Pavlova with Berries
Crispy and delicate on the outside, chewy and soft on the inside, Pavlova with Berries is all about texture and taste. Filled with fresh whipped cream, crowned with raspberries and dusted with powdered sugar this meringue cake is a show stopper.
Whenever I ask the universe for a sign it sends me something weird. Like yesterday when making myself a mayonnaise sandwich, the bread slice I pulled from the loaf had a gaping heart-shaped hole. What is that even supposed to mean? Certainly it’s not that I should love myself because I’m totally not my type. After minimal consideration I arrived at two alternate possibilities: 1) My soulmate is honey wheat bread 2) I’m slathering on so much Hellmann’s that my heart’s going to vaporize from cholesterol overload.
Even with a 50/50 chance of killing myself with mayonnaise, I’m grateful for any message from the cosmos. But after today’s sign also involved death, I’m considering cutting off all communication. You see, while cleaning out my closet I found a frog’s corpse zipped inside the garment bag containing my wedding dress–which hasn’t been worn in 17 years. Apparently, preserving my dress also preserved the frog like an amphibious mummy because it was shriveled like King Tut in his tomb.
It’s not every day you find a vacuum-sealed frog with your dress and veil. Actually, it’s really not any day, ever. This kind of stuff doesn’t happen to anybody but me. At first, I thought it must be cosmic karma for dissecting a frog in 11th grade biology class. But, according to Google, a dead frog is an omen that I’m about to croak. And that confirms my suspicion: I’m gonna kick the bucket with a mayo sandwich in my mouth.
This is why I always eat dessert first, you never know when you’ll be killed by a condiment. Especially with the stars aligned for my imminent death, there’s no time like the present for me to make pavlova. Crispy and delicate on the outside, chewy and soft on the inside this meringue cake is over-the-top delish with homemade whip cream and fresh raspberries. Dusted with powdered sugar and cut into big fat slices, there’s no sweeter way to prepare myself for the afterlife than with pavlova.
Before sharing the recipe for Pavlova with Berries, here are a few tips to help you out:
Ingredient Tips
Eggs need to be at room temperature before beginning. If you’ve forgotten to take yours out of the refrigerator ahead of time then speed up the process by placing it in a bowl of warm water. Don’t use hot water; we want to warm the eggs, not hatch them.
Superfine sugar is not the same thing as extra fine granulated sugar. If you only have granulated sugar on hand, pulse it a few times in a food processor to break down the crystals.
Preparation Tips
Above all, your mixing bowl and beaters must be spotlessly clean before making meringue. Dirt and grease will ruin meringue, as will bits of yolk (or eggshell) so carefully separate the whites from yolks.
Don’t panic when meringue puffs up in the oven then sinks when it cools. All in all, falling and cracking are normal occurrences that give the cake character.
How to Store Pavlova with Berries
Pavlova is best straight from the oven so slice and serve as soon as you add whip cream and berries.
I hope you enjoy this Raspberry Pavlova recipe. Please leave a rating and review below once you try it yourself. And, while you’re at it, sign up for my Recipe Newsletter so you never miss a tempting recipe.
Finally, if you like Pavlova Meringue then you’ll love this recipe for Brownie Cake with Chocolate Meringue. Decadent and densely fudgy, this double chocolate brownie is topped with a crispy marshmallow meringue for amazing texture and flavor.
Pavlova with Berries
Ingredients
Pavlova
- 5 large egg whites room temperature
- 1 1/4 cups superfine sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract pure
- 1/8 tsp sea salt fine
- 1/2 tsp cream of tartar
- 2 tsp cornstarch
Whipped Cream
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream cold
- 2 tbsp powdered sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract pure
Garnish
- fresh raspberries
- powdered sugar
Instructions
Pavlova
- Preheat oven to 275 degrees
- Using a pencil, draw a 6-inch circle on a sheet of parchment paper. Place the parchment circle side down on a baking sheet. Set aside.
- Add egg whites to a dry, clean mixing bowl then beat with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until soft peaks form, approximately 5 minutes.
- Beat in sugar, 1/4 cup at a time.
- Increase mixer speed to high then beat for 2 mintues or until stiff peaks form.
- Add vanilla then beat on high for 1 more mintue.
- Using a rubber spatula, fold in salt, cream of tartar and cornstarch until incorporated.
- Dollop the meringue within the 6-inch circle on the parchment paper.
- Using an offset spatula, smooth the sides from the bottom up, repeating all the way around the mound of meringue.
- Make an indentation in the top of the meringue (like the opening of a volcano). Note that the indent will collapse as the pavlova bakes. This will create the area that is later filled with whipped cream.
- Bake for 60 minutes at 275 degrees then, without opening the oven door, reduce the oven temperature to 250 degrees and continue baking for 45 minutes.
- Turn off the oven and let the pavlova cool for 1 hour. Do not open the oven door during this time.
- After removing the pavlova from the oven, fill with homemade whipped cream, top with fresh raspberries and dust with powdered sugar. Slice and serve immediately.
Whipped Cream
- Combine heavy cream, powdered sugar and vanilla in a large bowl then whip with an electric mixer until medium peaks form.
- Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.