You can’t go wrong with this recipe for pavlova (2024)

FAQs

What can go wrong with pavlova? ›

Pavlovas can go flat for a few reasons – not enough air was incorporated into the egg white mixture, or the pavlova shrunk during the cooling period and collapsed. Once you add sugar to the egg whites, you will find that the meringue mixture deflates and becomes runny.

The secret to a good, crisp pavlova is in the drying of the meringue after cooking. If there is a lot of moisture in the air, whether from humidity or even other cooking you are doing in the kitchen, you will have problems. That's why the “Pavlova Nazi” in me insists on no boiling saucepans during pav time.

Use the freshest eggs possible. Fresh eggs create a better foam than older eggs. They're more acidic, which allows proteins to knit together tightly making a more stable foam. Frozen (and defrosted) egg whites are a good option too, as long as they were frozen while fresh.

Nigella's pavlovas, such as Lemon Pavlova (from SIMPLY NIGELLA), contain cornflour (cornstarch) in the meringue. The cornflour helps the meringue to stay soft in the centre, to give the contrast of crisp crust and marshmallowy interior.

Problem: sugar hasn't dissolved completely during whisking - see those crystals? Overbaking the meringue at too high a temperature. Proteins that have tightened too much will squeeze out the moisture faster than it can evaporate. This sugary liquid then becomes golden as the sugar caramelises.

Bring eggs to room temperature before separating – set aside for at least 20 minutes after removing from the fridge. Cold egg white takes longer to beat, so it doesn't incorporate as much air, which is what makes meringue light and fluffy.

In a meringue recipe, such as Nigella's Mini Pavlovas (from Domestic Goddess and on the Nigella website), the vinegar is added as it helps to stabilize the whisked egg whites and helps the meringue mixture to hold the air whisked in to it.

Don't forget the secret ingredient

For the strongest and most stable meringue, add 1/8 teaspoon of cream of tartar for every egg white before beating—it's an acid that stabilizes the egg white. If you don't have any on hand, use 1/2 teaspoon of lemon juice for every egg white.

Meringue rule 3: Use room-temperature egg whites

Room temperature (68°F to 72°F) egg whites will whip up faster. Cold eggs are easier to separate.

Can I leave pavlova in oven overnight? ›

Turn the oven off and leave the pavlova to cool inside the oven for 5-6 hours or overnight to avoid cracks. At this point you can store the cooled meringue shells in an airtight container for several days. Fill your pavlova with softly whipped double (heavy) cream when you are ready to serve.

The cornflour and vinegar that is added strengthens the egg white and make it more stable and you get the marshmallowy centres from the shorter cooking time.

Heat oven to 150C/130C fan/gas 2. Using a pencil, mark out the circumference of a dinner plate on baking parchment. Whisk 4 egg whites with a hand mixer until they form stiff peaks, then whisk in 250g caster sugar, 1 tbsp at a time, until the meringue looks glossy.

If the whites are over whisked they will start to look lumpy and a little like cotton wool. Once the whites have been whisked then add a couple of tablespoons of sugar and whisk back to firm peaks before adding the rest of the sugar, following the recipe instructions.

If the sugar is added too late, either the sugar, which is hygroscopic, draws water out of the foam and causes the structure to weaken (as in the dense, crumbly cakes), or the sugar doesn't fully dissolve (as in the meringue cookies that were grainy and brown from undissolved sugar caramelizing).

Excess moisture in the air can seep into meringues and make them soft, even after they are baked, which is why it's best to avoid making meringue on damp days.

Over whip the egg whites and you risk making them too firm and they will risk losing the moisture that they hold. This will affect your meringue's crispness, as well as making it more likely to collapse or weep beads of sugar. As my meringue guru Gary Mehigan advises: “If you over whip the egg whites you cannot fix it.

The answer: surprisingly quite low. A typical pavlova recipe might have a ratio of 1/4 cup of sugar per egg white in the recipe. I found that I could cut the sugar in half with no noticeable impact on texture and taste.

Sour: The general go-to here would be lemon juice, although lime will also work. Orange juice will only add more sweetness as will some kinds of vinegar. White wine vinegar, red wine vinegar, or apple cider vinegar are good choices but shy away from balsamic because of its inherent sweetness.

Simply beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form (tips stand straight). This will take 4 to 5 minutes total.

Can pavlova be made the night before? ›

You can make the meringue 1-2 days ahead of your function, but don't add any fruit or cream until just before serving. Store it in an airtight container until just before you are ready to assemble the pavlova.

They are easily affected by humidity and moisture, so you want to keep them as dry as possible until the last moment. It's best to cook your pavlova as close to when you want to eat it as possible. If kept very carefully, they can last up to two days.

Try making two pavlovas on the same baking tray by equally dividing the mixture allowing space for them to spread a bit. Stack one on top of the other with a filling of cream and mixed berries or your preferred fruit, both in the middle and on the top.

If wine vinegars are a problem then there are some alternatives and apple cider vinegar, or cider vinegar, does not have a strong taste and would be a good alternative. Balsamic vinegar should be avoided as its taste is too strong. It is also possible to use lemon juice or cream of tartar as alternatives.

So you could use lemon juice and still have a "plain" meringue. It is also possible to use another mildly-flavoured acid, such as white wine vinegar, (apple) cider vinegar or cream of tartar. The amount you would use would be the same regardless of which alternative you use.

Beat the meringue on low and steady speed. I usually go for speed 2 or 4 on my KitchenAid mixer. I know it's tempting to just blast the speed and get the volume up quickly, but the meringue won't be as stable! Make sure to add the sugar slowly, allowing it to dissolve before adding more.

Make sure you're spreading your meringue over a hot — not cooled — pie filling. Otherwise, your meringue will bake on top, but the cooled pie filling won't get hot enough to cook the meringue on its bottom in the short 15 to 20 minutes needed to bake a meringue.

