Elegant is how one might best describe a pavlova, with its delicate bone white shell and pillowy, airy middle. In this version it is married to another classic from the dessert canon, Black Forest cake, for an ethereal holiday dessert designed to wow.
For all its impressiveness, the ingredients in a pavlova shell are shockingly spare. The trick lies in the ratio of egg whites to sugar and the mixing technique. For a strong, crisp, and smooth meringue that can hold the heft of its toppings, you need about twice the weight of sugar to egg whites. Anything much less, and the baked meringue will be dry, flaky, and beige. The best way to counter this sweet base is with a careful selection of toppings rather than scaling back on sugar. Here, drifts of unsweetened whipped cream, bittersweet ganache, and boozy cherries balance it out. We recommend using frozen cherries, even when fresh are in season, because they come pitted (saving you hours of work) and perform better when cooked like this. Traditionally, Black Forest cake is made with sour cherries, so for the truest reference, look for a bag of cherries with a mix of sweet and tart cherries (we like Wyman’s). The tart cherries provide a welcome counterpoint to the meringue. While kirsch is traditional, brandy is a handsome and more accessible stand-in.
For large, wide curls of chocolate to decorate the pavlova, pick a fat, thick bar of chocolate as a good foundation (Tony’s Chocolonely or the one-pound bars from Trader Joe’s are great for this). Warm up the unwrapped bar slightly in the microwave (about 5 seconds) so the chocolate isn’t too brittle. A warmed-up bar will produce dramatic curlicues of chocolate that are a fitting topper for this stately dessert.
Recipe information
Total Time
4 hours
Yield
8 servings
Ingredients
Pavlova
Boozy Cherries
Ganache
Whipped Cream and Assembly
Preparation
Pavlova
Step 1
Place a rack in middle of oven; preheat to 300°. Beat 6 large egg whites, 1¾ cups (350 g) sugar, 2 tsp. Diamond Crystal or 1¼ tsp. Morton kosher salt, and ¼ tsp. cream of tartar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment on medium-low speed until egg whites are foamy and sugar is partially dissolved, about 5 minutes.
Step 2
Increase speed to medium and continue to beat, scraping down sides of bowl halfway through, until sugar is dissolved, medium-stiff peaks have formed, and meringue is opaque, shiny, and thick, 12–15 minutes (rub a small amount of meringue between 2 fingers; it should feel fairly smooth with only a few tiny grains of sugar if any).
Step 3
Stir together 1 Tbsp. plus 1 tsp. cornstarch and 1 Tbsp. distilled white vinegar in a small bowl until dissolved. Add 1 (heaping) Tbsp. meringue and stir to combine. Pour into bowl with remaining meringue and fold with a rubber spatula until incorporated.
Step 4
Scrape meringue onto a parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet. Using a small offset spatula, spread meringue into a 10x8" rectangle, about 1½" thick. Smooth top of rectangle flat. Using a rubber spatula, pull meringue upward in short strokes along all 4 sides to create grooves in the meringue. Dab small dollops of leftover meringue under each corner of parchment to help adhere it to baking sheet.
Step 5
Bake meringue 15 minutes, then reduce oven temperature to 275° and continue to bake until top of meringue feels crisp and dry to the touch and edge of meringue lifts easily from parchment paper, 70–80 minutes more. Let cool.
Do Ahead: Meringue can be made 4 hours ahead. Store, uncovered, at room temperature.
Boozy Cherries
Step 6
Cook juice of 1 large lemon, 2 lb. frozen cherries, preferably a mix of sweet and tart, 1½ cups (300 g) sugar, ½ cup red wine vinegar, and ¼ cup brandy in a large saucepan over medium heat until cherries are thawed, 8–10 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer cherries to a medium bowl. Bring syrup to a boil and cook, stirring occasionally, until reduced by half, 12–15 minutes. Let syrup cool slightly, then pour over cherries and let cool completely.
Do Ahead: Cherries can be cooked 2 days ahead. Cover and chill.
Ganache
Step 7
Bring ⅔ cup heavy cream to a boil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Remove from heat, add 4 oz. bittersweet chocolate (70% cacao), chopped, and ½ tsp. Diamond Crystal or ¼ tsp. Morton kosher salt and whisk until smooth and glossy. Scrape ganache into a small bowl and let cool.
Do Ahead: Ganache can be made 2 days ahead. Cover and chill.
Whipped Cream and Assembly
Step 8
Using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat 2 cups heavy cream, 2 tsp. vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract, and 1 tsp. Diamond Crystal or ½ tsp. Morton kosher salt in a large bowl until soft peaks form, about 2 minutes (alternatively, vigorously whisk by hand).
Step 9
Drain cherries (reserving syrup for another use). Carefully transfer meringue to a platter. Drizzle half of ganache over meringue. Spoon whipped cream over, piling high. Drizzle remaining ganache over whipped cream. Scatter cherries over cream. Using a vegetable peeler, shave chocolate into curls from 1 thick bar (at least 6.35 oz.) bittersweet chocolate (about 70% cacao) on top if desired
