Rich, dark and decadent, this is maximum flavour with minimum effort and a chocaholic’s delight. You can bake the meringue and prepare the cherry syrup a couple of days in advance and store the meringue in an airtight container. Do not assemble it until you want to eat it.

Method:



• Heat your oven to 180°C, 160°C fan and line an oven tray or your grill pan with baking parchment.
• Place the egg whites in the bowl of a stand mixer and beat until stiff but not dry. Add the sugar a tablespoon at a time beating well to incorporate it. It should be smooth and glossy. Beat in the cream of tartar and then gently fold in the sieved cocoa powder and grated chocolate until well blended, being careful not to knock the air out.
• Spoon the mixture onto your lined tray into a rough rectangle in the middle of the tray, leave a good margin as the pavlova will spread.
• Put the pavlova into the oven and immediately turn it down to 150°C, 130°C fan and cook for around 75 - 90 minutes until the edges are crisp and it looks dry on top.
• Turn the oven off and open the oven door halfway to allow the meringue to cool.

Once it has cooled completely, carefully lift the meringue onto a serving board or tray, using the baking parchment to support it.
• While the meringue is cooking prepare the fruit and syrup. Wash and dry the fresh cherries and drain the tinned cherries pouring the syrup into a small saucepan. Add the jam to the syrup and bring to a boil then simmer to reduce by about a third. Add the cornflour mixture to the liquid and continue to simmer, allowing the syrup to thicken a little, you’re looking for a consistency like double cream as it will thicken more on cooling. Once it has reached the right consistency, add the alcohol - if using.
• When you are ready to serve the pavlova, whip the cream until soft and billowy and then pile it onto the cooled meringue. Top the meringue with the drained, tinned cherries and cherry syrup.
• Arrange the fresh cherries over the top and garnish with shaved or grated dark chocolate.

Louismann