Luscious Lamington Pavlova
An Original Recipe by Lorraine Elliott
Preparation time: 30 minutes
Cooking time: 1 hour 20 minutes
The meringue is best baked the day before
- 210g/7ozs. egg white (around 7 egg whites, depending on the size of eggs you use)
- 1 3/4 cups caster or superfine sugar
- 1 3/4 tablespoon cornflour
- 1 3/4 teaspoons white vinegar
- 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 4 tablespoons "black" cocoa powder (regular can also be used but it won't be as dark in colour)
- 1/2 cup desiccated coconut
Filling:
- 400ml/14flozs. cream
- 200g/7ozs. raspberry jam
- 100g/3.5ozs. dark chocolate
- 50ml/1.7ozs. cream
- 1/2 cup desiccated coconut
- 125g/4ozs. punnet fresh raspberries
Buyer's tip: black cocoa powder can be found at baking specialty stores.
Step 1 - Preheat oven to 200C/400F and trace 2x 20cm circles on 2 sheets of parchment. Take two 20cm/8inch springform collars and line them with parchment and place on top of each circle.
Step 2 - Make sure that your bowl and beaters are spotlessly clean and free of oils or grease. Whisk the eggs whites until soft and foamy. Then add 1/4 of the sugar, cornflour, vinegar and cream of tartar. Keep beating adding in the remaining sugar gradually until starting to become stiff. Add the cocoa powder and then whisk until it becomes very stiff-you should be able to tip the bowl upside down and the meringue shouldn't move. Fold in the coconut and then spread out dividing the mixture between the two trays spreading out to the edge of the collar.
Step 3 - Place in the oven and reduce heat to 130C/266F and bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes. When baked, turn off the heat and let cool in the oven.
Step 4 - Heat the dark chocolate and cream until soft and stir together to form a ganache. Set aside to cool a bit. Then whip the cream until you get soft peaks (I don't add sugar as there is enough in the meringue, jam and sauce). Spread half the cream on top of one pavlova and then top with half the jam, ganache, coconut and raspberries. Repeat finishing with the remaining cream jam, ganache, coconut and raspberries. Serve immediately (or as soon as possible, I don't mean to alarm you by saying that it needs to be right then and there).