Blackberry & Lavender Chocolate Pavlova Recipe (video)
The perfect springtime dessert: crispy and gooey chocolate pavlova topped with the most incredible lavender whipped cream and loads of fresh blackberries. The unique flavor combination in this pavlova cake recipe is amazing! Every bite simply melts in your mouth, taking you to dessert heaven! You’ll fall in love with the lavender frosting combined with the blackberries from the first bite. It’s a light, fluffy, chocolatey and fruity dessert all in one!
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Tips For Making a Perfect Pavlova
Make this chocolate pavlova successfully! Have you ever attempted to make meringue and it wouldn’t hold its shape at all! I’ve had this happen a few times and it can be so frustrating! The key to getting stiff and glossy peaks is using a super squeaky clean mixing bowl and whisk. Even the tiniest amount of grease or oil residue will cause the egg whites to go flat.
- Use a degreasing soap or white vinegar to rinse the bowl before using, then wipe it down with a clean kitchen towel.
- Add 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar to further help stabilize the egg whites.
Making the Lavender Whipped Cream
This delicate pavlova is topped with a fluffy lavender whipped cream, blackberries and garnished with mint leaves. To add the most lavender flavor, I use lavender oil. Make sure to use food safe, edible oil for this recipe! Here’s how to make it:
- In a small bowl, whisk the cream cheese or mascarpone until light and fluffy.
- Add the lavender oil and few drops of purple food color. Whisk again until creamy.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the chilled cream and sugar for a few minutes, until stiff peaks form. Add the cream cheese mixture and whisk again for about a minute, until stiff peaks form.
Assembling the Chocolate Pavlova
Since the chocolate pavlova base takes several hours to bake, I recommend splitting this cake recipe into a two-day project. Allow the meringue layer to cool completely, then place into a bag or an airtight container and keep at room temperature. Make the lavender cream and assemble the dessert when ready to serve so that they meringue stays crunchy. I made the lavender cream with cream cheese, but softened mascarpone will also work well! And make sure your lavender oil is okay for consumption. Get the one I use here: http://tatyanaseverydayfood.com/shop/
More Recipes!
Enjoyed this unique lavender dessert? Check out some of my other recipes you’re sure to enjoy!
- ‘Lavender Peach Cake’ – made with lavender cake layers, lavender buttercream and peach preserves.
- And, try my stacked pavlova cake with whipped cream – ‘Chocolate Pavlova with berries’!
- Lavender Blackberry Macarons – delicate lavender cookies with berry and lemon filling!
- Christmas Wreath Pavlova – a stunning and festive pavlova wreath topped with mascarpone whipped cream, raspberry sauce and fresh berries!
- Lavender Blackberry Mousse Cake – this delicious no-bake dessert is simply stunning!
- Berry Lemon Pavlova – Pure elegance! A classic pavlova recipe topped with lemon curd, berries and whipped cream!
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Supplies/Tools
Need some supplies to make this recipe? You can get them here (Amazon affiliate links):
- My classic KitchenAid stand mixer is a must for every kitchen!
- These nesting glass mixing bowls are great for food prep.
- I love these aluminum baking sheets – great for baking desserts and veggies.
Blackberry & Lavender Chocolate Pavlova Recipe (video)
Ingredients
For Chocolate Pavlova:
- 6 large egg whites
- 1 1/2 cups white granulated sugar
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
- 1/4 cup cocoa powder
For Lavender Cream:
- 4 oz mascarpone or cream cheese, softened
- 1/8 tsp lavender oil
- purple food color
- 1 cup heavy cream, chilled
- 1/3 cup white granulated sugar
- 3 cups fresh blackberries
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 225F/107C. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat. Clean mixer bowl and whisk attachment with degreasing dish soap and/or vinegar, to clean the bowl of any oil residue.
- Place the egg whites into clean mixing bowl and whisk on high speed for a few minutes, until soft peaks form. Combine the sugar and cornstarch, then slowly add to the egg whites. Once all the sugar is added, turn mixer to high speed and whisk for 7 to 9 minutes, until egg whites form stiff peaks and are glossy. Sift the cocoa powder over the meringue, then whisk for about 1 minute, just until incorporated.
