Chocolate Passion Fruit Pavlova

A twist to a classic pavlova with a chocolate based meringue. While pavlova and passion fruit is a best combination, you can really use any type of fruits for your pavlova topping such as strawberry,raspberry, mango,kiwi and etc. Named after a famous Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova, this is the one dessert that melt in your mouth.

Crispy crust and chewy inside , topped with whipped cream and tangy passion fruit is a crowd puller. Diet is a big NO when it comes to pavlova. After all, who thinks of dieting when a gorgeous dessert being served.

Ingredients

5 large egg whites (room temperature)
1 cup superfine sugar
1 tsp corn starch
1/4 cream of tartar
1 tsp vanilla essence
1 tsp vinegar
2 tbsp cocoa powder
2 tbsp semi sweet chocolate chunks/chocolate chips


Topping

1 cup cold heavy whipping cream
1 tbsp granulated white sugar
2 pulps of passion fruit


Methods

For the Meringue

Line a baking sheet with a parchment/baking paper and draw a 7 inch circle on the parchment paper. Preheat the oven to 300 Degrees F or 150' Cel

Using a electric mixer, bet the egg whites and the cream of tartar on medium to form a soft peaks. Add sugar a tablespoon at a time and beat on high speed  till the meringue is shiny and form a stiff peaks. Make sure the sugar is fully dissolved and smooth to the touch. If the sugar still gritty continue beating till smooth.

Add vinegar and vanilla beat till combined. Sift in the cocoa powder and cornstarch to the meringue base. Add in the chocolate chunks/chips and gently fold in till combined.

Dab a little meringue on the underside of each corner of parchment paper to keep it on place. Gently pile the meringue inside the circle drawn on the parchment paper and smooth the edges

Place the baking tray in the oven and immediately reduce the oven temperature to 250 F or 120 Cel. Bake the meringue for 60-70 minutes till the outside is dry. Turn the oven off, leave the door slightly ajar and let the meringue cool completely in the oven about 1 or 2 hrs

For the topping

Using an electric mixer, whip the cold cream and sugar until soft peaks form. Before serving, mound the whipped cream into the center of the meringue and drizzle with passion fruit pulps and serve immediately


Notes

Once baked, the outside of the meringue will feel firm to the touch. There maybe some cracks but that's ok as you can see that the inside is soft and moist

Do not immediately remove the meringue from the oven as sudden change of temperature will result with more crack and the pavlova tends to collapsed

Pile up the whipped cream and fruits just before serving to avoid the meringue become soggy