A little time consuming, but super simple and using ingredients you likely have on hand already … let’s make Pavlova!
Once I get a random thought in my head, it’s hard to shake. I don’t know that I’ve ever given pavlova much thought, but a friend posted a picture of a pavlova she made last week, and all the sudden I couldn’t get it out of my head. With a reasonably chill weekend before our holiday break ended, a lazy Sunday at home proved to be the perfect time to make it.
Pavlova has Australian and New Zealand origins and got its name after Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova. It dates back to the early 1900s. The recipe my friend used was from The Home Cook’s Kitchen, and I used that one as well. It uses typical pantry ingredients and is very quick to make. The only hard part is keeping it in the oven without peeking for three hours! Ok, I admit I may have peeked once. I’m only human after all.
Mine didn’t have a natural indent in the top, but that is likely due to how I shaped it before popping it into the oven. Once it was time to pull it out, I sliced up some fresh strawberries and served them alongside pieces of the pavlova. A light crispy meringue shell, gooey sticky marshmallow cream center, and sweet ripe strawberries … it was a perfect sweet finish to our weekend.
Best Pavlova Recipe
Recipe from The Home Cook’s Kitchen
- 6 egg whites at room temperature
- 1-1/2 cups granulated/caster sugar
- pinch salt
- 3 tsp cornflour/cornstarch (I used cornstarch)
- 1 tsp white vinegar
- 1 tsp vanilla essence
- 1 cup cream for whipping (I skipped)
- strawberries or other fresh berries for serving
Directions
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Preheat oven to 300F/150C
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Get some paper towel, and soak it in in a little white vinegar. Wipe out your bowl and whisk with the vinegar.
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Whisk together the egg whites and salt until stiff peaks form.
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Gradually add sugar, 1/4 of a cup at a time and whisk after each addition for about 1 minute. Whisk until sugar has dissolved. To test to see if it’s dissolved, gently rub a little bit of the meringue mixture between your fingers. If it’s grainy, keep whisking.
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After the last of the sugar has been added, whisk on high for 3 minutes. The mixture should be very thick and glossy.
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Combine the cornflour/cornstarch, vinegar and vanilla essence in a very small bowl.
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Add to the meringue mixture and whisk until just combined.
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Line a 12″ round pizza tray with a piece of baking paper/parchment paper cut into a circle.
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Start scooping out the meringue mixture, forming a circle roughly 8-9″ in diameter.
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Use a spatula, to gently start shaping your pavlova. Start at the bottom and gently make nice neat lines moving toward the top of the pavlova (see image).
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Reduce oven temperature to 250F/120C and place pavlova in the oven on the middle shelf.
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Cook for 1 hour to 1 hour and 15 minutes. Turn on oven light to see the pavlova. The pavlova should be lightly browned. If you to, quickly open the oven door and touch the pavlova. It should be dry to the touch.
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Turn off the oven, and leave the pavlova in the oven with the door closed for 3 hours until the pavlova is cooled down.
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To serve, whip the cream, and gently spoon into the centre of the pavlova. Top with fresh berries.
