An Australian classic, this is like a meringue cake but the centre is very moist. It’s really important to follow the cooling-down process.

Preparation Time

10 minutes

Cooking Time

30 minutes

Ingredients (serves 8 )

• Pavlova base
• 4 large egg whites
• Pinch salt
• 1 tsp vanilla essence
• 220g (1 cup) caster sugar
• Topping
• 400mls thick cream
• 500g (2 punnets) strawberries, hulled
• 4 passionfruit
• 4 kiwifruit (Chinese gooseberries)
• Mango or peach slices, drained.
• Icing sugar, to serve

Method

1. To make the pavlova base, preheat the oven to 120°C. Use a 20cm round cake pan as a guide to trace a circle onto a piece of non-stick baking paper. Place paper, pencilled-side down, on a baking tray.
2. Whisk the egg whites and the salt in a large mixing bowl with electric beaters until soft peaks form. Add the vanilla and then gradually add the caster sugar, a spoonful at a time, whisking well after each addition until the sugar dissolves, Whisk the mixture until thick and glossy. Spread the meringue mixture over the prepared baking paper using the marked circle as a guide for the base. Reduce oven temperature to 100°C and cook for 1.5 hours. Turn off the oven and allow the base to cool in the oven with the oven door very slightly ajar.
3. For the topping, spread cream over the pavlova base. Place whole strawberries around the edge of the base to form a border. Slice the remaining fruits and arrange over the cream. Cut the passionfruit in half and scoop out the pulp over the fruit.

Notes:

It’s very important to allow the base to cool in the oven or the base will cool too quickly and will crack. Some cracking and possibly even some honey-like syrup will happen anyway. The best way to prevent too much cracking is to make sure the sides of the pavlova are smoothed straight before cooking.

Pavlova is like a meringue and some recipes call for the addition of cornflour and cream of tartar, to give the pavlova more ‘chew’. However, this can make the otherwise very light pavlova less ‘melt in the mouth’. Any sweet fruit will do for the topping, as long as it’s been quite well drained. If fresh fruit isn’t available you can make a thick sauce by adding a little water and or liqueur (Grand Marnier, Benedictine, etc) to a good quality jam (or jams). You can make wedges in the cream and fill alternate ones with different jams. Add a few chocolate curls at the end.

Not suitable to freeze or microwave. Best kept in a refrigerator and eaten within 3 days.