Chocolate Pavlova with Mascarpone Cream & Raspberries
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A dream of a dessert, this chocolate pavlova features a fudgy, marshmallowy center encased in a crisp shell, all topped with rich whipped cream and fresh raspberries.
The pavlova, named after the renowned ballet dancer Anna Pavlova during her 1920s tour of Australia and New Zealand, is pure dessert magic. It features a meringue that’s crisp on the outside with a marshmallow-soft inside, usually topped with whipped cream and fresh fruit. This rich chocolate pavlova, inspired by Nigella Lawson, mixes cocoa powder and bittersweet chocolate into the meringue for a decadently fudgy base. To make it even more luxurious, I whip a little mascarpone into the cream. It’s perfect for Passover, or anytime you need a light, gluten-free dessert that’s sure to impress. I can’t wait for you to try it!
“People go WILD over this pavlova, and honestly it’s easier to make than most desserts. It truly is a showstopper. I’d give it 10 stars if I could.”
What You’ll Need To Make Chocolate Pavlova
Step-by-Step Instructions
The nice thing about pavlovas is that even though they look fancy, they are incredibly easy to make. To begin, add the egg whites to the bowl an electric mixer.
Beat until foamy and then gradually add the sugar.
Continue beating until the meringue is glossy and stiff (when you slowly lift the whisk out of the mixture, it will hold stiff peaks). Be patient; this takes 8 to 9 minutes.
Next, sift in the cocoa powder and add the chopped chocolate and vinegar.
Using a rubber spatula, fold the mixture together until no streaks of cocoa powder remain.
Mound the meringue onto a parchment-lined baking sheet and spread into a 9-inch “cake.”
Place in the oven and cook for 65 to 75 minutes, or until the meringue is puffed and crisp all over, yet still a bit wobbly underneath if you touch the center. Don’t worry if the top is cracked (or if it collapses while it cools) — this is normal and it all gets covered with whipped cream in the end.
When the meringue is cool, make the topping. In a medium bowl, combine the mascarpone cheese, heavy cream, and vanilla. Gradually add the sugar and continue beating until it holds soft, pillowy peaks.
Mound the mascarpone cream onto the meringue and gently spread it out about 1 inch (2.5 cm) from the edge (don’t worry if the meringue cracks in the process).
Top the pavlova with the raspberries and sprinkle the shaved chocolate over top.
Cut the pavlova into wedges, wiping the knife in between slices, and serve.
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Chocolate Pavlova with Mascarpone Cream & Raspberries
A dream of a dessert, this chocolate pavlova features a fudgy, marshmallowy center encased in a crisp shell, all topped with rich whipped cream and fresh raspberries.
Ingredients
For the Pavlova
- 6 large egg whites
- Pinch salt
- 1¾ cups superfine sugar (see note)
- 3 tablespoons natural unsweetened cocoa powder, such as Hershey's
- 1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
- 2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
For the Marscapone Cream
- 8 ounces (1 cup) mascarpone cheese, cold
- 1½ cups heavy whipping cream, cold
- ¼ cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the Topping
- 1½ cups fresh raspberries
- 2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, grated or shaved into curls (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 300°F and set an oven rack in the middle position. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Using a dark marker, draw a 9-inch diameter circle on the parchment paper by tracing around a 9-inch cake pan or plate. Flip the paper over so your meringue won't touch the marker.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the egg whites and salt on medium speed until foamy soft peaks form, about a minute. Increase the speed to medium-high and gradually add the sugar; continue beating until stiff peaks form, 8-9 minutes. (The meringue will be glossy.)
- Pass the cocoa powder through a sieve or sifter and add to the meringue. Add the vinegar and chopped chocolate. Using a large rubber spatula, fold the mixture until well combined. It should be a light mocha color with no white or brown streaks.
- Secure the parchment paper to the baking sheet by adding a dab of meringue under each corner. Mound the meringue onto the parchment inside the circle. Using the spatula or a butter knife, spread the meringue to fill the circle. Even the top and sides just slightly -- it shouldn’t be perfectly smooth or overworked. Place in the oven and cook for 65 to 75 minutes, or until the meringue is puffed and crisp all over, yet still a bit wobbly underneath if you touch the center. Don't worry if the top is cracked -- that's normal and it all gets covered with whipped cream in the end. Turn off the oven, prop the oven door open, and leave the meringue in the oven to cool to room temperature, at least 30 minutes. (The meringue won’t collapse as much if it cools gradually.)
- Before serving, carefully peel the meringue off of the parchment paper and place it on a serving platter. In a medium bowl, beat the mascarpone cheese, heavy cream, and vanilla on medium speed until just combined. Gradually add the sugar and continue beating until it holds soft, pillowy peaks. Do not overbeat; it should not be too stiff or grainy. Mound the mascarpone cream onto the meringue and gently spread it out about 1 inch from the edge (don't worry if the meringue cracks in the process). Top the pavlova with the raspberries and sprinkle the shaved chocolate over top. Cut the pavlova into wedges, wiping the knife in between slices, and serve.