An acid, such as a vinegar, can be added to a meringue mixture to help create a more stable foam when the meringue is mixed. In scientific terms the acid helps to denature, or break down, the coils of amino acids in the egg white's proteins so that they become long strands instead.

To make a sturdier meringue, your recipe may direct you to add an acidic ingredient such as cream of tartar, white vinegar, or lemon juice. Caution: Don't use a copper bowl if you're adding acid to stabilize your meringue; it will react with the copper and discolor the egg foam.

We recommend using fresh, cold egg whites for meringues. They make a foam that is easier to work with, and the baked meringues have a more delicate and uniform texture.

Why isn't my meringue getting fluffy? ›

If the meringue mixture becomes flat or runny when the sugar is added then it usually means that the egg whites were not quite whisked enough before the sugar was added. It sometimes helps to whisk the whites, then add a tablespoon of sugar and whisk the whites back to medium peaks before adding the rest of the sugar.

Acid (lemon juice, vinegar, tartar powder) stabilizes the cross-linking of the proteins; the egg white mass becomes firmer. Even small amounts of egg yolk or fat can prevent stiffening.

Cream of tartar stabilizes the tiny bubbles in the egg whites, by precluding the egg proteins from sticking together. It thus speeds up the egg white whipping process and contributes to a stable, billowy, glossy meringue, perfect for cookies, topping pies, and folding into cake.

Use uncooked merengue immediately.

You're best off using uncooked meringue immediately, but if you need to store it, keep it in the fridge in an airtight container for up to twenty-four hours.

You can make the pavlova meringues up to 3 days ahead of time and store loosely wrapped in a plastic bag (in a low-humidity area) then assemble just before your event. Once they are assembled the frosting starts to soften the meringues and they should be eaten within 4 hours of assembling.

If you don't have a container of a suitable size then wrap the meringue, still on its baking sheet, with a double layer of clingfilm. We suggest "overwrapping" where the clingfilm is wrapped over the top of the meringue and underneath to bottom of the baking sheet, to make it as airtight as possible.

What's the Difference Between Pavlova and Meringue? Pavlovas and meringues are both made of whipped egg white, but a Pavlova has a delicate crispy exterior with pillowy soft marshmallow inside, while meringue is dry and crisp all the way through.

First, salt promotes the coagulation of proteins, which means you have to beat the egg whites longer to unwind the bunched up (coagulated) protein strands and stretch them into the thin films that encase air bubbles and create foam.

An acid is an important component when making meringue. The acid helps stabilize egg whites as they foam up. If you don't have white vinegar, you can replace it with half that amount in cream of tartar instead. You can also use an equal amount of lemon juice, but I prefer white vinegar or cream of tartar.

After 90 minutes turn the oven off and leave the pavlova inside for at least 2 hours (you can even cook it in the evening and leave it in the oven overnight). This step will allow it to dry out further and cools it slowly to prevent cracking.

Do you have to put cornflour in pavlova? ›

The cocoa powder acts in a similar way to the cornflour, hence the cornflour is not needed. We would not particularly recommend adding cornflour as well as cocoa powder as an excess amount can cause the meringue to become "chewy" rather than soft.

You will know when you have a stiff peak when you can hold the bowl right over your head and the mixture stays in. Or, a less risky way of testing is, as you have done before, whisk in the mixture then turn it upside down. The peak should be stiff shiny and really, really white, like a silky vinyl white emulsion paint.

Overbeating egg white breaks down the structure and the meringue is likely to collapse during baking. Beat until firm peaks form, then start adding sugar. If the egg white starts to separate or looks curdled, it's overbeaten and you'll need to start again with fresh egg whites.

If you over-bake it, the meringue will collapse on itself. It will still taste great, but will be more dense. If sugary droplets form on the surface of the meringue, you'll know you have overcooked it; liquid oozing from the pavlova is a sign of undercooking.

Meringues are full of sugar, so if the humidity is high, they'll absorb moisture from the air, which can make your meringue weep or go soft and sticky after baking. Reduce the risk by including cornflour.

What causes a pavlova to be chewy? A pavlova is similar to a meringue, except that it also contains cornflour (cornstarch) and vinegar to produce a chewy centre. Allowing the pavlova to cool and dry in the oven for as long as possible also helps to make the pavlova extra crispy on the outside and chewy in the middle.

It can take a while for a meringue to reach stiff peaks and for the sugar to dissolve—about five minutes with a hand mixer.

In a meringue recipe, such as Nigella's Mini Pavlovas (from Domestic Goddess and on the Nigella website), the vinegar is added as it helps to stabilize the whisked egg whites and helps the meringue mixture to hold the air whisked in to it.

Simply beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form (tips stand straight). This will take 4 to 5 minutes total.

Pavlova leftovers can be stored in the fridge in an airtight container, but ensure you eat your leftovers within 24 hours.

Should pavlova base be kept in fridge? ›

We suggest "overwrapping" where the clingfilm is wrapped over the top of the meringue and underneath to bottom of the baking sheet, to make it as airtight as possible. Leftovers of the assembled pavlova should be stored in the fridge and are best eaten within 24 hours.

A Pavlova is crisp on the outside and soft and chewy within. The depth of the centre before baking will determine the consistency. A thick centre will be softer and slightly wetter. A centre that is less deep will be chewier.

The cornflour and vinegar that is added strengthens the egg white and make it more stable and you get the marshmallowy centres from the shorter cooking time.

Over-Beaten Egg Whites: If egg whites are beaten past the point of stiff peaks, the matrix of proteins will begin to break down and the foam will collapse. The egg whites will become grainy, watery, and flat. They can not be salvaged.