Cocoa Pavlova with chocolate cream

Cocoa Pavlova with chocolate cream is a dessert that comes to us from the distant lands of Australia and New Zealand, but we can add a touch of Italian class with an enriched chocolate cream. Here’s how to prepare a Cocoa Pavlova with chocolate cream.

Ingredients

• 4 egg whites
• 200 g of granulated sugar
• 2 tablespoons of powdered cocoa, sifted
• 1 teaspoon of white wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
• 2 teaspoons of cornstarch (cornflour)

For the chocolate cream:

• 200 ml of fresh cream
• 150 g of dark chocolate

Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 120 °C.
2. Whip the egg whites until very stiff. When they begin to foam, gradually add the sugar, continuing to whisk until you obtain a glossy meringue that forms stable peaks.
3. Gently fold in the sifted cocoa, white wine vinegar, vanilla extract, and cornstarch, incorporating with slow and gentle movements to avoid deflating the mixture.
4. Draw a circle approximately 20 cm in diameter on parchment paper as a guide. Spread the meringue inside the circle, forming a disc with a slight hollow in the center.
5. Bake in the oven for 1 hour and 30 minutes, then turn off the oven and leave the Pavlova inside with the door slightly open until completely cooled.
6. For the chocolate cream, heat the cream without bringing it to a boil and then pour it over the broken dark chocolate. Stir until the chocolate has completely melted.
7. Let the chocolate cream cool to room temperature, then put in the fridge to thicken.
8. At the time of serving, pour the chocolate cream into the hollow of the Pavlova and decorate as desired with fresh fruit or chocolate shavings.

Curiosity

The Pavlova is named after the famous Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova and was created in her honor during one of her tours in Australia and New Zealand in the 1920s. It is interesting to note that both countries claim the invention of the Pavlova, which has caused a small culinary rivalry between the two nations.