Chocolate Pavlova with Ice Cream, the Most Showstopping Dessert

This double-layer dark Chocolate Strawberry Pavlova is the perfect kind of show-stopping dessert for a group or a party. Just have all the components separate and ready to assemble just before serving. The meringues can be baked days in advance and kept cool and dry, slice the berries, and you can even scoop the ice cream and keep the frozen as scoops until serving time. Shall we?

So.

I made a pavlova.

And I might not need to make another dessert ever again.

Ever.

What Ingredients You Need for Chocolate Pavlova with Ice Cream

for the Pavlova Meringue Base:

• egg whites, from 6 large eggs
• superfine sugar, 1½ cups 
• cocoa powder, unsweetened 3 tablespoons 
• balsamic vinegar, 1 teaspoon 
• dark chocolate, 2 oz finely chopped

for the Finished Pavlova:

• chocolate ice cream, 1 pint 
• vanilla ice cream, 1 pint 
• strawberry ice cream, 1 pint 
• raspberry sorbet, 1 pint 
• strawberries, 1 pound hulled and sliced into halves
• optional: chocolate sauce for drizzling
• optional: nuts. but why.

You can, of course, skip the ice cream and go with the original sweetened whipped cream as the filling! You will need about 6 cups of whipped cream, split between the two layers.

Ingredients Notes and Resources

Eggs. Separate the eggs straight out of the fridge, then it's best to let the egg whites come to room temperature and the mixing bowl is very cold, and clean of any kind of oil/grease (like yolk or oil from your hands).

Superfine sugar is different from confectioner's/powdered sugar (which contains cornstarch). If you can't find super-fine sugar, just make it at home by processing it in a food processor or blender for about three minutes on medium speed. Careful when you process it, it will give off a sugar "dust" that you don't want to inhale.

Unsweetened cocoa. Use any organic, unsweetened cocoa, not "hot cocoa mix" or whatever. This is the organic one I use.

Balsamic vinegar. I originally had no idea what adding vinegar was for. Color? Flavor? It's actually for chemistry, as the vinegar breaks down the protein bonds in the egg white, making them whip up lighter and easier.

Strawberries. I bought super-ripe, super-sweet (red inside!) Harry's strawberries from the farmers' market the morning of the day we served the Pavlova. If your berries are slightly underripe or not as sweet, slice them, toss them slices with a tablespoon of plain granulated sugar in a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature for an hour or two. The strawberries will weep out their juices and make a sweet "sauce" with the sugar. You can pour the entire thing over the ice cream for the final product.

What is Pavlova?

Pavlovas are a crisp meringue base typically spread with fluffy whipped cream, sometimes curd (I hate this word almost as much as I hate the word "moist"), and topped with fresh fruit. But really, is anything ever "typical" anymore? We've seen every component of a pavlova take on different variation, from coffee and chocolate flavored meringue bases, to other fluffy cream-like spreads and mousses, to every kind of fresh fruit, fruit compote, nuts, and even herbs.

As fitting as the original version is for summer, with the lightness of whipped cream and fresh fruit, we thought we'd swap out the whipped cream for the quintessential creamy dreaminess of summer, ice cream. What we've ended up with is something that tastes like a chocolate covered strawberry: two chocolate shatteringly crisp meringues with chocolate chunks inside, layered with chocolate, vanilla, strawberry and raspberry ice creams, fresh super summer-ripe strawberries, and warm, melted chocolate sauce.

But if the ice cream gets a little melty...

Best Summer Desserts

Print Recipe

5 from 2 votes

Chocolate Strawberry Pavlova Recipe

Makes one double-layer pavlova, enough for 1 (!) - 10 people

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: meringue, pavlova

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Ingredients

Ingredients for the Pavlova Meringue Base:

• 6 large egg whites
• 1½ cups superfine sugar
• 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt or coarse sea salt
• 2 oz dark chocolate finely chopped

Ingredients for the Finished Pavlova:

• 1 pint chocolate ice cream
• 1 pint vanilla ice cream
• 1 pint strawberry ice cream
• 1 pint raspberry sorbet
• 1 pound strawberries sliced into halves
• chocolate sauce optional for drizzling
• toasted nuts optional. but why?

Instructions

Make the Pavlova's Meringue Base:

• Preheat oven to 350ºF.
• Cut a piece of parchment paper to fit a large baking sheet. Draw two 8-inch diameter circles with pencil on the parchment. (If two circles don't fit, make each meringue base layer on a separate baking sheet.) Turn the paper over on the baking sheet so that the pencil drawn circle side in down.
• Beat the egg whites until stiff and shiny peaks form. Beat in superfine sugar a few spoonfuls at a time until stiff, shiny peaks form off the beaters and in the bowl.
• Sprinkle sifted cocoa, balsamic vinegar, and chopped chocolate over the beaten egg whites in the bowl, then gently fold until everything is incorporated.
• Divide and spoon the chocolate meringue between the two circles on the parchment paper, spreading it to just about ½-inch inside the pencil mark; the meringue will spread during baking We learned this the first time when our two meringue layers spread and stuck to each other. Try to make the edges ever so slightly higher (like a rim) to hold in the fillings later.
• Place the baking sheets in the pre-heated oven, then turn the temperature down to 300º. Bake the meringues until they are dry to the touch, about 1 hour. Turn off the heat, prop open the oven door, and allow the meringues to cool down completely inside the oven.
• The cooled meringues can be stored in an air tight container in a cool, dry place for a couple of days.

Assemble the Pavlova:

• Place one chocolate meringue on a serving platter, with rimmed edges to catch any melted ice cream if desired. Place small scoops of the different ice cream in a single layer on top. Place the second meringue layer on top, adding another layer of ice cream scoops. Top with fresh sliced strawberries, then drizzle with chocolate sauce or hot fudge.
• Serve immediately. No part of this dessert can be stored once it is assembled so eat all of it.

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