Individual Heart Shaped Chocolate Pavlova: Easy chocolate pavlova, fill with any fruits. Perfect for Valentine's Day dessert.
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I really like pavlova. It’s a meringue dessert, topped with whipped cream and berries. Crunchy on the outside, and soft and marshmallow-y on the inside. It’s a nice light dessert, perfect after a big meal. I often make it for Christmas Day. Since my sweet husband loves chocolate, I decided to make a chocolate version for Valentine’s Day. And since it was for heart day…I made them heart shape. You can see our Valentine's Day Romantic Night In here, for more ideas. And to make them extra special, and into a “heart of gold” I added some edible gold leaf. They were so, so yummy. And I wanted to share the recipe with you, in case you’re looking for a perfect Valentine’s dessert for this weekend.
Pavlova
Pavlova is a dish that originates in New Zealand or Australia, there is some debate. It is named after Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova. It is a favourite in both New Zealand and Australia and often served there for special occasions, especially at Christmas. Pavlova is traditionally a white meringue dessert served with whipped cream and berries, but we're updating it with the addition of chocolate.
Meringue vs. Pavlova
Meringue and Pavlova are very similar. The difference between the two is in the texture. Meringues are baked until they are dry and crisp. Pavlova is also made from whipped egg whites, but it is dry and crips on the outside, but marshmallow like and chewy on the inside.Meringue usually takes the form of a cookie, but pavlova is a of the most gorgeous show-stopping desserts. It's perfect for the next time you're entertaining, or have a special occasion.
Chocolate
We love tradition pavlova, but thought it would be fun to create a chocolate version -and it was! If you are a chocolate lover than you will love this chocolate pavlova recipe. The chocolate flavor is coming from the addition of unsweetened cocoa powder to the meringue base of the pavlova. Then we added the traditional fresh whipped cream on top and fresh berries. We used raspberries to make a chocolate raspberry pavlova, but you can use any berries you like. Strawberries, or mixed berries would be a great choice also to go with the chocolate meringue base. If you really wanted to up the chocolate factor you could use a chocolate ganache in place of the whipped cream here. Or add some cocoa powder to your heavy whipping cream to make chocolate cream. We wanted to add a little more chocolate to our dessert so we drizzled the top with some chocolate sauce. You could also add chocolate shavings or chopped chocolate on top in milk chocolate or dark chocolate, whichever you prefer. Or drizzle the top with some melted chocolate.
Lastly we dressed this gorgeous dessert with some edible gold leaf on the top of the pavlova, just for a little extra wow factor.
Mini Pavlovas
We made our chocolate pavlovas into mini heart shapes. It's so nice to serve each person their own individual dessert. Our batch made 8 individual sized portions. If you want to make one large size pavlova, you can use this same recipe, and increase the baking time to 1 hour. You can make one large heart, or a round circle pavlova base.
Troubleshooting Pavlova
Pavlova is a delicious dessert, but she can sometimes be a bit of a diva. There are some common problems that can arise when making a pavlova, so here are some of the things to watch out for and how to avoid some common mistakes that can occur.
- Room-temperature egg whites whip best so try to remember to take your eggs out of the fridge and let them come up to room temperature before whipping for the best results.
- Any egg yolk in your separated eggs can affect how well the egg whites whip. They can also be affected by not using a clean bowl. So be sure your bowl and whisk are clean and grease free, and your egg whites have no trace of yolk in them before beginning.
- Add your sugar to the beaten egg whites mixture slowly, tablespoon by tablespoon. This is so that the sugar has a chance to fully dissolve and doesn't make a gritty meringue mixture. Some people like to use superfine sugar to help with this problem.
- Take care not to over whip your egg whites. This can make the egg whites too dry and they can possibly curdle.
- Pavlovas can crack if they are cooled too quickly. Some people like to turn off the oven when they're done baking and let them cool inside the oven with the oven door open.
- Humidity can really affect your pavlova. Do not bake pavlova on a humid day. If you do you might have issues with the crispy shell being too sticky and weeping sugar even after it's baked.
Storing Pavlova
Pavlova is best served the day that it is made. You can bake the meringue basses the night before and store them in an airtight container. Do not assemble the pavlovas ahead of time. Before serving add your heavy cream and fresh fruit and other garnishes. If you have leftovers of the assembled pavlovas, be sure to store them in the fridge.
I really loved our heart shaped mini chocolate pavlovas for our own little Valentine's Day celebration. But this is a great dessert for any time. Make them mini, make one large one, just make them. ;). Your family and friends will love it. And for the chocolate lover, this chocolate easy version takes classic pavlova to the next level.
Recipe
Chocolate Pavlova
Ingredients
- 4 egg whites
- 1 ¼ cups white sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon white vinegar
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
- 1 pint of whipped cream
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 4 cups of fresh raspberries or other berries
- 8 teaspoons chocolate sauce
- edible gold leaf optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. On the underside of the parchment paper, draw 8 hearts, about 4 ½ by 4 ½ inches each.
- In your stand mixer with the whisk attachment, beat the egg whites to stiff peaks, but not dry.
- Gradually add in the sugar, tablespoon by tablespoon, while continuing to mix, until it's thick and glossy.
- Add in the vanilla, white vinegar, cornstarch, and cocoa powder and combine well.
- Using a spoon, carefully place the mixture on the parchment paper lined baking sheet, using the heart shape drawn on the other side of the parchment paper as a guide.
Bake for about 40 min. until the outside is dry, but the inside is still soft. Let cool. - To make the whipped cream, add the whipping cream to your stand mixer and whip until it forms soft peaks. Add 2 tablespoons of sugar, and 1 teaspoon of vanilla and combine. Serve each chocolate pavlova with whipped cream, fresh berries (or any other fruit), a drizzle of chocolate sauce, and edible gold leaf on top.
Nutrition
With heart shaped chocolate pavlova, life really is a party!
More Recipe Inspiration
You might also like our Donut Strawberry Shortcakes here.
Also check our our Chocolate Charcuterie Board here.
You might also enjoy our Black Forest Cake in a Mason Jar recipe here.
Dannyelle Nicolle-Ramjist says
This is the perfect romantic dessert. Love the chocolate and the strawberry combination!