Peppermint Mocha Pavlova – What better way to celebrate the holiday season than with a beautiful and festive dessert? Chocolate mocha meringue is topped with plenty of whipped cream and crushed candy canes for a minty crunch. It’s like the seasonal coffee favourite in delicious dessert form!
Do you ever get an idea in your head and you just need to act on said idea? Happens to me all the time, especially when it comes to food recipes. I’ll get some random inspiration, and then suddenly I crave this thing so bad – even if I’ve never had something like it before – and then I absolutely have to make it.
That’s what happened with this. I don’t even remember where the inspiration for this came from, I just know that all of a sudden I wanted pavlova and I wanted it to taste like a peppermint mocha coffee. The more whipped cream the better!
Now, I have to admit, I hemmed and hawed a bit before making this because Joel isn’t too big on pavlova for some reason. Which is fine because that means more deliciousness for me… but also not fine because I’m sure my waistline would appreciate less treats and more spinach or something.
It all worked out in the end though; I had some family coming over for dinner so I decided that was the perfect day to make this fabulous dessert so that I could share it with them! You guys, this is a beautiful dessert to serve to people. It just looks super special in my opinion; as soon as your guests view this they are sure to drool in admiration! It sure impressed my family which always makes me happy!
If you are a fan of peppermint mocha drinks, then you are absolutely going to go crazy for this peppermint mocha pavlova! It has all the classic flavours of the festive drink – chocolate, coffee, peppermint and of course plenty of whipped cream! (You can’t have a peppermint mocha without whipped cream, it’s just not the same.)
The mocha flavoured pavlova combined with the sweet whipped cream and candy cane topping is the perfect festive dessert. The meringue is perfectly crisp on the outside, yet soft and pillowy within. It’s light and airy, so unlike a lot of holiday treats around this time you don’t feel so heavy after eating this! Who doesn’t love a dessert that just melts in your mouth?!
A few tips for making pavlova:
- Make sure your whisking bowl is completely clean and try. I suggest a metal or glass bowl which works best for making meringue as fatty oils or grease can remain even on cleaned plastic bowls.
- You want your egg whites to be at room temperature as cold eggs don’t whisk as well to get the volume you want.
- Also ensure that absolutely no trace of egg yolks get mixed in with the egg whites!
- Caster sugar works best. If you do not have any, you can put some granulated sugar through the food processor or in a coffee grinder to make it a bit more finely ground.
- Whisk in the sugar one tablespoon at a time.
- Don’t forget to reduce the oven temperature once you put the pavlova in.
- Cool the pavlova in the oven, so that it crisps up nicely on the outside. You will want to make this pavlova when you know your oven can safely be out of commission for a bit under an hour after its finished baking.
A few other little tips – I actually used a carton of egg whites for this to make things easier. Yup, it totally worked! However, I have heard that this doesn’t work for all carton egg whites so be sure to read the packaging. Mine were pasteurized and actually said on them that they can be used for any kind of recipe, and even could be consumed raw.
I actually wouldn’t suggest adding any peppermint extract to this at all. My original plan had actually been to include some in the whipped cream and I forgot… but once I had that first bite I realized that the candy cane topping added plenty of fresh minty flavour all on its own!
The total time to make this seems long but it’s really only about 20 minutes of prep time – the rest is baking cooling time. And while making a pavlova may seem a bit complicated, trust me it is all not that hard. Plus if your pavlova does crack or collapse in the center…well, it’s just getting covered up by whipping cream anyways, so really, who cares?
If you’re looking for a show-stopping festive dessert for your holiday celebrations, this is it!
If you try this recipe for peppermint mocha pavlova please let me know! Leave a comment, rate it, post on the Zest & Simmer Facebook page or share photos on Instagram using the hashtag #zestandsimmer. I’d love to see it and I always love hearing from you guys!
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Peppermint Mocha Pavlova
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cup caster sugar/super fine sugar
- 2 tsp finely ground instant coffee
- 2 tsp unsweetened cocoa powder
- 4 egg whites
- 2 tsp corn starch
- 1 tsp white vinegar
- 1 cup heavy cream (35%)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tbsp icing sugar
- 1/4 cup crushed candy canes
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and draw a 9-inch circle on it.
- Mix together the sugar, coffee and cocoa and set aside.
- In a metal or glass mixing bowl (make sure it is completely clean and dried) beat the egg whites with an electric hand mixer or stand mixer until you can form soft peaks. Keep beating and add the sugar/coffee/cocoa mixture one tablespoon at a time.
- When mixture is glossy, firm, and forms stiff peaks fold in the cornstarch and vinegar.
- Dollop the pavlova mixture in the middle of the circle on the baking sheet, smoothing to the edges and so that it is flat on top.
- Place pavlova in the hot oven. Immediately reduce heat to 300°F. Bake for 1 hour, turn off the oven, crack open the oven door slightly and allow to cool for 45 minutes.
- While pavlova is cooling, in a large cold bowl (I place mine in the freezer for 10 minutes prior to starting this), whip cream until stiff peaks are just beginning to form. Beat in the vanilla and icing sugar until peaks do form.
- Once pavlova has cooled, spread whipped cream over top. Sprinkle crushed candy canes over top. Serve and enjoy!
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