Nigella's Chocolate and Raspberry Pavlova

The problem with starting a new blog is that I've got so many recipes & things I've cooked to suddenly add all at once. I want to blog them all right away so I'll have to go back to all the yummy things I've made this year.


This pavolva is one I made in the summer (seems so long gone now) and it's absolutely delicious and easy to make! It's from Nigella Summer and I remember watching her make it on tv once but found the recipe online.


It helps if you have a food mixer but you can do it by hand just as easily. (I'm lucky in that my boyfriend got a Kenwood k-mix food mixer for his birthday so I steal it all the time!)


I think this pavlova is so much more delicious than traditional 'white' pavlova, probably because I'm such a chocoholic! But raspberries and chocolate together are my favourite combination!






But anyway, here's the recipe -
For the Chocolate meringue base -
6 egg whites
300g caster sugar
3 tbsp cocoa powder, sieved
1 tsp balsamic or red wine vinegar (I used red wine to make it a bit sweeter)
50g dark chocolate, finely chopped (but leave some in chunks to melt)
For the topping -
500 ml double cream
500g raspberries
More dark chocolate to grate over the top


1. Preheat the oven to 150 degrees (Nigella says 180 but I found this too hot in a fan oven)
2.Line a tray with baking parchment (stick the corners down with some of the meringue mixture when made)
3.Beat the egg whites in a clean, grease-free bowl until satiny peaks form, then add the sugar a spoonful at a time until the meringue is stiff and shiny.
4. Sprinkle over the cocoa, vinegar and chopped chocolate and gently fold in until all incorporated.
5.Mound on to a baking sheet in a fat circle (approx 23cm in diameter) and smooth sides and top.

6.Place in the oven and cook for about 45minutes. I'm not great on timings but I just quickly check to see if it's done. It probably needs a bit longer than this actually, maybe an hour to completely cook, but my oven started to burn the top so I had to turn it down a bit more. - Nigella says 'when it's ready it should look crisp around the edges and sides but dry on top, when prodded you should feel the promise of squidginess beneath your fingers'.
7. Open the oven door and leave to cool completely in the oven.
For the topping -
1. When ready to serve, invert on to a flat-bottomed plate. 
2. Whisk the cream until thick but soft and pile on top of the meringue and scatter over the raspberries. Then grate the chocolate over and serve!