Easy Strawberry Pavlova
Strawberry Pavlova is an easy, make-ahead, show-stopping dessert recipe. It tastes delicious with the classic combination of strawberries, cream and meringue. With its crisp meringue, billows of whipped cream and juicy strawberries, it also looks beautiful and makes a great centrepiece for a buffet or celebration meal. It is best eaten soon after it has been assembled but you can keep any left over pieces in the fridge for up to a couple of days.
What you need to know about Strawberry Pavlova
- Adding the cornflour and lemon juice helps to stabilise the meringue and ensure that your pavlova is crisp on the outside and slightly soft on the inside.
- You can make your pavlova any shape you like. Just spoon the meringue mixture into your desired shape. I generally make mine either round or oval but have occasionally made one heart-shaped.
- It is important to cook the pavlova and a very low heat. Check towards the end of the cooking time to make sure that it is not starting to turn light brown which is a sign that it is over-cooked. Once the pavlova has finished cooking, open the oven door and leave it to cool in the oven. This should prevent cracking.
- It is important to allow your pavlova to cool completely before adding the cream and strawberries. I generally make mine the day before I serve them. They keep very well at room temperature if covered in cling-film or foil.
- You should add the cream and strawberries just before you are ready to serve the pavlova. If you add them a long time in advance, they will make the meringue soggy.
- It is possible to get sweet and full-flavoured strawberries. However, sometimes they do not taste so good. If you have some flavourless strawberries, cut them in half and put in a bowl with a sprinkling of caster sugar and leave for about an hour before spooning them on to the pavlova.
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What to do with the left-over egg yolks
This recipe uses four egg whites. When I make pavlova, I generally also make ice cream which uses the corresponding number of egg yolks. I have a lot of delicious and simple ice cream recipes listed in my Recipe Index if you would also like to do this. Some of my favourites are Strawberry Balsamic Ice-cream, Elderflower Ice-cream, Lavender Ice-cream, Rose Ice-cream and Lemon Curd Ice Cream.
Other meringue recipes
I love meringues and pavlovas and make a lot of them all year around. Here are some my other favourites.
- Meringues – basic meringues sandwiched with whipped cream.
- Rose Meringues – similar to basic meringues but flavoured with rosewater
- Lemon Pavlova – easy pavlova topped with lemon curd and whipped cream
- Cranberry Pavlova – a winter pavlova topped with home-made cranberry sauce!
Strawberry Pavlova
- Prep Time: 15
- Cook Time: 60
- Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
- Yield: for 6 people 1x
- Category: Meringue
- Cuisine: English
Description
This simple Strawberry Pavlova is the perfect make-ahead, show-stopping dessert. It consists of crisp meringue topped with whipped cream and fresh strawberries.
Ingredients
- 4 egg whites
- Pinch of salt
- 225 (8 oz) caster sugar
- 1 teaspoon cornflour
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 300 ml (10 fluid oz) double cream
- As many strawberries as you like
Instructions
- Set your oven to 140 C/275 F/Gas Mark 1.
- Whisk the egg whites with salt until they form stiff peaks.
- Add two tablespoons of sugar and continue to whisk until combined and the mixture is thick and glossy.
- Fold the rest of the sugar, the cornflour and the lemon juice into the whisked egg whites.
- Cover a baking sheet with baking parchment or silicon paper.
- Spoon the egg white mixture onto the baking sheet to form a large circle or oval.
- Place in the oven and bake for 1 hour until the exterior of the meringue is hard to the touch.
- Allow to cool.
- When ready to serve, whisk the double cream until it forms soft peaks and then spread it on top of the meringue base.
- Decorate as you wish with strawberries or other berries.
This recipe has been shared on #CookBlogShare with Apply to Face Blog and #Fiesta Friday with Fiesta Friday and What’s for Dinner with the Lazy Gastronome.