PERFECT PAVLOVA

Pavlova is also one of my favourite puddings. Unfortunately, I never feel sick from it so I can just eat and eat and eat! This is my fool proof recipe:

Serves 12-14 (depending on how greedy you are!)

TIP: Before you make this, please bear in mind it should ideally be made the day before assembly/eating. The meringue should be left to cool in the oven and this is best done overnight.

INGREDIENTS

For the meringue:
6 medium free-range egg whites
300g/11oz caster sugar
1 tsp cornflour
1 tsp white wine vinegar

For the topping:
1 litre double/heavy cream
Lots of berries! I have chosen strawberries, raspberries and blackberries.
Icing sugar/cake glitter

METHOD

Preheat the oven to 150°C/300°/Gas 2. Line a large baking sheet with baking parchment. Look out your ingredients for your meringue.

Remember, the meringue should ideally be made the day before. Unless you have time for it to completely cool after being in the oven.

Place the egg whites into a clean bowl and whisk until soft peaks are formed when the whisk is removed from the bowl.

Then whisk in the sugar, one tablespoonful at a time, until stiff peaks form when the whisk is removed.

The mixture should look smooth and shiny.

Add the cornflour and vinegar to the egg white mix and fold in lightly with a metal spoon.

By now it should look lovely and silky.

Spoon the meringue onto the baking parchment, making a circle and creating a crater by making the sides a little higher than the middle. Remember that the meringue will swell in the oven so don’t spread it out to close to the edge of the baking tray. (like I did!)

Place into the oven and immediately reduce the heat to 120°C/250°F/Gas ½. Cook for an hour, then turn off the oven and leave in the oven while it cools completely. I usually do this at night and leave it in the oven overnight.

Remove the meringue base from the oven. Don’t be alarmed if some of the outer casing of meringue has collapsed a bit and cracked. This is perfectly normal. Also, once the cream and fruit is added to the top, it will crack anyway. They can cover up any cracks. A pavlova isn’t supposed to be neat anyway.

Carefully remove the baking parchment.

When you are ready to assemble the pavlova, whisk 400ml of the cream until soft peaks form when the whisk is removed.

I like to mix some of the raspberries through the cream so when I’m folding them through I break them up a bit by pressing them against the side of the bowl. This creates a lovely ripple effect. Spoon it onto the meringue base…

Whisk the remaining 600ml of the cream and spoon it onto the raspberry cream mix.

Top with the berries…

Dust with icing sugar…

If its for a special occasion I love dusting my pavlova with some cake glitter.

If you want, you can place some raspberries and icing sugar into a food processor and blend to a smooth sauce. Or alternatively, push them through a sieve if you don’t have a food processor. Using a spoon, drizzle raspberry sauce over the top.

This makes a big pavlova, suitable for a party. If you are serving to approx. 6 people, just half the ingredients.

Serve and enjoy!

Tip: I sometimes prefer this the day after assembling when its a bit more squidgy.