No Cornflour In Chocolate Pavlova

Our answer

Meringues that are used for pavlovas usually have a crisp crust and a soft, marshmallowy centre, rather than being a crisp meringue shell. This is usually achieved by the addition of an acid, such as vinegar, and cornflour (cornstarch). These two ingredients help to stabilise the whisked egg whites and prevent them from completely drying out in the oven. A shorter cooking time at a slightly higher temperature than for a traditional meringue also contributes to the texture of the pavlova base.

Nigella's Chocolate Raspberry Pavlova (from NIGELLA SUMMER) contains an acid in the form of balsamic vinegar but it does not include cornflour as cocoa powder is added to the meringue mixture. The cocoa powder acts in a similar way to the cornflour, hence the cornflour is not needed. We would not particularly recommend adding cornflour as well as cocoa powder as an excess amount can cause the meringue to become "chewy" rather than soft.