Raspberry and Chocolate Pavlova is actually easy to make but SO beautiful and delicious! Vary the fruits for any season and yo5u’ve got a beautiful winner.
I spied this recipe in an old cookbook on my shelves and while I had no idea what the Italian words meant, the look of the Raspberry Boccono Dolce was intriguing so I made it for a party.
I later learned from an Italian speaking friend about the meaning of the Italian words boccone dolce and truer words were never spoken.
This dessert really is a ‘sweet mouthful.’ Lovely clouds of meringue layered with chocolate, whipped cream and berries. Oh my.
More commonly known as a Pavlova for the light layers of meringue mixed with whipped cream and berries, this dessert includes a layer of chocolate ganache and it is truly a stellar dessert for any holiday but this year I made it to share with friends I love on Valentine’s Day hence the red-hearted raspberries.
It is so versatile though, don’t limit it to just one day a year…simply changing up the fruit can make it the perfect dessert for any holiday but seriously, why stop at holidays?
I had never made it with anything but raspberries until one summer when I served this peach and caramel version at a backyard barbecue.
I think my guests wanted to skip the burgers and head straight to dessert! So versatile and really so very, very good!
Beautiful to look at (more so BEFORE you slice it!), wonderful to eat; it’s a dessert you will love to present but the truth is…it’s pretty doggone easy too!
I’ve been swept up into the Macaron Madness a couple of times but making those lovely French meringue cookies has been an exasperation for me.
So many factors influence their success and since I can’t control humidity or altitude the results have been less than stellar.
The truth is that I’ve also never had one that seemed to make all of that effort worth it…give me this dessert in a heartbeat!
Today marks another #ComfortFoodFest with my Food Network friends and appropriately the theme is Chocolate! Lots and lots of chocolate; no excuse to not make something for your Valentine!
Feed Me Phoebe: Dark Chocolate Beauty Bark with Chia Seeds, Pepitas and Goji Berries
The Heritage Cook: Gluten-Free Black & White Brownies with Orange Glaze
Virtually Homemade: Chocolate Covered Strawberries with Coconut
Creative Culinary: Raspberry Boccone Dolce (Pavlova with Chocolate and Raspberries)
Daisy at Home: Mocha Mousse Marshmallow Cake
The Mom 100: Molten Chocolate Peanut Butter Cakes
Dishin & Dishes: Espresso Truffles
The Lemon Bowl: Dark Chocolate Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Creamy Cheese Frosting
Elephants and the Coconut Trees: Chocolate-Covered Strawberries
The Cultural Dish: Moroccan Pots de Creme
Red or Green: Dark Chocolate Truffles- 4 Flavors
Napa Farmhouse 1885: Chocolate-Coconut-Cashew Bark with Sea Salt
The Wimpy Vegetarian: Chocolate and Pretzel Bark with Sea Salt
In Jennie’s Kitchen: Fudgy, Chewy Brownies {dairy free}
Haute Apple Pie: Mississippi Mud Pie
Taste with the Eyes: Chocolate Mint Parfaits with Chocolate Hearts
Food for 7 Stages of Life: Everyday Chocolate Granola
FN Dish: Melt Hearts with Handmade Chocolate Sweets — Comfort Food Feast
PIN IT!’Raspberry and Chocolate Pavlova’
Raspberry Boccone Dolce (Sweet Mouthful)
A stunning dessert that is actually quite simple to prepare but will wow your guests!
Ingredients
For the Meringues:
- 8 eggs white at room temperature
- pinch of salt
- 1/4 tsp cream of tartar
- 2 cups sugar
For the Whipping Cream:
- 4 cups whipping cream
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 Tbsp vanilla extract
For the Chocolate and Raspberry layers
- 8 ounces good chocolate, chopped
- 1/2 cup half and half
- 1 to 1 1/2 pints fresh raspberries
Instructions
To Make the Meringues:
- Beat egg whites until frothy. Add salt and cream of tartar, beating until stiff. Gradually add sugar continuing to beat until the meringue is stiff and glossy.
- Line cookie sheets with parchment paper and trace 3 circles with cake pan (I used the bottom of my springform pan), each 8 or 9 inches in diameter.
- Spread the meringue evenly over the circles and bake at 250 degrees for 35-50 minutes, or until the meringues are pale gold and still pliable. Turn off oven and leave in until ready to use or overnight.
- When ready to use, carefully peel the paper from the bottom.
To Make the Pavlova:
- Melt the chocolate with the half and half over low heat and whisk until smooth. Remove 1/4 cup chocolate and reserve for drizzling top.
