Name: EASY! Strawberry Pavlova
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 60 min
Total time: 200 min
Ingredients: 4 large egg whites ( at room temperature); 1/8 teaspoon salt; 1 teaspoon vinegar or 1/4 cream of tarter; 200 g superfine sugar; 1 teaspoon corn starch (sifted); 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract or essence; 200 ml heavy cream; 80 g sugar; 10 to 15 strawberries (hulled and sliced); 2 tablespoon strawberry jam; 1 tablespoon hone

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If you like meringue desserts, then you will love this easy Strawberry Pavlova recipe, a delightful dessert to enjoy any time of year. Ingredients are simple and the method is effortless. When you have leftover egg whites, just try this Strawberry Pavlova recipe. I’m sure you’ll love it.

What is pavlova?

Pavlova, a very popular dessert in New Zealand and Australia is a meringue-based dessert with a slightly-crisp crust and soft and creamy in the center like a marshmallow, typically served with whipped cream and fresh fruits. Both Australia and New Zealand claim to have invented the pavlova and it was named after the Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova.

How to make Pavlova

You just need 5 ingredients to make pavlova; egg whites, sugar, an acid such as cream of tartar or vinegar, cornstarch, and vanilla extract (or vanilla essence). Adding a pinch of salt is optional.

Pavlova is made by slow-baking the mixture for about one hour in a low-temperature oven to create the meringue with a unique texture. As a result, the outside of the pavlova has a slightly chewy-crisp texture while the inside of the pavlova has a soft marshmallow-like texture.

The pavlova can be made ahead of time and stored in an airtight container for about two days (maybe more). You can just assemble it in less than 10 minutes.

Top the whipped cream and sliced strawberries on the meringue just before serving your pavlova otherwise, the meringue will quickly soften due to the moisture of the cream and fruit.

And, you can also make mini pavlovas instead of making one large one.

Topping suggestions

I used whipped cream, fresh strawberries, strawberry jam, and honey as the toppings. However, you can top your pavlova with your choice of fruits. So just feel free to experiment with cream, sauce, and fruits.

Here are some of the topping suggestions. Use another kind of cream such as flavored whipped cream, lemon curd, orange curd, Greek yogurt or flavored yogurt, and fruits like fresh berries, mango, kiwi, passion fruit, and oranges.

You can also experiment with chocolate sauce, fruit sauce, or your choice of sauce with or without cream and fruits.

Making Pavlova: Shaping the meringue — Making Pavlova: Shaping the Meringue

Tips for making the best Pavlova

Use large egg whites at room temperature as they ensure you get a good volume when beating. And aged eggs are considered the best for making meringues.

Keep your whites clean and free of yolk or other fat.

Make sure all bowls, hands, and utensils touching egg whites are clean.

Cold eggs are easier to separate. If you’re not confident in your egg-separating skills quite yet, separate them when cold, and then let them come to room temperature.

Make sure you have 2 small bowls. Break each egg separately into small bowls before adding the whites to the mixing bowl. This ensures that no shell or yolk gets in.

Whisk at a medium speed for a longer time as it creates smaller and more evenly-sized bubbles throughout the meringue which in turn makes the meringue more stable.

Whisk until the mixture is glossy and holds its shape. You should be able to hold the bowl upside-down without the egg whites falling.

Pipe the pavlovas as soon as the meringue is whipped. Do not let the meringue sit too long.

Assemble pavlova on a serving plate. Once you assemble the pavlova, it is too delicate to move around.

Add whipped cream and fruit just before serving. Otherwise, the moisture from the cream and fruit will make the meringue soft.

The inside of the pavlova has a soft marshmallow-like texture

EASY! HONEY LEMON DRIZZLE CAKE (THE BEST RECIPE) With sweet honey lemon syrup drizzled over top, this Honey Lemon Drizzle Cake is the perfect treat for honey & lemon lovers.

Strawberry Pavlova Step-by-Step Recipe

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Cooling Time: 2 hours
Total Time: 3 hours 20 minutes
Yield: 20 cm one large Pavlova

Ingredients

For the Meringue
4 large egg whites, at room temperature
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vinegar or 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
200 g superfine sugar
1 teaspoon corn starch, sifted
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract or essence

For the Whipped Cream
200 ml heavy cream
80 g sugar

For Topping
10 to 15 strawberries, hulled and sliced
2 tablespoon strawberry jam
1 tablespoon honey

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 130 C.　

Whisk together the sugar and cornstarch in a small bowl and set aside.

Coat a baking tray with cooking spray and line with parchment. Draw a 20 cm circle in the center of the parchment using a cake pan or bowl. Flip the paper so the pencil side is down. Set aside until ready to use.

Make the meringue

Add the egg whites to a very clean large glass bowl.　

Using a hand-held electric mixer, beat the egg whites with salt on medium-high speed until soft peaks start to form, for about 2 minutes. Add the vinegar (or 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar) and whisk for 1 minute to combine.

Add the cornstarch-sugar mixture in 4 to 5 additions, about 1 tablespoon at a time, to the egg whites, beating the mixture in between each addition. This will take about 5 minutes.

Add the vanilla and beat until well incorporated. Continue beating until stiff peaks form, about 1 minute more. You should be able to hold the bowl upside-down without the egg whites falling.

shape the meringue

Pile the meringue in the center of the circle drawn on the parchment. Use the back of a spoon to spread it into a round about 5 cm high around the edge and then create a little dip in the top.

Use an offset spatula and the back of the spoon to shape the meringue.

Put the meringue in the oven, and reduce the heat to 100 C. Bake for about 1 hour until slightly crisp, dry, and slightly tan on the outside.

Turn off the oven but leave the pavlova in the inside of the oven to cool for about 2 hours. Open the oven door slightly with the help of a spoon or something like that to help the warm air to escape.

Make whipped cream

Before serving, prepare the whipped cream by whisking the heavy cream and sugar until stiff peaks form.

Continue to whisk until stiff peaks form.

Prepare the strawberries

Wash the strawberries and then pat them dry with paper towels, making sure to absorb as much water as possible.

Remove the hull and slice the strawberries. I cut a few of them into halves.

Assemble

Carefully peel off the parchment and place the pavlovas on a serving platter or cake board. Spread the whipped cream on the meringue. Arrange the strawberries on the whipped cream as you like.

Mix the jam and honey in a small bowl. Drizzle it over Pavlova as you like.

Your Pavlova is ready to serve!

Serve & Enjoy!

Strawberry Pavlova Recipe

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