Chocolate cherry black forest pavlova

Method

1. Preheat your oven to 150°C. Line two trays with baking non stick parchment paper, mark out an 8” circle on both trays to use as a guide to fill your meringue.

2. Use a tiny squeeze of lemon juice to clean your whisk and the bowl of your mixer before you start as any traces of grease will kill your meringue!

3. Next into your mixer pour in your egg whites and whisk until foamy. Add your cream of tartar or lemon juice (this helps stabilise the eggs and gives volume). Continue to whisk and slowly add your icing sugar, spoon by spoon until completely combined. Gently pour in your vanilla extract, your cornflour and finally your white wine vinegar and whisk until shiny and glossy and has reached stiff peaks. 

4. Gently sieve your cocoa powder over the meringue and fold through, you can either completely blend through or leave pockets of white meringue and cocoa powder swirled through your mix.

5. Using your eye as a guide split your mix into two and divide between your two trays. Dollop your meringue to the edge of the diameter marked on your parchment , paddle the meringue right to the edges forming a ridge and a slight dip in the middle of your meringue. This will help create a hollow for your whipped cream filling.

6. Bake for 45 minutes. Once cooked, leave on the tray to cool completely before transferring to a decorative plate. I use a cake lifter to carefully transfer the delicate meringue so I have no fear of cracking when moving.

7. To assemble, whip the cream to soft peaks. Drain the cherries and add 2 tablespoons of liqueur, leave to sit.

8. Reserve the cherry juice and reduce over a medium heat for about 5-10minutes until you are left with a sticky thick sauce, leave to cool. Add a tablespoon of liqueur to syrup for extra punch!

9. Now to assemble your meringue discs, place a layer of your meringue on your cake stand and smother with whipped cream, scatter some of your soaked cherries along with a drizzle of  your cherry sauce, sprinkle with chocolate shavings and repeat with the next layer and top with the remaining cream.