This was my Mum’s recipe so it’s probably the most tried and tested recipe you’ll learn at the Virtual Cookery School. It’s also one of the most delicious.

If you have a stand mixer, this is a super simple dessert. For those of us who are wielding a whisk, it’s a bit of work. But worth the effort.

Feel free to play around with different berries or even a mixture of berries. Mango and passionfruit are also lovely on a pav, or for a more wintery version poached pears and a drizzle of chocolate. But I think at chirstmas – berries are best.

Caster sugar is smaller granules than normal white sugar but coarser than icing or powdered sugar. If you can’t find caster sugar, use powdered or confectioners sugar instead.

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Pavlova with Christmas Berries

Total Time 1 20

Servings people

Ingredients

2 egg whites
330 g caster sugar
1 teaspoon lemon juice or white vinegar
1 teaspoon corn flour
1 cup whipping cream or 1/2 cup each of sour cream and whipping cream
300 g frozen raspberries thawed

Metric - US Customary

Instructions

Preheat oven to 150C (300F) and line a baking tray with baking paper.
If using a stand mixer, place all ingredients in the bowl and whisk for 10 minutes on high speed or until thick and glossy.
If using a whisk, place egg whites in a clean, dry bowl and whisk until you have soft peaks. Add lemon juice and corn flour and whisk until combined. Gently ‘rain’ in the sugar a little at a time along with the water until all incorporated.
Spread in a rectangle or circle on the baking paper smoothing out until about 2.5 or 1in high.
Reduce the heat to 120C (250F) and bake for about 1 hour or until the surface of the pavlova is hard. Turn the oven off and allow to cool with the door ajar.
Whip cream (or cream + sour cream) until only just at soft peak stage, add a little sugar if you like, but the pav is very sweet.
Spread cream over the cooled pavlova.
Crush berries lightly with a fork and arrange over the cream.

Note: There’s a continuity error in this video – apologies for the lack of professionalism, but hopefully you’ll get the picture.

Quantities for Different Serving Sizes

You can easily double or halve the recipe. The baking time shouldn’t change too dramatically If you need more than double, I’d make 2 large pavlovas.

Prepare Ahead

The meringue can be made a few days in advance and stored in an airtight container or well wrapped with foil. The cream can be whipped ahead of time and kept in the fridge for a few days as well.

Variations

vegan – try a bowl of raspberries sweetened with a little sugar and possibly some coconut or lemon sorbet.

egg free – I’m afraid a pavlova without eggs just isn’t going to work. See vegan options.

dairy-free – you could replace the cream with coconut sorbet or serve the berries straight on the meringue and pass some sweetened coconut cream separately.

Problem Solving Guide

egg whites won’t foam – egg whites need to be completely free of grease and oil to foam. Start again with super clean equipment and make sure no egg yolk gets mixed in with the whites.

pavlova cracked – my pavlova pretty much always cracks. I just cover it with cream and forget about it.

sugary syrup oozing from the pavlova– this is usually because the sugar wasn’t completely dissolved in the meringue. Not too much of a problem.

grainy texture – sounds like undissolved sugar crystals. Next time use a finer grade of sugar. For now, just pretend it’s meant to be super crunchy.

brown pavlova – either it’s been cooked for too long OR it’s been cooked at too high a temperature – make sure you remember to turn the oven temperature down when you put the pav in the oven.

Serving Suggestions

Marscapone can be lovely in place of the whipped cream.

Leftover Potential

Surprisingly OK. Keep in the fridge so the cream is OK. The meringue will loose it’s crispness but some people prefer it like this.