar
• 2 tablespoons cacao powder unsweetened
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon white vinegar
• 300 ml double cream
• 2 pack. vanilla sugar
• 2 tablespoons lemon curd (optional)
• fresh berries

Preheat the oven to 180C. Melt the chocolate and let is cool. Put the white eggs and pinch of salt in a bowl, beat till soft peaks starts forming, Add gradually the sugar while continuing beating the egg whites. Beat for couple of minutes, till stiff peaks are formed and the sugar is resolved. Sift cacao powder and cornstarch to the meringue, combine well. Add the vinegar and blend it in. Finally add the melted chocolate and stir gently.

On a baking paper, draw 3 circles (15 cm big), turn the baking paper to the other side and put it on the baking sheet. Put the meringue batter into a pipping bag and divide the batter equally between the 3 circles (which will indicate the placement of the meringue). You could also divide the batter with a spoon, I found it easier to do it with a piping bag.

Put the baking sheet into the oven, reduce the heat to 120C and bake for 60-75 minutes. The meringue layers should be crisps around the ages, but still sticky in the center. Take the baked layers and let them cool completely before assembling the cake.

In a bowl beat the double cream and vanilla sugar, till stiff peaks starts forming...be careful not to over beat it.

Assemble the cake by starting with one meringue layer, then couple of spoons of vanilla cream and fresh berries, continue with the remaining meringue layers and cream, finishing with the berries. If you are using the lemon curd, put it on the last layer on the top of the cream (marble it with the spoon). The cake is best eaten the same day.

I also made carrot cake cupcakes, you can find the recipe HERE - divide the batter in muffins tins and bake for ca. 20 minutes.

Enjoy!


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