Pavlova is a beautiful gluten-free dessert with the most amazing texture: it’s crispy on the outside, soft, gooey and marshmallowy in the middle. It is a dessert that screams summer, but why not make it when the weather is dark and gloomy? Swap the fresh berries for your favourite fruit, get together with your friends and beat those winter blues! You can use this recipe to make individual mini pavlovas or one big one, your call.
Pavlova
🍴 Servings: 6 – 8
🕒 Hands-on: ~ 25 minutes
🎛 Cooking time: 1 hour
🔷 Cooling the merengue 1.5 – 2 hours
INGREDIENTS
Merengue
- 4 egg whites
- 225g caster sugar
- 1 tsp white wine vinegar
- 1 tsp cornflour
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Topping
- 300ml double cream
- ½ tsp vanilla sugar (optional)
- 1 tsp caster sugar
- 150g raspberries
- 300g strawberries, halved or quartered
- icing sugar, to decorate (optional)
STEPS
1 Whisk the egg whites using an electric hand mixer until stiff peaks form.
2 Add the sugar 1 tablespoon at a time, whisking well after each addition. Beat until all sugar has been added and the meringue looks glossy.
Turn the oven on now, preheat it to 130℃. Also line the oven tray!
3 Finally, whisk in the vinegar, cornflour and vanilla extract.
4 Spread the meringue on the lined oven tray, either into a square or rectangular shape (4cm tall). Make the sides a little higher than the middle (to create a crater for the cream).
5 Bake in 130℃ (fan) for 1 hour, then turn the oven off and leave the pavlova inside to cool completely.
6 Whip the cream with sugar until soft peaks form, then spoon it on to the meringue and spread evenly. Top with chopped strawberries and raspberries, and dust with icing sugar!
Notes:
- Eggs — Before you start whipping, check your egg whites are free from yolks – any yolk traces and the egg whites won’t whip! I never separate my eggs on top of the mixing bowl, instead I use a separate bowl/ramekin and tip them into the mixing bowl one egg white at a time. This way I won’t ruin the whole patch in case the yolk slips, only one egg…
- Equipment — Make sure your mixing bowl and whisk beaters are clean and dry, with no soap residue
- Size — You can also make mini pavs (as pictured), the recipe will make 6. Mini pavlovas diameter is about 12cm each. But whichever shape or size you choose, the meringue’s height should be about 4cm when it goes in the oven
- Meringue — Meringue can crack because of sudden temperature change. To prevent it from cracking, don’t open the oven door whilst it’s baking and leave it to cool in the oven
- Toppings — If berries are not in season, try the pavlova with different toppings, such as kiwis, mangos and passionfruit
Main equipment:
Medium mixing bowl
Electric hand mixer
Kitchen scales
Measuring spoons
Lined oven tray
Other gluten-free recipes…! ⤵︎
