Pavlova

Pavlova

6 40 min
Pavlova is a sumptuous meringue cake with vanilla whipped cream and fresh berries. It is a beautiful dessert with a soft centre and a crispy outside, and it can be varied according to which berries are in season. Our version is made with strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, and cherries on top of a light vanilla whipped cream. A little sprinkle of icing sugar and some edible flowers make the dessert even more elegant and beautiful.
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Instructions

Meringue
  • Preheat the oven to 100°C fan oven.
  • Beat egg whites until stiff. Add sugar little by little and beat for 5-10 minutes until the meringue mixture is stiff and the sugar is completely dissolved.
  • Place baking paper on a baking tray and draw a circle (approx. 24 cm in diameter) on it. Spread the meringue inside the circle and place the baking tray in the oven. Bake the meringue base for approx. 2 hours.
  • Turn off the oven after the meringue has finished baking but leave it in the oven to dry in the heat until the oven is completely cold – preferably overnight.
Topping
  • Split the vanilla pod, scrape out vanilla seeds and mix them with icing sugar to separate the vanilla seeds.
  • Put the vanilla-sugar mixture in a bowl with the whipping cream. Beat the mixture into a firm foam.
  • Spread the vanilla whipped cream on the cooled meringue base. Place the fresh berries on top.
  • Sprinkle with icing sugar (through a sieve) and decorate with edible flowers if you want to. Serve immediately.
Enjoy!
Tips

To prevent a flat and grainy meringue, do not overbeat the meringue mixture, as this can cause it to collapse and crack during baking. As soon as the sugar has dissolved, stop beating the mixture.

Tips

Though small cracks in the meringue are normal, you want to avoid too many of them by cooling the meringue in the oven. It is important not to open the oven during the baking process as this can cause the meringue to deflate. Letting it cool slowly means no rapid changes in temperature, which would otherwise create cracks and maybe even cause it to collapse.

Questions about pavlova

Pavlova is a beautiful dessert that is perfect for any occasion with so many different combinations of flavour from the berry mix on top. We have compiled a list with the most helpful information about the dessert, so you succeed with the beautiful dessert in the first try.

How to make pavlova?
To make our beautiful pavlova cake, you need to prepare a base and topping. Make the base by beating egg whites stiff and adding sugar little by little until the sugar has dissolved. Bake the meringue in a circle on a baking try for about 2 hours at 100°C. Then, turn off the oven and leave the meringue inside to dry until the oven is completely cold, preferably overnight. Make a vanilla whipped cream with icing sugar and spread lightly on top of the cooled pavlova base. Place fresh berries on top, sprinkle with icing sugar and decorate with edible flowers. Serve the pavlova right away!
What is a pavlova?
The dessert is named after Anna Pavlova (1881-1931), a Russian ballerina who visited New Zealand and Australia in the 1900s, prompting a dessert to be named after her. It is as airy and light as a ballerina’s dancing, consisting of a cake-like meringue layer piled high with whipped cream and fruit. The meringue has a crispy texture on the outside while remaining soft and gooey on the inside.
How to store pavlova?
What makes this dessert so special is its texture. Storing the cake while keeping the soft inside and crisp outside can be a bit tricky. The meringue can last up to two days, but it is essential to keep it dry and away from heat or moisture. If you leave it out in the open, the sugar in the meringue will absorb moisture, and you will end up with a soft and sticky meringue. Once you have made the meringue base and it has cooled completely, store it in an airtight container (or wrap it with cling film) without any toppings or decorations. Place the container in a cool and dry area but do not put it in the fridge. Decorate your pavlova with berries and edible flowers just before serving.
How long does pavlova last?
A pavlova cake is best enjoyed right away while the meringue is still crispy on the outside, and once assembled with whipped cream and berries, it will hold for 20-30 minutes before it starts softening and loses some of its crisp texture. You can, however, store the meringue base for up to two days in an airtight container kept in a cool, dry place.
How to decorate a pavlova?
In our pavlova recipe, we use mixed berries on top of a vanilla whipped cream which is finished off with a dusting of icing sugar and lilacs. But you can garnish it any way you like, with berries, fruits, chopped chocolate, and flowers. If you are decorating with flowers, make sure that the flowers are edible, like lilacs, chamomile, horned violet, or cornflower.
How long to leave pavlova in oven to cool?
When the meringue has baked, turn off the oven and let it cool inside for 5-6 hours or preferably overnight. This ensures that your meringue is completely dry and hardens to give a crispy texture while maintaining the soft marshmallow-y inside. Once it has cooled, you can decorate and serve it or store the meringue in an airtight container for no more than two days.

Ingredients

Meringue cake:
Egg whites
150 g
(approx. 3 dl) sugar
300 g
Topping:
Vanilla pod
1
Icing sugar
2 tbsp
Double cream – whipped into a light foam
2½ dl
Strawberries, raspberries, blueberries and/or cherries
500 g
Garnish:
Icing sugar
Edible flowers, e.g., lilac
Other recipes
See more

Pavlova with vanilla, whipped cream, and berries

In the mood for something decadent yet airy with lots of fresh berries? Then you need to try our recipe for pavlova with berries and vanilla whipped cream. The pavlova base consists of a white meringue layer that is crisp on the outside and soft, almost marshmallowy on the inside. Topped with pillowy soft vanilla whipped cream and studded with fresh berries with a juicy burst, this dessert is a texture lover’s dream come true and is melt-in-your-mouth delicious.

Enjoy a classic pavlova dessert

A classic pavlova with a crisp meringue shell and soft centre served with whipped cream and seasonal fruit is an irresistible dessert. It is as delicious as it is beautiful, with a wonderful mix of flavours and textures. This elegant dessert may seem complicated, but it is actually easier to make than you might think, and you only need a handful of simple ingredients for pavlova cake.

If you love this decadent yet airy dessert with juicy berries and whipped cream, you can also try our no-bake strawberry cheesecake decorated with fresh strawberries or a classic vanilla cheesecake with a citrusy note. If you are in the mood for more than one type of meringue, try our blueberry meringue cake made with a soft and slightly dense Swiss meringue.

Decorate with berries and flowers

The toppings for pavlova are the cherry on top of what makes this dessert so delicious and flavourful, and it elevates the desserts and makes it a magnificent centrepiece for any dessert table. We use a combination of strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, and cherries to top off our pavlova cake which makes for a juicy burst and adds some colour to the humble dessert. For a final touch, decorate with edible flowers like lilacs. The combination of berries and flowers looks stunning!

Make it your own

Experiment with different flavours and add your own personal touch to this dessert. Add 5 tablespoons of orange liqueur or freshly squeezed orange juice and icing sugar to the double cream for an orange-infused flavour. It tastes delicious with the delicate meringue and the colours looks beautiful, too.

If you just love strawberries, make your pavlova with strawberries instead by adding freeze-dried strawberry powder to the meringue mixture. Decorate the strawberry meringue with vanilla whipped cream and fresh strawberries.

For a crisp and chewy chocolate pavlova, add cocoa powder and finely chopped dark chocolate to the meringue. The irresistible combination of chocolate topped with the vanilla whipped cream and juicy berries makes for a rich, bitter, sweet flavour.

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