Pavlova is one of those magical desserts that everyone loves. I have been making this particular Pavlova recipe for many years now. I’ve cooked it for countless family gatherings, from Christmas to Australia Day and birthdays and it always goes down a treat. It’s probably the recipe I get asked for the most. I always get asked to “bring a pav” everywhere I go and there’s never any left.
This is a simple recipe with no fancy ingredients and not as difficult to make as it looks. That’s always a bonus!
There are lots of recipes for pavlova out there and they don’t vary much. Some use cornflour to make the mixture stable but I have never found it necessary. I do use vinegar in the recipe, which you might find strange. The vinegar is added as it helps to stabilise the whisked egg whites and helps the meringue mixture to hold the air whisked in to it. It also makes the pavlova not as sickly, which is great if you want more than one piece. I would probably still only recommend one serve though (a moment on the lips, a lifetime on the hips, and all that)
Tips To Get The Perfect Pavlova Every Time
There are a few tricks to getting there perfect pavlova every time. Firstly, make sure absolutely no egg yolk or shell gets into your bowl or the egg whites will never whip up. Likewise with any grease or fat in your bowl or on your mixing blades. The slightest amount of fat will ruin your mixture and you will have to start from scratch. Make sure you wash your bowl and mixing blades well with hot, soapy water or wipe them over with vinegar before use, even if they are clean.
Leave the pavlova in the oven after baking (with the oven turned off) to slow the cooling process and help avoid the cracks. Meringues may collapse for a couple of reasons. Older egg whites tend to not hold the air bubbles as well as fresher whites, which can cause them to collapse. If the pavlova is cooled too quickly it will also collapse.
Maximise your meringue volume by letting the whites come to room temperature before whipping. Eggs are easier to separate when they are cold, straight from the fridge, but whip up better at room temperature, so let them warm to room temperature before whipping.
If, after you’ve cooked your pavlova, you notice sugar syrup leaking from the bottom of the pavlova, you have used too much sugar. Cut down the amount of sugar next time. I tend not to like my pavlova too sweet so I generally don’t have this problem.
Nana’s Pavlova
Equipment
- Electric Mixer
- Measuring spoons and cups
- large bowl
- Baking Tray
Ingredients
Pavlova Shell
- 6 egg whites separated, at room temperature
- 1 ½ cups caster sugar
- 1 ½ tsp vinegar
- 1 ½ tsp vanilla essence
Chantilly Cream
- 250 ml thickened cream
- 2 tbsp caster sugar
- ¼ tsp vanilla essence
Sugared Blueberries
- 2-3 punnets fresh blueberries
- 1 egg white separated, at room temperature
- 1 cup caster sugar
Instructions
Pavlova Shell
- Preheat oven to a slow 160°C (150° Fan Forced)
- Separate the egg whites and put aside the egg yolks to use for another recipe. They can be used to make a beautiful Lemon Curd, which would be lovely in place of the cream on top of this pavlova. There's something special about Lemon Curd and Blueberries – a marriage made in heaven.
- Whip up the egg whites until soft peaks form, which hold there shape when you pull the mixing blades away.
- 1-2 tbsp at a time, add caster sugar, mixing thoroughly between each addition. You should mix it until you can barely feel any sugar when you take a bit and rub between your thumb and 1st finger. Then you will know it's time to add some more sugar. Continue adding sugar in this way until all sugar is mixed in.
- Add vanilla and vinegar and mix through well. At this point, if you would like to colour your pavlova, add a few drops of food colouring – pale pink always looks lovely.
- Scoop mixture onto a baking tray lined with baking paper. The key to a good pavlova shape is to scoop up the sides of the mixture and to leave a small indentation in the top of the pavlova to hold the filling. Always make the pavlova a little taller and a little skinnier that the end shape you want as it will spread just a little when cooking.
- Bake in a slow oven for 45 minutes. When time is up, turn off the oven, don't open the oven door and leave the pavlova in the oven until completely cool. I usually cook my pavlova at night and leave in the oven overnight to completely cool
- When cooled, decorate as desired.
Chantilly Cream
- In the bowl of your electric mixer, pour the cream, add the sugar and vanilla. Whip on medium speed until soft peaks form. Don't over-whip as the cream will curdle and you will need to start again. I usually slow down the mixer towards the end and stop and check the cream very often as it is starting to stiffen to ensure this doesn't happen.
- Pile the whipped Chantilly Cream on top of the pavlova and add blueberries on top. You can serve this with the plain blueberries, sugared blueberries (see below) or simply sprinkle icing sugar over them just before serving. This always looks pretty.
Sugared Blueberries (optional)
- Line a baking tray with baking paper.
- Whisk 1 egg white until just foamy.
- Brush the blueberries with the egg white, then roll them in caster sugar
- Place the blueberries on the baking paper to dry. Use them to decorate the pavlova.
Notes
Lemon Curd
If you’re like me, you won’t want to waste those egg yolks and my Lemon Curd recipe is the perfect way to use them up.
You might also like my Eggnog Cheesecake or my Raspberry and White Chocolate Cheesecake. There is some strong debating in our family over which of these cheesecakes is better. Maybe you could try them both and let me know in the comments below which is your favourite. Then I could tell hubby he was wrong – haha!
Eggnog Cheesecake
Let me know in the comments below if you tried this and don’t forget to tag me on Instagram (nana_in_your_pocket) and Facebook (@nanainyourpocket)
