This light and luscious meringue cake is perfect
for spring, when you feel the sunshine and the flowers
burst forth in their gorgeous colors, and you
crave something sweet but not heavy.
Layer upon layer of meringue is stacked with a
sweetened whip cream and cream cheese filling
and loads of fresh berries.
You can make it for a crowd, or in individual servings.
(I made a couple of individual ones so that hubby,
who wasn't invited to the party, could have a dessert.)
The meringues are easy and so pretty. I usually
make an extra one, in case one breaks while I
am removing it from the parchment paper, and sure
enough one did, but we loved eating it plain.
Fresh flowers from the garden adorn the cake, and
also the very first tiny leaves of my mint.
Spring Berry Pavlova
12 large eggs, room temperature
(You can place them in a bowl of warm water
for ten minutes to get them to room temperature
if you are in a hurry.)
3 1/2 C. granulated sugar
2 T. cornstarch
1 T. lemon juice or white vinegar
1 T. vanilla extract (I prefer clear)
Heat oven to 200 degrees
Cover large baking pans with parchment paper.
I used 15x21 pans, so I could get all of the meringues
in the oven at once.
Trace 5 - 7 or 8 inch circles on
pans. Flip the parchment paper over so you
don't get the pencil marks on the bottom of
your meringues. I used 7 inch circles.
Separate egg whites, being very careful
to get no yolk in. I separate one egg white and then pour
it into the large bowl, one at a time to make sure I
don't get any yolk in. Place the whites in a bowl
that is clean from any trace of oil, or they won't
whip and achieve their volume.
With the whip attachment, begin whipping the whites.
Meanwhile, whisk the sugar and cornstarch together.
When the whites just get to stiff peak stage, begin
whipping in the sugar, a little at a time. This actually
goes pretty fast despite the amount of sugar.
When you finish adding the sugar, the egg whites
should be stiff and glossy.
Remove the whip and fold in the lemon juice
and vanilla.
Spread the meringue on your parchment paper,
almost to the edge of your circles.
They will grow a little so don't go past
the circles. You want the meringue about 3
/4 to 1 inch thick. If
you have any remaining egg white mix,
make individual rounds on
the empty spaces of your pan.
Bake for 2 hours at 200 degrees, then turn off the
oven and let the meringues rest in the oven, without
opening the door for at least 2 hours. You can leave
them in overnight if you want. Remove from oven
and let cool on pans.
Pavlova Filling
2 1/2 C. whipping cream
8 oz. softened cream cheese
1 C. powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
Beat whipping cream until stiff. Set aside
Whip cream cheese, sugar and vanilla together until
smooth and creamy.
Fold whipped cream and cream cheese mix
together.
Assorted fresh berries
Spring flowers for garnish
Carefully peel cooled meringues and layer
with filling and fresh berries. Meringues are
fragile, so handle with care and don't press
down on them. Garnish with fresh flowers
and mint if desire. Leave plain, or sprinkle
with a little powdered sugar.
The meringues will absorb the moisture of
the filling, so I would recommend putting
the pavlova together no more than an
hour or two before serving. (I made this
six hours before, and we lost a lot of the
fabulous crunch of the pavlova. It still
tasted great, but they had softened more than
I wanted.)
The meringues will crumble a little as you
cut them, but that is ok.
Right before taking it to the party, I decided
a little spring snow would be fun, so I
sprinkled it with powdered sugar. I don't really
know which look I like better. You decide.
Thanks for coming to visit.
Wish we could sit down with a slide of Pavlova
together!
Beautiful Jackie. You have decorated your Pavlova perfectly for spring. It is almost too pretty to eat. I have neve eaten Palvlova, so maybe it is time. Happy spring.
ReplyDeleteI forgot to say, I am loving your MK cake stand.
DeletePretty, pretty! I would hate to cut into it but I'm sure it was delicious and quickly devoured :)
ReplyDeleteThis is the prettiest Pavlova (often referred to as a "pav" in Australia) that I've seen. The pavlova is a source of friction between Aussies and Kiwis - each claiming that this dessert originated from their homeland!
ReplyDelete