Summer Pavlova
This Summer Pavlova is a deliciously light and fruity dessert. It has an easy homemade meringue, fresh cream and is topped with a range of fruit.
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Pavlova
I love a pavlova. I feel like they are something that is more commonly eaten at Christmas but for me, they are the perfect summer dessert.
There is nothing I love more than a slice of light, mallowey, creamy, fruity pavlova, especially, on a hot summer’s day.
Egg Whites
So, the main ingredient in a meringue is egg whites. It is really important that there is no yolk in your bowl with your egg whites. If you do get egg yolks in the bowl then you will need to start again. Any egg yolks will stop the egg whites from whipping up to stiff peaks.
You also need to make sure that your bowl is completely clean and dry. Anything in the bowl even water will interfere with your egg whites and stop them from whipping up to stiff peaks.
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The caster sugar in this recipe needs to be added in one spoonful at a time. There also needs to be a gap of around a minute in between each spoonful of sugar.
If you add the sugar all at the same time it will deflate your egg whites and if you add it too quickly it will also deflate the egg whites. The sugar needs to be given time to be mixed into the egg whites and dissolve before more is added.
Once all the caster sugar is added, the egg whites should be white and glossy.
Piping your Pavlova
So you can make your pavlova into any design you fancy. I placed a bowl in the middle of my baking tray and piped roses and different designs around the bowl.
You could make the pavlova into a solid circle too. The design is completely up to you. I used a 2D piping tip but you could also use several different piping tips to pipe the meringue onto your baking tray.
Baking
The trick to getting a lovely soft mallowy meringue is to bake it low and slow. I bake mine in a fan oven at 130C, but all ovens bake things at different times and temperatures. If you don’t know your oven keep an eye on the meringue through the glass. Don’t open the oven door as the rush of cold air can cause it to crack.
If your meringue has some cracks in it, don’t worry. This can happen and is just a classic part of a meringue. However, if your meringue collapses completely it could be because it wasn’t baked enough.
Once your meringue has been in the oven for the allotted amount of time don’t take it out straight away. Turn the oven off and leave the meringue in there until the oven has completely cooled. Removing the meringue straight away can cause it to crack.
Double Cream
I decorated the top of my Summer Pavlova with double cream that I had whipped to stiff peaks. This can be piped or spread over it is completely up to you.
Fruit
So this is when you can have a lot of fun decorating this Summer Pavlova.
I used a mixture of fruit including strawberries, kiwi, peaches, blackberries and raspberries. But all of these are completely optional. You can use any fruit you want.
If you wanted you could just make this a berry pavlova and decorate with any berries you wanted to.
You could make it a peach-only pavlova and use peach slices. You could add chocolate buttons or chocolate flakes the possibilities are endless and are completely down to your own personal preference.
Alternatives
Why not try using a combination of different fruits to decorate?
You could also use chocolate in addition to the fruit or make it a chocolate pavlova.
Equipment
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Summer Pavlova
Ingredients
For the Summer Pavlova
- 7 Medium Egg Whites
- 325 g Caster Sugar
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 1 tsp Cornflour
For the Decoration
- 300 ml Double Cream
- You're Favourite Fruit. I used Strawberries, Raspberries, Blackberries, Kiwi and Peaches
- Freeze-Dried Strawberries
Instructions
To Make the Meringue
- Preheat the oven to 150C (130CFan) and line a large baking tray with baking parchment. Leave to one side.
- Whisk the egg whites in a large bowl until they form stiff peaks. This can take up to 5 minutes.
- Add the caster sugar 1 tbsp at a time. Leave around 30 seconds in between each addition.
- Add in the vanilla extract and whisk until fully incorporated.
- Now add in the cornflour and whisk until fully incorporated.
- Gently add the meringue mixture into a piping bag, and pipe onto your large baking tray in a circle shape.
- Bake the meringue in the oven for one hour. After the meringue has been in the oven for an hour, turn the oven off and leave the meringue in there until the oven has completely cooled. Do not open the oven door.
To Decorate
- Whisk your double cream in a bowl until it reaches soft peaks. Leave to one side.
- If you need to cut up your fruit.
- Pipe or spread the double cream onto your cooled meringue. Decorate with the fruit.
Notes
- This Summer Pavlova will last around 2 days when stored in the fridge.