It’s Easter, and although I don’t celebrate it many of my close friends and family do. And therefor I baked a very suited cake 😉 A twice baked (yes twice baked! But not dry very chewy and yummy!) brownie with a chocolate pavlova meringue and a sour and sweet passion fruit curd. It’s absolutely mouthwatering and with the dark chocolate brownie and the sweet meringue and the sour notes of the passion fruit it’s the perfect combination of flavors and marry so well together!

So enough about how amazing it is, here’s the recipe on how you make it!

INGREDIENTS:

Brownie Base –

• • 150 g unsalted butter, cut into large pieces
• • 6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
• • 1 1/2 cups sugar
• • 3 large eggs
• • 1/4 cup unsweetened dark cocoa powder
• • 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
• • 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, sifted

Chocolate Pavlova Meringue –

• 3 large egg whites

• 1/4 teaspoon corn starch (maizena)

• 150 g sugar

• 75 g dark 70% chocolate (you can use 50% chocolate , just go with your taste 😉 ), melted and cooled slightly

Passion Fruit Curd –

• 6-7 passion fruits
• Juice from 2 lemons
• 120 g sugar
• 50 g butter
• 1 tbsp corn starch (maizena)
• 2 eggs
• 2 egg yolks

METHOD:

1. Preheat oven to 175 degrees. Line 2 6-inch round baking pan with parchment paper, leaving a slight overhang on all sides. Melt butter and chocolate in a double boiler or a heatproof bowl set over a pot of simmering water, stirring until smooth. Remove from heat, and whisk in sugar. Whisk in eggs, one at a time, until combined. Whisk in cocoa and salt. Fold in flour until combined.
2. Pour batter into 2 round 6 inch pans. Set in the fridge until stiff, roughly 20 min. Then bake for 20-25 min until set and a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out with moist crumbs. Let cool completely, placing it in the fridge will help speed things up, and taste just as amazing! While cooling, make your hazelnut pavlova meringue base.

Chocolate Pavlova Meringue :

When the brownie has been in the oven for 15 minutes, start on the meringue

Melt the chocolate in the microwave in 30 second increments, stirring well between each. Set aside.

In a stand mixer (or a handheld)on high, with the whisk attachment, beat the egg whites to soft peak stage. About 5 minutes.

Sift over the cream of tartar and beat through.

While still beating on high, add the sugar a little at a time until the egg whites are thick and glossy and at stiff peak stage. Once all the sugar is incorporated, test the mixture by rubbing a little between your finger and thumb. It should be smooth. If it is still grainy, keep beating until it is smooth when you test it.

Pour the melted chocolate over the top and just fold through carefully twice, no more.

Once the brownie has been cooking for 25 minutes, spoon the meringue over the top and level out with a spatula or spoon.

Bake for another 30 minutes then turn the oven off. Leave the brownie cake in the oven, with the door closed, for another 20 minutes.

After 20 minutes, remove it from the oven and allow it cool to room temperature before removing the outer ring of the baking tin. Allow it cool completely (another hour or so) before trying to move it onto a cake stand or it will break apart.

Passion Fruit Curd :

1. Slice the passion fruits and take out the insides, pour them into a saucepan along with the sugar, lemon juice and butter.
2. Turn the heat on medium to high (my highest is 9, so I had mine on 7). Whisk and take off the the heat when it starts bubbling. In small cup or bowl, take two tablespoons of the passion fruit mix and add in the corn star to and whisk until its fully mixed. In a small bowl whisk together the egg yolks and eggs and set aside until ready to use.
3. Take the passion fruit mix off the heat and pour through a sieve into a separate clean bowl. Pour in the corn start heat mixture and whisk until combined, then add in the mixed eggs.
4. Whisk altogether, and pour back into the saucepan. Bring the temperature to medium heat and keep whisking until it thickens up. (The way to check if it’s ready is take a wooden spoon and dip it into the curd, if it’s ready when you take the spoon out and run your finger along the back and it doesn’t run down fast, you know it’s ready!)
5. Once thickened, pour into a clean bowl and press plastic wrap or cling film ontop, and leave in the fridge to cool completely.

Assembly:

1. Pour the passion fruit curd ontop of the merengue layer of the cake and decorate (if you want) with the passion fruit pearls.

And Enjoy!