Chocolate Raspberry Pavlova - Mom's Birthday Cake

Last week, we celebrated my mother's birthday. I immediately knew what I was going to make for her birthday cake. I had seen the recipe for this Raspberry Chocolate Pavlova a few months back and had anxiously been waiting for the perfect opportunity to create this elegant dessert.

The mounds of freshly whipped cream and piles of ripe raspberries, that look like sweet jewels, make for a beautiful presentation and can compete any day with a traditionally frosted and decorated birthday cake.

The chocolate meringue base has a light, crunchy shell but the inside consistency is more like a marriage of brownie and meringue textures. The use of chocolate in this pavlova works very well with the flavors and tartness of the raspberries. The fresh whipped cream adds to the overall lightness of the dessert and anything is better with freshly whipped cream!
 
The only changes I made to the recipe was the addition of vanilla bean and a little sugar to the whipped cream. It looks like an intimidating recipe, but it really is rather simple and just takes a little time.
 
Happy Birthday Mom!
 

The July Family Birthdays - My Mom & Nephew