- Note: If you don't have superfine sugar, place regular granulated sugar in a food processor and pulse until fine, about 30 seconds.
- Note: This pavlova can be made ahead and assembled up to 12 hours ahead of time. Keep in the refrigerator.
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (10 servings)
- Calories: 429
- Fat: 25 g
- Saturated fat: 15 g
- Carbohydrates: 51 g
- Sugar: 47 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 5 g
- Sodium: 136 mg
- Cholesterol: 74 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
Gluten-Free Adaptable Note
To the best of my knowledge, all of the ingredients used in this recipe are gluten-free or widely available in gluten-free versions. There is hidden gluten in many foods; if you're following a gluten-free diet or cooking for someone with gluten allergies, always read the labels of your ingredients to verify that they are gluten-free.
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Made this last year for Christmas. Huge hit. Very popular. Very good 😊😊💕💕🇨🇦
This was a huge hit. My daughter loves meringue, my husband and I do not, and we all loved this as a surprise last day of school cake. It was fudgy (really!) yet light, really unlike any other dessert I have ever had or made (and I bake a lot). I used what we had on hand, so subbed champagne vinegar, and made lightly sweetened whipped cream, and chopped strawberries. Delicious. My one question is if the pavlova could be less sweet without sacrificing the structure of the meringue? Thanks for another winner!
Hi Nicole, Glad this was a hit and happy last day of school to your daughter! 🙂 I think you could get away with cutting the sugar by about 1/4 cup without impacting the texture.
I have made this a number of times and each time it is delicious, easy and always impressive. Do you think I could make individual ones? I wanted to make small ones and plate them ahead of time. How big would you make each one and how long would you cook them?
Hi Audrey, I haven’t made the Pavlova’s in mini form, but I think it will work. Because the recipe serves ten, perhaps I’d divide the batter into 8 to 10 smaller ones. Cooking time will be shorter but I’m not sure by how much so just keep a close eye on them. Please LMK how they turn out if you make them this way!
Hi Jen,
I used my mid sized ice cream scooper to drop the batter onto 2 inch circles. This made 15 mini pavlovas. I baked them for 15 – 20 minutes, watching them as you suggested. I kept tapping the top and when they were hard I took them out. They were perfect. The only challenge with this system is that I could not leave all of them in the oven to cool because they were on 2 cookie sheets. The crazy part is that the first batch I took out, did not crack as much as the second batch that I left in to cool. I am thinking it had something to do with the oven being a little hotter for the second batch. Delicious and as always, they got rave reviews.
So glad it worked out well — thanks for reporting back! 🙂
Hi Jen! I’ve made this pavlova dozens of times; it’s my go-to dessert for many occasions and our favorite! The last two times I made it, however, the pavlova collapsed to a pancake and is slightly sticky on top. When I opened the oven, it was fine, but somewhere in the cooling process (with the oven door ajar,) it completely flattens to a pancake and is dense inside. Do you have any idea what could be going wrong??
Hi Mary, sorry you’ve had a problem with this recently — frustrating after you’ve made it successfully many times! Has it by any chance been more humid outside the last two times that you’ve made it? If you bake meringues when it’s very humid, the meringue doesn’t fully dry out and it will give it that flat crust and very soft center.
It worked amazingly
Just made this. Excellent dessert! We ate seconds. Thank you!
Hello Jenn,
When it comes to the chocolates, can I use Dutch process cocoa powder(Callebaut)?
Hi Diana, I wouldn’t recommend Dutch-processed cocoa powder here — sorry!
Thank you for the quick response Jenn! I do hope you’re all keeping safe and sane during this difficult time.
One more question to ask because I focused on the cocoa powder. I have 70% Callebaut callers…they can be used in place of the bittersweet chocolate chopped and if so, can they be left whole, seeing they might be difficult to chop?
Stay safe
Sure, Diana, that should work. Hope you enjoy! 🙂
Wow! I made this and it turned out fantastic. As a bonus, it was very easy to make. Thanks to this great version of one of my go to desserts.
Could powdered sugar be used in place of the superfine sugar ?
Hi Tracy, I wouldn’t recommend powdered sugar here — sorry! If you don’t have superfine sugar, you can put regular granulated sugar in a food processor and pulse until fine, about 30 seconds. Hope that helps!
I used icing sugar the first time I made this, because I didn’t pay enough attention to the wording of the recipe. The dessert turned out ok, and tasted delicious, but I can attest that using the right sugar makes a huge difference. I did this time around, and the meringue looks a lot nicer and light. However it did crack a lot. I hope I can fix that with the topping 😊
Wonderful! Everyone asks for the recipe!