- Divide evenly on top of each meringue and smooth; refrigerate until chocolate has hardened a bit.
- Beat the cream; gradually adding the sugar. Add the vanilla and beat until quite stiff.
- Place a small dollop of whipped cream on a serving plate and put one meringue on top.
- Spread approximately 1/3 of whipped cream over the chocolate. Top with 1/3 of the fresh berries.
- Repeat with a 2nd and 3rd layer; pipe some whipped cream on top of berries and garnish with a few that have been reserved.
- Warm reserved chocolate if necessary and drizzle over entire cake using either a fork or a ziplock bag with a tiny snip taken off of a corner.
- Refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving.
Notes
The longer you can let this dessert refrigerate before serving, the better. I recommend a 2 hour minimum but more is even better while making sure it is served the same day it is put together. That will give the soft and crunchy meringues time to absorb a bit of moisture and make cutting easier.
BUT note...as beautiful as it is and as much as we love it, the beauty of the presentation is certainly not in the individual slices. No matter; I promise no one will complain as they lick their plates clean!
This is absolutely beautiful! Love the flavor combination, too.
Thanks Jennifer; seriously one of my favorites for those two reasons. Oh and that it really is easy!!
Oh.
My.
GAWD.
In the best way.
Whew…would hate that to be in a bad way. 🙂
WOW, this would certainly be a show stopper! I bet this is a fun one to turn out for company! I love the way you decorated it especially!
I only make it if I’m having company and every single time they assume I’ve spent the entire day just on dessert. Shh…don’t tell OK. So much easier than it looks!
The photographs are simply gorgeous! Can only imagine how wonderful this must taste.
Thanks so much Paula and it is truly wonderful; I simply love chocolate and raspberry together.
Barb, I do believe that this is one of the most beautiful Pavlovas I’ve ever seen! Raspberry and dark chocolate is one of my favorite combinations too – a winner all around. And yes, pavlovas are easier than they look, and incredibly elegant.
Thanks so much Laura; it’s why I love it so much too; just two of my favorites in one dish and they do seem made for each other, don’t they?
Wow, that is so impressive looking! And I’m excited as it looks super easy to make dairy-free!!
Thank you Alisa; is there a dairy free product you can use for mimicking whipping cream? That would be perfect!
This looks (almost!) too pretty to eat! But I will…!
That first cut was hard…but it gets easier with every bite. 🙂
Your pictures sold me that I MUST try this! Wow! Gorgeous!
Thank you Kristen; do try it; you will not regret it. I made another this summer with peaches and caramel sauce…it’s a very versatile dessert!
What a gorgeous dessert! I agree about macaroons. I’ve actually personally never made them because they just seem like so much effort and I’ve personally never had one that I really thought was like “WOW i want to spend tons of time on them!” This on the other hand, I’d make in a heartbeat!
I think you hit one nail on the head too Des; I’ve had some from good bakeries and just was not wowed enough either. Give me baked meringue any day! And trust me; you can make this dessert in less time. 🙂
This dessert would make a decadent dessert for this Valentine’s Day! My hubby would go crazy for it. It’s so gorgeous that I don’t know who wouldn’t go nuts over it though!
Make it! Seriously make those meringue circles tonight and tomorrow it’s all just whipped cream and some stacking! He will love you forever. I know…that is the promise but this will further seal the deal. 🙂
Your pavlova is gorgeous! I am seriously smitten with them now since having finally made one ( or three since I had to test the recipe a few times ) and I can’t believe how incredibly easy they are yet SO fancy looking. And very very delicious.
I love them too; I made one this summer with peaches and caramel sauce. SO yummy!
Macarons often leave me flat, too. Look great, but so often there is much taste there. Or even much there there, if you know what I mean. 🙂 This, however, has substance and presence — my kinda dessert!
Holy cow, what a dessert. Definitely orgasmic and guaranteed to make the cook a winner with everyone.
Everything you said!
The problem with this dessert is that you have to ruin it by actually cutting it and eating it! Gorgeous, just gorgeous. Brava!!
So true Anne-Marie. Once that knife goes in it’s all over! I took a couple of photos with the piece cut out and just that little bit of change in structure was evident. You won’t be seeing that photo on here! 🙂
What a show-stopper of a dessert! My mother in law makes this dessert each time we visit England and I have yet to repeat it here at home. Yours is gorgeous!
I honestly think it’s one of the easiest desserts I make and yet it looks like it took all day. Perfect right?