This is pure, sweet indulgence. I’m warning you! This crisp and gooey meringue topped with hot caramelly bananas and whipped cream is made in our house when we all feel down and need cheering up. It’s the only dessert I have coffee with – a dark strong one to cut through the sweetness.
Gooey and decadent pavlova with butterscotch bananas
You’ll need
- 6 large egg whites
- 300g caster sugar
- 50g cocoa powder, sifted
- 1 tsp balsamic vinegar
- 300g soft, dark brown sugar
- 100g butter
- 800ml double cream
- 2-3 bananas – preferably hard ones vs ripened
To make it
- Preheat the oven to 180C.
- Line a baking tray with greaseproof paper and draw 25cm circle. I usually just use a cake tin or a dinner plate.
- Whisk the egg whites til soft peaks form.
- Add the caster sugar one spoonful at a time until you get a stiff and shiny mixture.
- Fold in the sifted cocoa powder and vinegar.
- Pile the mixture onto the baking tray using your circle as a guide.
- Place in the middle of the oven, turn the oven down to 150C and bake for about an hour. It should be crisp around the edges and top but feel a little squishy when you push it. When it reaches this stage, turn the oven off, open the oven door and leave it to cool. If it goes slightly over, cool it out of the oven.
- To make the butterscotch sauce, stir and simmer the sugar, butter and 300ml of the double cream over a low heat until the sugar has dissolved.
- Simmer for another 3 minutes without stirring to thicken the sauce. Leave this to cool while you whip the rest of the cream.
- Once the sauce is cool – it should still be runny – slice in the bananas and stir gently til they are evenly coated.
- To assemble the pavlova, spoon and smooth out the cream over the meringue base and then dollop on the bananas. You will have some sauce leftover for extra drizzling!
Serve immediately or it will go soggy!