- Transfer about 2 cups of the meringue into a pastry bag tipped with a star tip. Transfer the remaining meringue into the center of prepared pan. Use a spoon or spatula to form the pavlova – a tall, round disk. Pipe the remaining meringue onto the paper, forming meringue kisses.
- Bake the meringue in preheated oven for 2 hours. After 2 hours, turn the oven off but do not open the oven door! Allow the meringue to sit and cool gradually over 2 to 3 hours.
- Prepare the lavender cream. In a small bowl, whisk the cream cheese or mascarpone until light and fluffy. Add the lavender oil and few drops of purple food color. Whisk again until creamy. In a separate bowl, whisk together the chilled cream and sugar for a few minutes, until stiff peaks form. Add the cream cheese mixture and whisk again for about a minute, until stiff peaks form.
- Assemble the dessert when ready to serve. Spread half of the lavender cream on top of the chocolate pavlova, then add a layer of fresh blackberries. Top with remaining cream and garnish with more blackberries, meringue kisses and mint leaves.
This Pavlova looks absolutely amazing! Never tried this variation. Thank you for sharing!
I made this exactly as the recipe said and the inside of the main disk was massively underdone. The small “kisses” were good though. I cooked it at 225 for 2h then let it cool for 2.5h in the closed oven. I opened the oven to check it then left it for another hour to take care of some other chores. When I took the main disk off the silicon mat 1/2-2/3 of the bottom stuck on the mat as it was a barely cooked gooey mess. It tastes delicious and if it were just for me it might be fine but I can’t serve this to other people. I might try this recipe again but I’ll definitly have to fiddle with the baking time and temperature.
Oh, no! :(( I’m so sorry that the recipe didn’t work out well for you! I’m not even sure what could have gone wrong… Maybe it just needed to be baked for longer? Try baking at a lower temp like 215F.
Made this for the first time today and it turned out great!! I replaced the lavender oil with coconut extract and it gave the dessert a nice tropical twist! My large pavlova was slightly gooey inside, I think if you made it thinner this would firm it up inside. Thanks for the recipe!
Hi Jackie! I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe and I love the coconut idea! 🙂
Hi! I just recently found your website and am looking forward to trying your recipes! I am always the one designated to bring a regular and sugar free dessert to family holiday gatherings and was hoping to make your chocolate lavender blackberry pavlova dessert in both a sugar free version as well as your regular version here. My family is low carb/sugar free so I especially am hoping you can let me know how I can convert this beautiful dessert into sugar free since it looks low carb already. I’m also nervous about the baking time since others said theirs came out undercooked. I live in GA with lots of rain and humidity. How long should I bake it? How long should I keep it in the closed oven afterwards? So excited to make this! Also, is there a printable version of the recipe? Thank you!
Hi Sydney! I’m so glad you found my website! I personally haven’t made pavlova with a sugar replacement but I really like erythritol – it has only a very mild aftertaste and would probably work for this recipe. I think you should be just fine baking it at the same temperature for the same amount of time. Once it’s done, open the oven just a few inches and let it cool for at least an hour or 2; cooling it too quickly will cause the meringue to break. You can use the erythritol for the meringue and powdered erythritol for the cream. Hope everyone enjoys the dessert!! 🙂
Hi, I am so in love with this recipe! I am planning on making it for my mom this Sunday for Mother’s Day. I was designated to bring the cake. So I’m a little nervous. I want to be sure the cake will be done inside after baking for 2 hours. Is it possible to do a toothpick test after the two hours or do I need to definitely leave the oven door closed? thank you for all of your recipes. Hugs
Hi! This is a great recipe for Mother’s Day! I also have another pavlova coming out tomorrow! 🙂 Do not open the oven door!! The cold air will cause the meringue to crack. The meringue will be crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside, it won’t be solid and crunchy all the way through. Hope everyone enjoys it!