Pavlova
Crisp-shelled, marshmallow-centred meringue piled with cream, passionfruit, kiwi and strawberries, the Australian and New Zealand summer dessert
Australians and New Zealanders have argued for a century over who invented pavlova, named after the Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova after her tours of both countries in the 1920s; both make it for Christmas lunch in the height of summer. A good pav has a thin, crisp shell that cracks under the knife and a soft, marshmallowy centre, piled with whipped cream and the sharp fruit of the season, above all passionfruit, kiwifruit and strawberries. Chef's tip: add the sugar one spoon at a time and keep whisking until you can't feel any grains when you rub a little meringue between your fingers.
- Total time
- 115 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 8
Ingredients
For the meringue
- 4 egg whitesat room temperature
- 1 pinch salt
- 8 oz caster sugar
- 2 tsp cornflour (cornstarch)
- 1 tsp white vinegar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
For the topping
- 1 ¼ cups double or whipping creamcold
- 1 tbsp icing sugar
- 9 oz strawberrieshalved
- 2 kiwifruitpeeled and sliced
- 3 passionfruitpulp scooped out
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Method
0/8 doneStep 1: Heat the oven to 300°F (275°F fan). Draw a 20 cm circle on baking paper, turn it over and lay it on a flat tray.
Step 2: Wipe a large glass or metal bowl and the whisk with a little lemon juice or vinegar on kitchen paper. Even a trace of grease or yolk stops whites whipping. Whisk 4 egg whites with 1 pinch salt on medium speed until they form soft, floppy peaks.
3 minStep 3: Turn the mixer to high and add 8 oz caster sugar one tablespoon at a time, waiting about 20 seconds between spoons. Keep whisking for 8–10 minutes in all, until the meringue is stiff, glossy and holds a peak that stands straight up. A common mistake is adding the sugar too fast: it doesn't dissolve, and the pavlova weeps sticky syrup.
10 minStep 4: Sprinkle over 2 tsp cornflour (cornstarch), 1 tsp white vinegar and 1 tsp vanilla extract and fold in gently with a large metal spoon, just until mixed.
1 minStep 5: Spoon the meringue inside the circle, building the sides a little higher than the middle and swirling the edges with the back of the spoon.
Step 6: Put it in the oven, immediately turn the heat down to 250°F (200°F fan) and bake for 1 hour 15 minutes, until the outside is dry and crisp and pale cream in colour. Don't open the door.
75 minStep 7: Turn the oven off and leave the pavlova inside with the door propped slightly open until completely cold, at least 2 hours. Cooling slowly stops it cracking badly and collapsing.
120 minStep 8: Just before serving, whip 1 ¼ cups double or whipping cream with 1 tbsp icing sugar to soft peaks. Pile it onto the pavlova and top with 9 oz strawberries, 2 kiwifruit and 3 passionfruit, letting the seeds and juice drip down. Serve within an hour; cream softens the shell.
5 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 300 kcal
- Protein
- 4 g
- Carbs
- 35 g
- Fat
- 17 g
- Fibre
- 3 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does pavlova take?
- About 115 minutes in total: 25 minutes to prepare and 90 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 8 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of caster sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
- What can I use instead of cornflour (cornstarch)?
- Arrowroot or potato starch, same amount.
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