chocolate pavlova

Pavlova is a meringue-based cake, crunchy on the outside and creamy on the inside. Luisa, author of Cooking with my Carmela , suggests making it with a chocolate meringue base, with a mascarpone filling and chocolate cream. She also adds a touch of coffee and hazelnuts... Can you imagine a better combination?

This is one of the recipes that I had pending on my list, but I always put it off for one reason or another; but since I have my new toy in my kitchen, my beautiful silver medallion Kitchen Aid , there is no meringue that I can resist!

So I got down to work on a chocolate pavlova . Keep in mind during preparation and assembly that the charm of the pavlova is to get a crispy meringue on the outside (you will see that I insist on this during preparation) and creamy on the inside (I suggest making it with mascarpone and chocolate cream), while also finding the crunchiness that we get with the hazelnuts.

You'll see how delicious it is! I assure you that you will be a success if you prepare it for a dinner or lunch with friends. It is one of the most delicious desserts there is, if you like very sweet recipes, don't miss out on preparing it; it includes a touch of coffee that goes great with it. But it is also pretty, so it will even decorate the table for a while while your guests delight in it.

KitchenAid Artisan robot and Kitchen Craft marble stand.

Ingredients

Chocolate meringue bases:

• 6 egg whites
• 270gr of sugar
• 3 tablespoons of cocoa powder
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon white vinegar

Mascarpone filling:

• 250gr of marscarpone
• 2-3 tablespoons of sugar
• 500ml whipping cream
• 2 tablespoons of espresso coffee

Chocolate cream:

• 70g of chopped chocolate
• 100ml espresso coffee
• 2 1/2 tablespoons of cocoa

To decorate:

• 50g chopped pecans or hazelnuts to decorate.

Preparation

Prepare the chocolate meringue bases:

1. Preheat the oven to 175º. Draw two circles on two sheets of baking paper and turn them upside down. The diameter should be about 15cm. You will need two trays to place the meringue.
2. Using a food processor or whisk, beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form. We must turn the bowl upside down so that it does not fall.
3. Add the cocoa powder and sifted cornstarch. Add the vinegar and mix until smooth.
4. Spread the beaten egg whites into the circles you prepared earlier. They will spread when you bake them, so try to make a mound of the meringue so that they don't fall as much as possible. Place the trays in the oven and bake at 125-130º for at least 1 hour and 2 hours. They should be crispy on the edges and soft in the middle. Once they are ready, leave them in the oven with the oven off and the door open until they cool. Now we have the bases ready!

Mascarpone filling:

1. Beat the mascarpone with the sugar.
2. Whip the cream separately
3. Mix both things together and add the espresso at the end, mixing well until fully incorporated.

Chocolate cream:

1. Mix all the ingredients in a saucepan and heat until melted, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly.

Cake assembly:

1. Taking great care not to break the bases, place a base on a cake stand or pie plate , spread half of the mascarpone cream on top. Add the chopped hazelnuts on top.
2. Place the other base on top of the first, spread the rest of the mascarpone cream, pour the chocolate cream and sprinkle the rest of the chopped hazelnuts. It should be consumed the same day, but first leave it to cool for an hour in the refrigerator.

I hope you like it.