TRIPLE LAYER PAVLOVA WITH CHERRY-BERRY SAUCE
Plus, orange mascarpone cream – yummo!
PREP TIME: 45 MINS (+ 1 HOUR STANDING + 2 HOURS CHILLING) COOK TIME: 35 MINS
SERVES 16 (AS AN
OCCASIONAL DESSERT)
4 egg whites (from 60g eggs),
at room temperature
1 tsp vanilla essence
1⁄4 tsp cream of tartar
280g (11⁄4 cups) caster sugar 40g (1⁄4 cup) slivered almonds,
toasted, finely chopped 2 Tbsp Dutch cocoa powder 60g good-quality dark
chocolate, chopped
2 Tbsp light thickened cream
Orange mascarpone cream
125g mascarpone
1/2 tsp orange zest
60ml (1⁄4 cup) fresh orange juice 1 cup vanilla frûche
130g (1/2 cup) light smooth ricotta
Cherry-berry sauce
55g (1⁄3 cup) frozen unsweetened pitted cherries, thawed, juices reserved
3 Tbsp caster sugar
1 Tbsp cornflour or gluten-free
cornflour
185ml (3/4 cup) water
35g (1⁄3 cup) frozen cranberries,
thawed
150g strawberries, chopped 1 Preheat oven to 130°C (fanforced). Line two very large or three standard baking trays with baking paper. Draw a 20cm circle on one sheet of paper. Draw two 20cm circles on the second piece of paper, leaving about 21/2cm between each circle.
2 Using an electric mixer whisk the egg whites, vanilla and cream of tartar until soft peaks form. Slowly add the sugar, 1 Tbsp at a time, beating on high speed for about 5 minutes or until stiff peaks form. Spoon about 1⁄3 of the meringue onto one of the circles on the baking tray, spreading out evenly to the edges of the circle.
3 Spoon about half the remaining meringue into a bowl. Fold in almonds. Spoon almond meringue onto another circle, spreading evenly to edges. Sift cocoa powder over remaining meringue; fold in thoroughly. (Cocoa meringue will deflate a little.) Spoon onto remaining circle, spreading evenly to edges. Bake meringues at the same time with trays on separate oven racks for 35 minutes. Turn off oven and leave the meringues in the oven for 1 hour to dry out.
4 To make the Orange mascarpone cream, whisk the mascarpone and orange zest until just combined. Gradually whisk in the orange juice until combined. Fold in the and ricotta.
5 To make Cherry-berry sauce, use scissors to coarsely chop the cherries. Put the sugar and cornflour in a medium saucepan. Stir in the water until well combined. Add the cranberries and undrained cherries. Cook, stirring, over medium heat until the mixture thickens and comes to a simmer. Simmer for 2 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat.
Set aside to cool for 10 minutes.
Stir in the strawberries. Set aside to cool completely.
6 To serve, carefully lift the meringues off the paper. Place one meringue on a round platter. Spread about 1⁄3 of the orange mascarpone cream. Top with
1⁄3 of the cherry-berry sauce. Repeat with another two layers. Cover loosely and place in the fridge for 1-2 hours to chill.
7 Put the chocolate and cream in a small microwave-safe bowl. Place in the microwave and cook on Medium/50% for 1-2 minutes or until the chocolate melts, stirring once or twice. Drizzle the chocolate over the pavlova. Using a serratededge knife cut the pavlova in wedges. Serve immediately.