Black Forest Pavlova

When cherries are in season I end up buying way more than I can eat. Last week when I was at the farmer’s market I spotted some gorgeous local cherries and I bought a pound of them. I ate my way through most of them and realized there just were too many cherries for me to eat before they would go back. I thought I should make something with cherries while they were in season.

My initial thought was to make jam but then I don’t eat much jam anyways. I prefer savory toasts in the morning most days so I abandoned the jam idea. Next, I thought I’d make a German Black Forest Cake because it makes use of a lot of cherries. Again, I abandoned the idea because I just wanted something very light and summery.

I then decided to make a Black Forest Pavlova instead because it is as summery as summery can be! Chewy meringue, heaps of coffee whipped cream, cherries, chocolate. What’s not to love? You have to be really generous with the cream and cherries in this pavlova recipe so don’t hold back. In the end it is still light and works perfectly when you get a taste of all the ingredients together.

Most Black Forest Pavlova recipes call for canned cherries but I just had to use fresh cherries instead. I decided to make a cherry compote and a cherry sauce to use in this recipe because canned cherries never taste as good as fresh cherries. If you spot fresh cherries in your local farmer’s market during the summer, buy them and make this pavlova. I made this pavlova yesterday and we’ve already eaten half of it between the two of us!

This Black Forest Pavlova is a show stopper dessert that will wow everyone if you serve it for a summer picnic or a backyard party. It is best eaten as soon as you make it though because once assembled the pavlova will lose its wonderful texture in the refrigerator. If you have to make it in advance I’d suggest you store the meringue covered at room temperature and store the cream and fruit in the refrigerator. Just assemble everything together right before you serve.

Ingredients:

Meringue

6 egg whites

1 cup white granulated sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp vinegar

2 tbsp cocoa powder

Cherry Compote and Sauce

500 grams fresh pitted and halved cherries

2 tbsp white granulated sugar

1/4 cup water

Coffee Whipped Cream

500 ml whipping cream

2 tbsp white granulated sugar

3 tbsp strong espresso

Garnish

2 tbsp chopped roasted almonds

Dark chocolate shards

1) Place the chopped cherries, sugar and water in a large saucepan. Over medium heat, cook the cherries for about 10 minutes till the cherries are slightly softened.

2) Remove from heat and drain the cherries while reserving the sauce. Pour the sauce back into the saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Continue cooking till the sauce has thickened to a honey like consistency. Allow to cool.

3) Preheat the oven to 420 degrees F. Line two inverted baking trays with parchment paper and draw a 20 cm diameter circle on each of them. Invert the paper and keep aside.

4) In a clean bowl, whisk the room temperature egg whites at high speed until frothy. Add the sugar little by little while you continue to whisk. Continue whisking until the egg whites form stiff peaks and are glossy. The egg whites should not fall or move at all when you invert the bowl.

5) Add the vinegar and sifted cocoa powder and give the mixture two turns with a spatula. Avoid over-mixing as you would want to leave streaks of white in the mixture.

6) Divide this meringue mixture between the two trays and gently spread to form a disc, using the circle as a guide.

7) Place in the oven and immediately reduce the temperature to 300 degrees F. Bake for 45 minutes and do not open the oven door during this time. After 45 minutes, switch off the oven and leave the oven door slightly open while leaving the meringues inside to cool for 15 minutes.

8) For the whipped cream, pour the cream in a chilled bowl with vanilla and sugar and whip until stiff. Add the espresso and mix together well.

9) To assemble the Black Forest Pavlova, place a disc of meringue on your cake stand or serving platter. Top with half of the cream and gently spread to the edges. Add half of the cherry compote. Place the second meringue disc on top. Top with the remaining cream and spread gently. Top with the remaining cherries. Decorate with chocolate shards or shavings (simply chop a dark chocolate bar finely) and roasted chopped almonds. Drizzle the cherry sauce on top.