Hi Ruth, thank you. Hi The chocolate isn’t replacing the cornflour or vinegar. I tested these without either one added to the meringue and still got the crisp outside and soft marshmallow-like center I wanted. In this recipe the texture comes from the high proportion of sugar to egg white, the low oven temperature and letting the pavlovas cool completely in the turned-off oven. Some pavlova recipes use cornflour and vinegar to help with texture and stability, but I found I didn’t need them for this one. The lemon or vinegar I mention in the recipe is only for wiping down the bowl and whisk before whipping the egg whites. Hope that helps, and thank you so much for following along all these years.