Mini Christmas Chocolate Pavlovas
Our mini chocolate pavlovas with cranberries and oranges are a delicious and elegant holiday dessert. This easy pavlova recipe produces a light and airy desert, with a crisp meringue shell and a soft, fluffy inside. Try this chocolate pavlova recipe.
This delicious dessert has its origins in Australia and New Zealand.
What is the difference between a meringue and a pavlova?
They both necessitate whipping egg whites into a foam, combined with sugar, and subsequently baking at a low temperature until achieving dryness. However, meringue emerges with a consistently crisp and dry texture.
A pavlova boasts a crisp outer layer, while the inside is delightfully fluffy, soft, and reminiscent of marshmallows. You can also do these little Feigenbaisers.
Prepare pavlovas the day before
Certainly, the meringue can be prepared 1-2 days in advance of your event. Refrain from adding any fruit or cream yet until just right before serving. Store the meringue in an airtight container until you are ready to assemble the pavlova.
Storing your chocolate pavlova
Your lovely homemade Christmas pavlovas are sensitive to the effects of humidity and moisture. So keep them as dry as possible and away from air.
Ideally, store them in an airtight container and take them out as close to the serving time as possible. With these tips, they will keep their excellence and crunch for up to two days.
Also try Lemon Pudding Recipe (UK), Strawberry Crumble or Meringue Dessert with Strawberries and Cream.
Mini Chocolate Pavlovas with Cranberries
Equipment
- Mixing bowl
- Baking tray
- Baking parchment
Ingredients
For the meringues
- 100 g chocolate dark or milk
- 4 large egg whites
- 1 pinch of salt
- 225 g caster sugar
- 1 tblsp cornflour
- 1 tsp white wine vinegar
- 0.5 tsp vanilla essence
For the topping
- 150 g fresh cranberries
- 4 tblsp caster sugar
- 1 tblsp orange liqueur such as Cointreau or Grand Marnier
- 1 large orange zested then peeled and segmented
- 300 ml double cream
Instructions
To make the meringues
- Preheat oven to 180°C (345°F) and line two baking sheets with baking parchment.
- Break the chocolate into a small bowl and melt over a pan of simmering water while stirring.
- Place the egg whites and a pinch of salt in a large bowl. Whisk until soft peaks form. Add the sugar a few tablespoons at a time and whisk well between each addition, reserving 2 tsps of sugar for later. Once the sugar has been added, the meringue should be very stiff.Sift the cornflour over the meringue and fold through very gently.
- Mix the remaining 2 tsps of sugar with the vinegar and vanilla essence and fold into the meringue until well mixed.
- Take a tablespoon of mixture at a time and place 4 piles on each tray. Spread out into individual 9cm circles. Drizzle a little melted chocolate over each and swirl gently through the meringue using a toothpick.
- Place small spoonfuls of meringue mixture around the edge of each circle to build up slightly. Drizzle some more melted chocolate over the meringue mixture and swirl gently with the toothpick.
- Bake for 5 minutes. Then lower the oven temperature to 110°C (225°F) and cook for a further 45 minutes. Remove from the oven and leave to cool completely.
- Store in an airtight container until needed.
To make the topping
- Put the cleaned cranberries in a saucepan with the sugar, orange liqueur, orange zest and any juice left behind from segmenting the orange. Heat gently, stirring gently to dissolve the sugar. Cook until the cranberries just start to burst.Set aside and let cool completely before assembling the meringues.
- Whisk the cream until it just holds its shape but is still a bit floppy. Pile some of the cream into the centre of each pavlova. Place the pieces orange and the cranberry mixture on top of the cream. Top with some chocolate shavings and dust with icing sugar.
