This is a wonderfully delightful and summery Pavlova!

The meringue base is filled with airy chocolate mousse, which is delightful together with sweet strawberries.

Ingredients:

Meringue base:
♥ 4 egg whites
♥ 200 g sugar
♥ 0.5 tsp vinegar
♥ 1.5 tbsp cornstarch

Chocolate mousse:
♥ 200 g dark chocolate
♥ 1 tsp coffee powder
♥ 0.5 dl hot water
♥ 2 gelatin sheets
♥ 4 eggs
♥ 3 cream
♥ 100 g powdered sugar

Decoration:
♥ 500 g fresh, sweet strawberries
♥ 50 g dark chocolate
♥ 2 tbsp powdered sugar

Instructions:

Meringue base:

Beat the egg whites until stiff. Gradually add sugar while continuing to beat vigorously. Whisk for a long time with an electric mixer (at least 10 minutes) until you get a thick and stiff meringue. Gently mix in vinegar and cornstarch with a spatula (do not stir more than necessary to keep the meringue firm).

Draw a circle about 22 cm in diameter on a piece of baking paper. Spread the meringue within the circle to form a small, thick cake. Use the spatula to smooth the edges by drawing the spatula from bottom to top. Smooth the surface and create a hollow on top of the cake (see tips).

Bake the cake in the middle of the oven at 150°C for 1 hour. Turn off the heat and let the cake stand in the oven to dry until the oven is completely cold (at least another hour and preferably overnight).

Chocolate mousse: 

Break the dark chocolate into pieces and put them in a small saucepan. Dissolve coffee powder in boiling hot water and add. Heat over low heat until you see the chocolate has melted. Stir the mixture until smooth.

While the chocolate is melting, soak the gelatin sheets in a bowl of cold water for 5 minutes. Squeeze the water out of the gelatin sheets and put them in a cup. Dissolve the gelatin in 1 tbsp boiling hot water or place the cup in the microwave for a few seconds so the gelatin melts. Stir the warm, melted gelatin into the melted chocolate.

Separate the eggs. Add one egg yolk at a time to the melted chocolate.

Stir well between each egg yolk.

Let the mixture cool for a few minutes.

Whip the cream to thick cream in a separate bowl.

First, mix a little of the cream into the chocolate mixture to make it a bit more runny.

Move the chocolate mixture into the bowl with the whipped cream.

Fold this together with a spatula.

Beat the egg whites stiff in a separate bowl. Add powdered sugar and continue whisking to a soft meringue. Fold the meringue into the chocolate mixture.

Now it is important that the chocolate mousse mixture is kept cool until it starts to thicken. Place the bowl in the refrigerator for 2-3 hours, stirring the mixture occasionally. The chocolate mousse mixture must become thick enough not to run off the cake.

Only when you see that the chocolate mousse is truly thick can you carefully place it in the hollow of the meringue base.

Place the cake in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours, and preferably overnight.

Decoration: 

Clean the strawberries and cut them into smaller pieces.

Take the cake out of the refrigerator. Place the strawberries on top of the chocolate mousse.

Sprinkle over chopped dark chocolate and sift a little powdered sugar on top.

What a delightful Pavlova variant! 😍

Tips:

♥ Suspect vinegar in the meringue? Don't be tempted to skip it. Vinegar is an important ingredient that ensures the meringue base gets the right, soft, and slightly chewy consistency. I used balsamic vinegar here, but it doesn't matter which type of vinegar you use.

♥ The stiffer the meringue you whisk, the less the meringue base will spread during baking.

♥ Stir as little as possible when folding cornstarch and vinegar into the whipped meringue. It takes very little to over-stir, making the meringue thinner in consistency, and then the meringue cake becomes flat. I use a spatula and fold very gently into the meringue a couple of times.

♥ It is extremely important that you let the chocolate mousse mixture thicken sufficiently before placing it on the meringue base, otherwise it will just run off the cake.

♥ Use fresh, sweet strawberries and not strawberries that have been frozen, as thawed berries become too runny on the cake.

♥ It is perfectly fine to make the cake over several days. The Pavlova base can be stored dry and at room temperature for several days. You can make the chocolate mousse and spread it over the cake the day before serving. On the day of serving, decorate with strawberries, chopped chocolate and a dusting of powdered sugar.

♥ The cake should be eaten on the same day it is decorated to avoid it becoming soggy.

♥ Also see Chocolate Pavlova with chocolate mousse and orange, which is based on a similar recipe, but in a slightly larger version.

Don't miss these either: Strawberry Pavlova, Pavlova with mascarpone cream and strawberries, Pavlova with strawberry and chocolate cream and Strawberry Pavlova with strawberry curd and cream!

Meringue with a soft center topped with airy chocolate mousse and sweet strawberries - this is a delicious flavor combination! 😍

Enjoy this delicious cake!

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