Italian Chocolate Pavlova (Pavlova Stracciatella)

This luscious chocolate dessert combines a crispy, tender chocolate-chip meringue with a flurry of whipped cream and grated chocolate.

Pavlovas are now popular on restaurant menus and in home kitchens across the world. Italy is no exception. This favourite pavlova celebrates the Italian love for ‘stracciatella’, one of the country’s most popular ice cream flavours. ‘Stracciatella’ features a milky base of ice cream or gelato that’s flurried with grated dark chocolate. ‘Stracciatella’ was originally a clever trick to using less chocolate - once a rare luxury in Italy - and it allowed people to enjoy chocolate flavour for a fraction of the cost. It works incredibly well in a pavlova too. This recipe features chocolate throughout the meringue, the cream topping and extra grated on top for good measure. Even if you don’t like dark chocolate, you’d be surprised how much it settles down once it’s padded out by meringue and cream. Let’s go!