Christmas Pavlova Wreath
This gorgeous Christmas Pavlova is fluffy & soft inside with a crispy meringue crust. An irresistible dessert that's bound to please!
Ingredients
Meringue
- 7 large eggs (egg whites only, at room temperature, 240g/8.5oz) (NOTE 1)
- 2 cup caster sugar (superfine sugar 440g/16oz) (NOTE 2)
- 2 tbsp cornflour (or cornstarch)
- 2 tsp white vinegar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
For the whipped cream
- 2 cup thickened cream (NOTE 3)
- 2 tbsp icing sugar (powdered sugar) (NOTE 4)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Fruit topping & garnish (swap with any fruits you like)
- raspberries
- blueberries
- cherries
- pomegranate arils
- mint leaves
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 110°C (230°F). Make sure your equipment is free from grease, as this may prevent the egg whites from whipping up. To be safe, I like to wipe my bowls and balloon whisk with paper towels lightly dipped in vinegar.
- Use a round object that is approximately 25cm (9.8in) in diameter to trace a circle on non-stick baking/parchment paper (I used the base of a cake tin). Use another round object with a diameter of 12cm (4.7in) and trace it inside the larger circle to create the ring. Flip the paper over, and place it on a large flat baking tray.
- Prepare a large piping bag, with a 1.5cm (0.6in) plain circle nozzle tip.
- In a stand or hand mixer, whisk the egg whites on medium-high speed using the balloon whisk attachment. When the eggs foam, increase the speed to high and gradually add in the sugar, one tablespoon at a time. Whisk for 6 to 8 minutes or until they reach stiff peaks. Add in the cornflour, vinegar and vanilla extract and whisk on high for another minute.
- Place the meringue into the piping bag, then secure the baking paper to the tray by using the meringue as glue in each corner. Pipe large mounds using the drawn ring as a guide. Once you've made a single layer, go over the mounds again, until you've used all the meringue (mine were three layers high). Use the back of a spoon to flatten the top of the mounds to make an even surface for the pavlova toppings.
- Bake for 75 minutes (1 hour and 15 minutes), then turn the oven off and leave the oven door slightly ajar. Leave the pavlova in the oven for at least 6 hours or overnight before decorating.
- Use a large flat plate or cake board to help turn the pavlova upside down, then carefully peel off the baking paper, then turn it upright. Place the cream, icing sugar and vanilla extract in a large bowl and whisk it to medium-firm peaks using a stand or hand mixer. Place the whipped cream over the pavlova and decorate it with your choice of fruits and mint.
Notes
(NOTE 1) Eggs - I used 7 large eggs (58g/2oz per egg). After separating the eggs, the egg whites weighed 240g/8.5oz in total. Eggs are easier to separate when they're chilled, so I separated the eggs whilst they were cold and left them at room temperature for minutes (this depends on how warm the day is)
(NOTE 2) Caster sugar (superfine sugar) - Caster sugar has finer granules than regular white sugar. However, it's not the same as confectionary, icing, or powdered sugar. Many baking or candy recipes call for caster sugar as it dissolves faster and better into mixtures. If you can't find caster sugar, you can make your own by placing regular sugar in a food processor or blender. Pulse the sugar a few times until it looks finer, but take care not to over-blitz it to a powder consistency.
(NOTE 3) Thickened cream (whipping cream) has gelatine added to it and contains 35% milk fat. I don’t recommend using low-fat cream because it may not whip up well and be a little runny. We need to whip the cream to medium-firm peaks to hold its shape and the fruit topping.
(NOTE 4) Icing sugar (powdered sugar, confectionary sugar) - Icing sugar usually comes in two forms over here: icing sugar mixture and pure icing sugar. Icing sugar mixture is softer and lump-free because there's starch or flour added to it. For this recipe, I used icing sugar mixture as the cornstarch helps stabilise the cream.
Leftovers - Transfer the pavlova wreath into an airtight container and store it in the fridge. It's best when served within 2 days, but will last for 3 days.
I've used a third-party application to calculate the calories and nutritional information, so please use this as an approximate guide only.
Cooking measurements are in Australian standard spoon and cup measurements. For specific details and conversions, visit our Australian Cooking Measurements page.
Nutrition
Serving: 1servingCalories: 410kcalCarbohydrates: 45gProtein: 4gFat: 17gSaturated Fat: 11gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 54mgSodium: 52mgPotassium: 85mgFiber: 0.01gSugar: 43gVitamin A: 700IUVitamin C: 0.3mgCalcium: 34mgIron: 0.1mg