Dark Chocolate S’mores Pavlova
Another gorgeous pavlova in the books, this one: s'mores edition
I never got to go to summer camp as a kid, and, yes, I am still butthurt about it. While everyone was remaking s’mores for camp vibes, I decided to make s’mores’ bougie aunt with this pavlova.
Since pavlova’s have a fluffy marshmallowy texture, I figured why not make a it s’mores style by adding a thick layer of dark chocolate ganache and some graham cracker crust chunks? De-ca-dent. No serious, this baby is rich. But if you’re a dark chocolate stan, you will love her.
Between the sweetness of the pavlova, the sharp, rich bitterness of the ganache, and the salty crunch of the bites of graham cracker crust, it’s so so good. Get ready for a sugar rush but also a pavlova that, not gonna lie, kinda looks like a campfire (bakery-dessert-styling-pun unintended).
Ingredients:
PAVLOVA
100g (approx. 3 eggs) egg whites, room temperature
½ tsp corn starch
1 tsp white wine vinegar
100g (approx. ½ cup) granulated sugar
100g (a little over ¾ cup) powdered sugar, sifted
WHIPPED CREAM
⅓ cup heavy cream
⅓ cup dark chocolate, cut into small chunks
GRAHAM CRACKER TOPPING
¾ cup graham cracker crumbs
3 tbsp butter, melted
1 tbsp brown sugar
¼ tsp salt
Directions:
GRAHAM CRACKER TOPPING
Preheat oven to 325F and grease and line an 8x4” bread loaf pan with parchment paper.
Blitz your graham crackers in a food processor until finely ground and then combine in a bowl with melted butter, salt, and brown sugar. Press the mixture evenly into your greased and lined pan, using the flat bottom of a glass or measuring cup to press down firmly into the bottom of the pan.
Freeze the crust for 15 minutes before placing it in the oven to bake for 15 minutes, until the crust is deeply golden brown.
Remove from the oven and cool completely in the pan at room temperature. Place into the fridge to chill while you make your other components
DARK CHOCOLATE GANACHE
In a small, heat-proof bowl, place your small chunks of chocolate
Heat heavy cream in a saucepan until scalding (you’ll see a rim of bubbles in the pot)
Immediately pour heated cream over the chocolate chips. Do not touch. Cover and let sit for 2-3 minutes to soften chips.
Whisk until smooth. Cut a circle of parchment paper that will fit over the surface of your ganache inside the bowl (see how to make a cartouche here). This is important so your ganache doesn’t form a skin.
Cool completely to room temperature
PAVLOVA
Add your egg whites to a clean bowl with space for growth
With your mixer on low speed, beat your egg whites until nice and frothy, with no loose liquid at the bottom.
Add in your vinegar and cornstarch and beat until medium-soft peaks form (aka the mixture has stiffened but not completely and it still moves around in the bowl).
A few spoonfuls at a time, add your caster sugar, beat, and repeat until all the sugar is added. You should have glossy, stiff peaks at this point. If you want to test your work, you can flip the bowl upside down and nothing should fall out.
Sift in your powdered sugar and using a metal spoon, gently fold in the sugar until just combined. Be very careful at this stage to not knock out any excess air from the meringue.
Preheat oven to 212F (100C) CONVECTION
On a parchment-lined baked tray, spoon the pavlova into the center, in a single blob. Gently flatten with a spatula to about 1.5” thick and then use the spatula to go around the rim of each disc and pull the edge of the meringue mixture lightly up (from bottom to top), to make a rim around each circle.
Bake for 1 to 1.5 hours
To check for doneness, gently squeeze the side of your pavlova. If firm, gently try to lift/peel from the parchment paper. When there is no resistance, it is ready
Turn your oven off but leave the baked meringue in the oven with the door slightly cracked. Allow it to cool completely in the oven for an hour.
Once everything is cooled, gently lift your pavlova from the tray and place it onto a plate.
Pour your chocolate ganache into the center, spreading evenly within the center of your pavlova
Take your cooled graham cracker topping and break it into chunks, place the chunks around the rim of the ganache, on your pavlova
Enjoy!
Who needs camp when you can whip up this delectable beauty? Not me! Just kidding I still would have loved to go to camp.
Anywho, if you love this baddie snap and video or a picture and tag @accentgolden in your post on social! I always want to see your bakes.
Notes:
Be gentle with your meringue as you handle it ahead of baking. It is very fragile at this stage and you don’t want to lose any of that air you’ve whipped into it.
Make sure all of your elements - pavlova, ganache, graham cracker topping - are completely cool (or cold) before assembly, or risk destroying your work!
Pavlovas are fragile, be careful not to weigh it down with too many peaches as it could result in crushing your masterpiece
I received the recipe for French meringue during my patisserie course in Scotland from Chef Ashley
