Light, crisp, and fudgy! This Chocolate Pavlova has a crunchy meringue shell with a marshmallow soft chocolate center. Serve with fresh raspberries and whipped cream.
Chocolate Pavlova is one of those desserts that looks dramatic, but requires almost zero stress. Perfect for holidays and guests, but easy enough for a weeknight dessert at home.
Aimee’s Recipe Notes
Taste & Texture: Rich chocolate flavor in a crispy merginue shell. Chewy, fudgy inside, topped with a light whipped cream and fresh berries.
Ease to Make. Surprisingly easy. The mixer does the work. The hardest part is being patient and not opening the oven.
Top Tip: Egg whites whip best at room temerature in a bowl completely free of grease or water.
Storage: Keep chocolate pavlova at room temperature for several days. If you’ve already added the topping, store in the refrigerator for two days.
Chocolate Pavlova Ingredients
For a complete list of ingredients and measurements, scroll down to the recipe card below.
- Egg Whites- these are the base of any pavlova recipe. Be sure to allow them to come to room temperature.
- White Vinegar & Cornstarch- This duo helps stabilize the meringue. The vinegar helps the egg whites whip strong, while the cornstarch creates the chewy marshmallow center.
- Unsweetened Cocoa Powder- gives the pavlova it’s chocolate depth without adding heaviness.
How to Make Chocolate Pavlova
Whip the egg whites.
- Beat egg whites until frothy. Add in vinegar and cornstarch.
- Continue beating while slowly streaming in sugar, cocoa powder, and vanilla. Beat until stiff peaks.
Shape and bake.
- Once stiff peaks have been achieved, shape mxiture in an 8-9 inche circle on parchment paper.
- Create a shallow well in the center and bake. Keep the oven door closed!
Tips and Tricks
- No yolks allowed. If any yolk gets into the whites, the meringue will not whip. Save those yolks to make my easy drop sugar cookies or lemon curd.
- Don’t rush the cooling. The slow cooldown prevents cracking and collapsing of the pavlova. Keep the oven door closed.
- Add toppings right before serving so the meringue stays crisp.
- Humidity is the enemy to meringue. I keep my untopped pavlova in my oven (turned off) to maintain that crunchy shell.
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