This pavlova recipe is not only SUPER simple and straightforward to make, but it looks impressive, tastes AMAZING, and is perfect for socially distanced events where you need to make individual desserts. They are easily customizable, and really end up showcasing the fruit you put on top of the fresh whipped cream. I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I do!
If you don’t know what pavlovas are, they’re essentially baked meringue with freshly whipped heavy cream, and fruit. They are EXTREMELY popular on the “Great British Bake Off” show. If you’re a fan of the show, you’ve definitely seen a pavlova or two while watching. The fun thing about making pavlovas is how customizable they are. I like to keep the meringue completely standard and add extra flavoring to that, but the whipped cream can be easy to vary, and of course, fruit can be varied as well. Overall, it’s just SO much fun to think of combinations. For this recipe, however, I decided to keep it simple.
Ingredients for my Pavlova Recipe
The ingredients to make the meringue base of my pavlova recipe are standard. As I said earlier, I don’t love switching up the base of the pavlova when it comes to flavors or colors, so this recipe is pretty simple!
All you need to make the pavlova base are eggs, granulated sugar, cream of tartar, cornstarch, and lemon juice. They are very easy ingredients!
For topping the pavlova, you can get creative! I kept it pretty simple and topped the pavlova with freshly whipped cream, fresh raspberries, and mint. You could, however, fill it and top it with any creative combination you’d like! Lemon curd is a popular filling, and berries are usually the most common topping. But really, once the base is made, the rest is pretty customizable.
Making the Meringue and Pavlova Bases
Making the meringue is pretty simple! The first step is to carefully separate the eggs, which can be daunting. If you want more information about how to separate eggs, you can find it here, in my gluten free strawberry angel food cake recipe!
Once the eggs are separated, the next step is to just make the meringue (which can be found in the formally typed out recipe below). Here are my tips for making the meringue:
Start with the mixer on a lower speed, then as the cream of tartar makes the eggs thicker and more frothy, you can turn the speed up all the way.
DO NOT whip the cornstarch in, I prefer to fold it after using a silicone spatula.
Piping the Pavlova Bases
To pipe the bases of the pavlovas, I like to use a large piping bag with a round tip. Of course, the tip is optional, and if you’d like, you can just snip a hole at the tip of the piping bag.
To pipe them, start by piping a small to medium sized circle onto the parchment paper, then, circle around the border a few times to create a wall around the circle. This will be helpful when it comes to filling the pavlovas, as the whipped cream can go into the center. Before and after baking, they should look like this:
Then, it’s time to top your pavlovas with the filling and topping of your choice! Get creative with it!
Happy cooking everyone! here is the printable recipe if you’re interested!
Mini Raspberry Pavlovas
Ingredients
For the Meringue
- 9 eggs (separated, we just use the whites)
- 1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
- juice of 1/2 of a lemon
- 2 tbsp cornstarch
- 1/2 tsp cream of tartar
For the Toppings:
- Heavy cream or whipped cream
- fresh fruit (I used raspberries)
Instructions
- After separating your eggs, add them to the base bowl of a stand mixer with the cream of tartar. Whip on a medium or low speed until frothy, and then increase the speed to high. Once the egg whites become more opaque, add the sugar about 1/4 cup at a time while the stand mixer is still whipping. Add the lemon juice after all the sugar has been added.
- Turn the stand mixer off when the mixture is glossy and formed stiff peaks. Then, add the cornstarch and fold it into the meringue using a silicone spatula.
- Add the meringue into a piping bag with either a round tip or the tip of the bag cut off. Pipe 2 inch circles onto the sheets of parchment in baking sheets, then build up the border around the circles by adding a couple of layers of meringue.
- Bake at 250 for around 60 minutes, or until lightly browned and crispy. Then, let cool and dry out on the counter for about 2 hours.
- After the pavlova bases have cooled, add your toppings! I added fresh whipped cream into the base, and topped with fresh raspberries and mint.