The smoothness of the meringue, the fluffiness of the homemade whipped cream, and the bright pop of color from the fresh fruit make the Pavlova a showstopping dessert.
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We took a short break from the blog to enjoy the new addition to our family. With our little girl being born, I thought it was the perfect time to make a Pavlova. Such an elegant, sweet and feminine dessert, it’s very fitting for a little princess. Traditionally, the Pavlova is left white, but I couldn’t help tinting the meringue a light pink.
This dessert can be intimidating, but if you follow the instructions and have some patience, you can master the Pavlova. It’s a great dessert to serve in the spring and summer because of how light and airy it is. Being less popular in America, you may not have had the chance to indulge in this treat, but hopefully, that changes when you make it for yourself. The meringue bakes long and at a low temperature resulting in a crispy-chewy shell with a marshmallowy inside, making the texture alone highly addicting. The meringue’s top holds the slightly sweetened whipped cream and the fresh fruit, so each bite of this dessert is almost like heaven.
Ingredients And Tools For The Pavlova
- Egg whites: Your base of the meringue. Use room temperature if possible; they tend to whip up faster into peaks.
- Superfine granulated sugar: I run regular granulated sugar through my food processor, and it works perfectly. You want the sugar molecules to be tiny as possible, so they completely dissolve into the egg whites. Any undissolved sugar will hold onto moisture, and your Pavlova may not bake to its signature crispy texture. The bottom will become almost soggy, causing the Pavlova to collapse.
- Vanilla: A quality vanilla is the only extract you should use. A pure, good-quality extract can make a huge difference in flavor. My favorite is Nielsen Massey.
- Cream of Tarter: This is an acidic ingredient used to stabilize the eggwhite and help keep its shape.
- Cornstarch: Just a teaspoon of cornstarch will help the inside of the Pavlova to remain creamy and marshmallowy.
- Salt: A little salt will help balance out all the sweet.
- Food coloring: I have tried many types of food coloring, and the brand AmeriColor soft gel food coloring has become my favorite. I love the squeeze bottle packaging, it keeps everything nice a clean. The colors are very pigmented and they do not water down your mixture.
- Cuisinart food processor: I use this baby all the time, from making cheesecakes to chopping herbs. This high-speed processor turns the sugar granules into a fine powder, perfect for the Pavlova.
- KitchenAid electric stand mixer: Whenever making anything that is tedious or delicate like a meringue, I always use my stand mixer. This provides an even controlled speed to properly add air to the meringue. Making the meringue takes time, so you can be doing other things while the stand mixer does all the work.
Making Your Pavlova
The process is a little tedious but totally doable. Each step is important and should be followed thoroughly; I have made enough Pavlovas and worked out all the kinks, getting the processes, flavor, and texture just right.
Start by processing the sugar into fine granules. This step, and how the sugar is added to the egg whites, are the two most essential steps ensuring your Pavlova will be successful. So get that sugar super fine, and the battle is half over.
In your electric stand mixer, add your room temperature whites. Mix on medium-low speed just until your eggwhites start to froth. This step is also important. The egg whites should still be liquidy, so when you add the sugar, it dissolves quickly.
Add your sugar slowly. While your mixer is running, add about a tablespoon of sugar at a time to your eggwhites. Wait a couple of seconds, then add your next tablespoon until all the sugar is incorporated. Sprinkle in your salt, turn your machine up to medium-high speed, and let the sugar and eggwhites do their thing.
Perfect Meringue
You have time while the meringue reaches the perfect consistency, so you can prep your baking sheet and preheat your oven to 350 F degrees. To keep a relatively round shape, I trace an 8-inch cake pan on the underside piece of parchment paper as a guide.
Once your meringue whips up to stiff, glossy peaks, turn off your stand mixer. To check to see if you have reached the proper consistency, turn your whisk attachment upside down and see if the meringue holds its shape. Also, rub a little mixture between your fingers to check for any grittiness left behind from the sugar. If you added the sugar at the right time, you should have very minimal, if any, graininess. As I mentioned, the Pavlova is traditionally white, but if you wanted to add color, you could add a drop or two of gel food coloring now. Using a silicone spatula, gently fold in the cream of tartar and cornstarch to the meringue.
Dump the meringue onto the middle of the circle, and using your silicone spatula, form a circle.
Then I like to use the spatula and pull from the dessert’s base upwards to create more height and smoothness to the edges. Doing this also causes a pool in the center to hold your whipped cream and fruit.
Gently place the Pavlova in the oven and immediately reduce the temperature down to 200 F degrees. Set your timmer for 90 minutes. The immediate high temperature will cook the meringue while the slow drop in temperature dries out the Pavlova resulting in the crisp outer shell.
Crispy Hard Shell, Marshmallowy Inside
Check on your Pavlova once in a while to make sure it hasn’t browned in any areas. If you notice some color developing, rotate the baking sheet. After 90 minutes, the Pavlova should have a hard shell on both sides and top. Turn off your oven and crack the door open to finish cooling.
Whip up your homemade whipped cream while you wait. When the Pavlova is entirely cool, spread a layer of whipped cream on the top and garnish with whatever fruit you like. You could even add preserves or lemon curd along with the fruit.
This pink Pavlova is the perfect dessert for lunch with friends, a Mother’s Day brunch, or a Summer BBQ. If you plan to enjoy this dessert outside, make sure you keep the delicate Pavlova in the air conditioning or refrigerator until ready to serve; humidity is a nightmare for meringue. Also, add the whipped cream and fruit right before serving.
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