When planning food for a pre wedding event (think engagement party or kitchen tea), there is no doubt that ‘mini’ desserts are always a winner! Add chocolate and you’ll have guests raving about the sweets for days to come!
These mini chocolate pavlovas are easy to make and will look gorgeous spread out on platters with self serve cream and strawberries. You can add limitless combinations to your serving plates, for example berry coulis, chocolate shavings or mango pieces – the sky is the limit! You can even make different flavoured pavlovas! Round up some lovely rustic serving boards, get out your mixing bowl and you’ll be serving up these beautiful desserts in no time.
What you’ll need:
- Mixing bowl/spatula/baking tray/cooling rack/baking paper
- Egg beaters
- Ingredients (see below)
- Serving platters
- Toppings and decorations for platter (I used cream, strawberries, new mint leaves and flower petals)
Ingredients:
- 3 egg whites
- pinch salt
- 3/4 cup caster sugar
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tbsp cornflour
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- chosen flavouring (eg cocoa)
What to do:
Step 1. Preheat oven to 160 degrees. Beat egg whites and salt until soft peaks form. Add caster sugar slowly, beating well between additions and making sure the sugar is completely dissolved.
Step 2. Mix together cornflour and granulated sugar in a seperate bowl. Pour lemon juice and cornflour mix into beaten egg whites and fold in completely.
Step 3. Add your chosen flavouring to the pavlova mix. I used 2 tablespoons of raw cacao power, and mixed it in roughly (being careful not to deflate the meringue), so as to leave some texture on the finished pavlovas.
Step 4. Use a spoon to roughly lay out mini pavlovas on a baking tray. Make sure the tray is lined, and if you want to make it a little easier for guests to place toppings on their dessert, use your spoon to gently press a little dent in the top of the meringues. Place into your pre-heated oven.
Step 5. While the meringues are cooking, lay out your serving platter (I simply used brown paper – not so good for handing around, but perfect for a dessert table!) with decorations. Mini violets, flower petals and herbs make a gorgeous plate. Cook the meringues for approximately 30 minutes, or until light and dry, and lay them out to cool.
Step 6. Once the meringues are cool, place them on your serving platters with your toppings. Be creative in how you display your mini pavlovas, there are limitless options! Have a rummage around your kitchen cupboards (or a friends’ kitchen cupboards, or even the op shops!) for pretty serving options. And make sure you keep one (or three!) for yourself, they’re sure to go quickly!
Ms Chinoiserie Says: Oh, so yummy and pretty. Such a lovely idea for garden party weddings; imagine them topped with fresh raspberries dusted with icing sugar!
About Nicola Goring – I’m Nicola, the florist and crafter behind rubyandjoy. I’m a gardening, fabric loving, mint tea drinking, brownie baking, book obsessed maker! I love a good adventure having just moved back from five years in Scotland (with my lovely Scottish husband).
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