Christmas Pavlova Recipe

Christmas Pavlova topped by red berries and fruit.

5 from 11 votes

A wreath shaped crisp meringue with a marshmallow-soft centre is topped with whipped cream and seasonal fruits for a showstopping dessert. Add this Christmas Pavlova to your holiday baking list.

Prep Time30

Cook Time2

Total Time2 30

Course: Meringues & Pavlovas

Cuisine: Australian

Servings: slices

Calories: 278kcal

Author: Emma Duckworth

Equipment

Stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment
Baking Tray

Ingredients

Meringue

6 large egg whites room temperature
300 g caster sugar (superfine)
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice or white vinegar
1 teaspoon cornflour (corn starch)

Sweetened Whipped Cream

360 ml double cream (heavy cream)
30 g powdered icing sugar (confectioners’ sugar)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Decoration

100 g white chocolate (optional), melted
70 g fresh red currants
130 g fresh raspberries
100 g fresh figs, quartered
raspberry coulis (optional)

Metric - US Customary

Instructions

Make the Meringue

Prep the oven and trays. Heat your oven to 140°C (280°F). Line a baking tray with parchment paper and trace a circle 30cm (12in) in diameter. Then draw an inner circle 10cm (4in) in diameter. Use bowls as guides if necessary. Turn the parchment paper over so that the pen/pencil line is underneath.
Whisk the egg whites to a soft peak. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip your egg whites on medium-low speed for 3 minutes until they are soft peaks.
Add the sugar gradually. Turn the mixer up to low speed, and whilst whisking, add the caster sugar one spoonful at a time. (In between each spoon, whisk for 10 seconds before adding the next spoonful). Once all the sugar is added, continue whisking at high speed for 5 more minutes.
Add in lemon juice and cornflour and whip until glossy. Then add the lemon juice and cornflour and whisk for another 5 minutes. By now, the egg white mixture should be thick and glossy, and the sugar should be fully incorporated. If you rub a bit of mixture between your thumb and finger, there should be no grit as the sugar has fully blended; if there is, then continuing whipping for a couple more minutes.
Spoon meringue onto the tray and bake. Spoon the meringue mixture onto your prepared tray between the two pre-drawn circles. Shape the meringue with the back of a spoon and create a small indent for the cream to sit into.
Bake. Place the baking tray in the centre of the oven and immediately reduce the oven temperature to 110°C (230°F) and bake for 2 hours. Then turn the temperature off and leave it in the oven for a minimum of 2 hours (preferably overnight) to cool completely. Don't open the oven door!

Make the Sweetened Whipped Cream

Whip the cream. Add the cream, powdered icing sugar and vanilla extract into a bowl and whip until firm peaks

Assemble and Decorate

Brush on white chocolate (if using). With a pastry brush, very gently brush the melted chocolate over the top of the meringue and let it cool until hard.
Decorate. Spoon the whipped cream into the indents of the meringue wreath all the way around. Drizzle with raspberry coulis if using, and decorate with redcurrants, raspberries and figs.

Notes

To store: The meringue base can be made a couple of days beforehand and stored in an airtight container or wrapped several times in cling wrap. Don’t refrigerate. It can be left out at room temperature. Only decorate with your cream, coulis or fruit just before serving.

TIP 1: Use a dry, clean bowl to whip the meringue in.

TIP 2: Initially, whip egg whites on medium rather than high speed. This helps create more stability in the meringue.

Tip 3: Check oven temperature. Don't forget to turn the oven temperature down as soon as the meringue goes in.

TIP 4: Don't open the oven door whilst the pavlova bakes or cools.

Tip 5: Caster sugar is preferable to granulated sugar as it dissolves much quicker into the egg whites. To make your own caster sugar, place granulated sugar into the canister of a food processor, blender or spice grinder. (If using a large food processor, ensure enough sugar to cover the blades.) Then pulse a couple of times until the sugar resembles fine sand. Ensure that you don’t pulse too much otherwise, you’ll turn your sugar into confectioners’ sugar.

Nutrition