Pavlova is a very traditional Christmas dessert in Australia, where it’s typically quite hot at Christmas but I think even though it’s cold here, it would make a great centerpiece for Christmas Day. Pavlova’s are like giant meringues, and melt in the mouth when you eat them. I’ve added raspberries to cut the sweetness of the meringue but feel free to add whatever berry you want!
Christmas Pavlova
Servings: 8 people
Equipment
- 1 sheet pan
- baking parchment
- stand mixer with whisk attachment
Ingredients
- 6 egg whites
- 340 grams granulated sugar
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 3 tbsp confectioners sugar
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- blueberries for decoration
- raspberries for decoration
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 200Fº. In the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk the egg whites until they reach soft peaks. Add in the sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time until all the sugar has been added. You want to do this step very slowly so you don’t knock too much air out of the egg whites. Whisk until the egg whites have reached stiff peaks and are glossy.
- Draw an 8 inch circle on baking parchment, and flip over and use a slight amount of the meringue to glue the edges to a large sheet tray. Arrange the meringue in the circle and use a spatula to create decoration along the sides of the meringue. Create a small well in the center of the meringue: this will be where the toppings go.
- Bake the meringue for 2 hours. After it has cooked for 2 hours, turn the oven off and leave the meringue to cool in the oven. Crack the oven slightly by inserting a wooden spoon in the oven to allow it to stay open while the meringue cools with the oven.
- After the meringue has cooled, whip the cream to soft peaks with the confectioners sugar and vanilla, and spread over the top of the meringue. Arrange the blueberries and raspberries over the top of the whipped cream.
- Serve in slices and store in the fridge.