Chocolate Raspberry Pavlova

Meringue:

            8 egg whites

            2 cups sugar

            2 tbsp GF dutch cocoa powder

            1 tsp GF vanilla

 Topping:

            1 cup whipping cream (before whipping, 2 cups whipped)

            2 tbsp strong expresso, cold

            ½ cup dark chocolate shavings (grate a baking chocolate bar - whatever flavor you like - dark, bitter-sweet, etc.)

            GF dark or regular chocolate sauce/ice cream topping

            Raspberries

 Preheat oven to 425°

 Cover baking sheet with parchment paper

 Beat egg whites until stiff

 Slowly add sugar & vanilla

 Beat until stiff peaks

 Sift cocoa powder into meringue & fold gently, leaving streaks of cocoa

 Shape on prepared baking sheet. Can do two 8 inch rounds to make one large pavlova or about 30 small rounds to make about 15 individual pavlovas.

Place baking sheet in oven & turn down to 250°. Bake for 90 minutes (I rotate half way through to make sure they bake evenly). Turn oven off & leave baking sheet in oven until oven is completely cool.

Beat whipping cream with cold coffee to stiff peaks. Spread ½ on 8 inch round or small amount on half of individual rounds.

Place another meringue on top of whipping cream layer.

Spread remainder of whipping cream on top.

Add raspberries on top of whipping cream.

Drizzle chocolate sauce over tops.

Sprinkle with chocolate shavings.

Notes: Eggs will whip better if they are room temperature. I try to remember to set them out on the counter a few hours before I am going to use them. But if I forget, I put them in a bowl & cover them with warm (not hot) water for a few minutes.

Another trick my mom taught me was for the whipping cream. She always used a metal bowl & would put it, along with the beaters, in the refrigerator for a few hours before she whipped the cream. She always said the cream would whip up better, so I still do it that way!

If you are like me & don’t always have whipping cream on hand, I found a shelf-stable whipping cream at Trader Joe’s. It comes in a box & can be stored in your cupboard or pantry. It does have a limited shelf life - the expiration date usually gives me 2-3 months to use it. So I try to keep a box on hand, just in case!

This is a fun dessert to make & since it is already GF, I didn’t need to make any adaptations! They are not hard, even though there are several steps. I love that they are not over the top sweet. You can use a little more or a little less coffee in the whipping cream, depending on your taste preference. And if you are really missing the sugar rush, you could add a little powdered sugar when you are whipping the cream. I’m a fan of chocolate & raspberry, but you could even switch up the fruit & use cherries, blueberries, blackberries - go ahead & personalize it! If you are not a fan of the coffee flavor in the whipping cream, you can omit it & opt for plain whip cream.

This dessert has a great WOW factor in it’s presentation, as well as being delicious!