Gluten Free Daring Bakers Chocolate Pavlovas with Chocolate Mascarpone Mousse Recipe

I’ve been skulking around Daring Bakers Challenges for quite some time now. Watching and drooling over creations made by these people.  Always a spectator, never a participant.

Well, I do not like to live my life as a spectator; I prefer a full on charge at life. It is messier, dirtier and sometimes painful but always more rewarding than watching life from the sidelines.

So I jumped in and joined. Imagine my surprise when my first challenge was a naturally gluten-free dessert! It felt almost like it must be destiny.

This month’s Daring Bakers Challenge was hosted by Dawn Nyman of Doable and Delicious and is based on a recipe from Chocolate Epiphany by Francois Payard and is called Chocolate Pavlovas with Chocolate Mascarpone Mousse.

Pavlovas are naturally gluten-free and what I consider a staple in my gluten-free dessert repertoire. I am always happy to add to that repertoire.

Despite a crazy, hectic weekend with all odds against me, I did the challenge! Being a newbie to these challenges (and unsure if there are Daring Bakers police out there who will bust me) I pretty much stayed with the recipe with the exception of skipping making the mascarpone cream since I was literally out of time.  I just melted some homemade vanilla ice-cream (which is basically a frozen crème anglaise) and used that as the sauce which I pooled in little plates and topped with the pavlovas. (And don’t tell anyone, that will be our little secret, ok?)

The result? Very pretty. Very Rich. And very, very chocolaty. My resident chocolaholic g-kid Miss Milla gave this review:

“I love the sauce, it tastes like melted ice cream {me – blushing} and it goes really great with the chocolate marshmallow thing stuffed with that really rich chocolate. Delish!”

It is worth noting that Miss Milla can wolf down chocolate like nobody’s business but she could only finish half at one sitting.

5 from 1 vote

Print Recipe

Gluten Free Daring Bakers Chocolate Pavlovas with Chocolate Mascarpone Mousse Recipe

Prep Time15 mins

Cook Time4 hrs

Chill time4 hrs

Total Time4 hrs 15 mins

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Russian

Servings: 6 servings

Calories: 970kcal

Author: Gluten Free & More

Ingredients

Chocolate Meringue (for the chocolate Pavlova)

• ▢ 3 large egg whites
• ▢ ½ cup plus 1 tbsp white granulated sugar
• ▢ ¼ cup confectioner’s (icing) sugar
• ▢ 1/3 cup cocoa powder

Chocolate Mascarpone Mousse (for the top of the Pavlova base)

• ▢ 1 ½ cups heavy cream (cream with a milk fat content of between 36 and 40 percent)
• ▢ grated zest of 1 average sized lemon
• ▢ 9 ounces 72% chocolate, chopped
• ▢ 1 2/3 cups mascarpone
• ▢ pinch of nutmeg
• ▢ 2 tbsp Grand Marnier (or orange juice)

Mascarpone Cream (for drizzling)

• ▢ 1 recipe crème anglaise
• ▢ ½ cup mascarpone
• ▢ 2 tbsp Sambucca (optional)
• ▢ ½ cup heavy cream

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Chocolate Meringue (for the chocolate Pavlova)

• ▢
  Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 200º F (95º C) degrees. Line two baking sheets with silpat or parchment and set aside.
• ▢
  Put the egg whites in a bowl and whip until soft peaks form. Increase speed to high and gradually add granulated sugar about 1 tbsp at a time until stiff peaks form. (The whites should be firm but moist.)
• ▢
  Sift the confectioner’s sugar and cocoa powder over the egg whites and fold the dry ingredients into the white. (This looks like it will not happen. Fold gently and it will eventually come together.)
• ▢
  Fill a pastry bag with the meringue. Pipe the meringue into whatever shapes you desire. Alternatively, you could just free form your shapes and level them a bit with the back of a spoon.
• ▢
  Bake for 2-3 hours until the meringues become dry and crisp. Cool and store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Chocolate Mascarpone Mousse (for the top of the Pavlova base)

• ▢
  Put ½ cup (120 mls) of the heavy cream and the lemon zest in a saucepan over medium high heat. Once warm, add the chocolate and whisk until melted and smooth. Transfer the mixture to a bowl and let sit at room temperature until cool.
• ▢
  Place the mascarpone, the remaining cup of cream and nutmeg in a bowl. Whip on low for a minute until the mascarpone is loose. Add the Grand Marnier and whip on medium speed until it holds soft peaks. (DO NOT OVERBEAT AS THE MASCARPONE WILL BREAK.)
• ▢
  Mix about ¼ of the mascarpone mixture into the chocolate to lighten. Fold in the remaining mascarpone until well incorporated. Fill a pastry bag with the mousse. Again, you could just free form mousse on top of the pavlovas.

Mascarpone Cream (for drizzling)

• ▢
  Prepare the crème anglaise. Slowly whisk in the mascarpone and the Sambucca and let the mixture cool. Put the cream in a bowl and beat with electric mixer until very soft peaks are formed. Fold the cream into the mascarpone mixture.

Crème Anglaise (a component of the Mascarpone Cream above)

• ▢
  In a bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and sugar until the mixture turns pale yellow.
• ▢
  Combine the milk, cream and vanilla in a saucepan over medium high heat, bringing the mixture to a boil. Take off the heat.
• ▢
  Pour about ½ cup of the hot liquid into the yolk mixture, whisking constantly to keep from making scrambled eggs. Pour the yolk mixture into the pan with the remaining cream mixture and put the heat back on medium. Stir constantly with a wooden spoon until the mixture thickens enough to lightly coat the back of a wooden spoon. DO NOT OVERCOOK.
• ▢
  Remove the mixture from the heat and strain it through a fine mesh sieve into a bowl. Cover and refrigerate until the mixture is thoroughly chilled, about 2 hours or overnight.
• ▢
  Assembly:
• ▢
  Pipe the gluten free mousse onto the pavlovas and drizzle with the mascarpone cream over the top. Dust with confectioner’s sugar and fresh fruit if desired.

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts

Gluten Free Daring Bakers Chocolate Pavlovas with Chocolate Mascarpone Mousse Recipe

Amount Per Serving

Calories 970 Calories from Fat 684

% Daily Value*

Fat 76g117%

Saturated Fat 47g235%

Cholesterol 196mg65%

Sodium 130mg5%

Potassium 156mg4%

Carbohydrates 59g20%

Fiber 2g8%

Sugar 50g56%

Protein 11g22%

Vitamin A 2400IU48%

Vitamin C 0.6mg1%

Calcium 221mg22%

Iron 1.2mg7%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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