Mini Cocoa Pavlovas

With sour cream whip!

Hello!

You can thank the recent yolk-heavy recipes for these mini cocoa pavlovas, the newest addition to my “ways to use up egg whites“ collection (previous entries include egg white brownies, egg white pastry cream, brown butter fortune cookies, strawberry pavlova). I love these guys — they boast all the textural contrasts of classic pavlova, but a good dose of bittersweet cocoa imparts keeps the sweetness in check. Pair them with tangy sour cream whip and some juicy fruit, and you’ve got yourself a winner!

The drama of a large centerpiece pavlova is undeniable, but real talk — they are a Time Commitment. Classic French meringue can take about half an hour to whip up properly, then it needs a long, slow bake typically upwards of an hour, and then an extended (i.e hours…) cooling off period in the oven to avoid collapsing and sadness.

I did not want my oven held hostage to lots of big pav tests, so I took two big short cuts for these: using Swiss meringue and making them mini. As a result, these whip up, bake, and cool in a fraction of the time it takes to make a large pavlova.

Baker’s Notes

Cracking: In my experience, pavlovas made with the Swiss method tend to crack more than ones made with the French method. I’m not sure of the exact science behind this, but I suspect it’s partially because you can beat a French meringue at a lower speed to build a structure with very small bubbles, leading to a more controlled rise in the oven. The Swiss method needs a higher whipping speed to obtain the same volume, but as a result has an irregular structure with larger bubbles more prone to creating cracks as the pavlova bakes. (I did try beating Swiss at a lower speed for longer, but never could achieve the same volume and also negated my goal to make these a relatively quick bake.)

All that to say, some cracks are normal and totally fine! As long as you can (carefully) move your pavlovas and they have nice full interiors, do not stress about them.

Oven temperature: If, however, you notice your pavlovas forming big cracks during the first 10 minutes of baking, it’s likely your oven temperature is too high. Try preheating your oven 15-20F cooler next time. Conversely, if your pavlovas still feel soft/rubbery after the 30 minute bake, your oven temperature probably runs low or your oven is losing too much heat when you load the pavlovas. I always recommend using an oven thermometer to ensure you’re baking at the proper temperature. Keeping a baking steel or stone on the shelf below the pavlovas can also keep the overall temperature more consistent throughout the bake. For reference, my oven recovers pretty quickly to 310F when I load my pavlovas, and drops to about 220F by the end of the 30 minute bake.

Mini Cocoa Pavlovas with Sour Cream Whip

Makes six 3” pavlovas