Berry Pavlova with Whipped Cream
A crisp meringue shell hiding a marshmallow center, piled with cream and whatever berries are ripest.
- Serves
- 6
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 1 hr 30 min
- Written
Method
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Preheat the oven to 250°F and trace a 9-inch circle on a sheet of parchment, then flip it ink-side down on a baking sheet.
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Beat the egg whites on medium speed until foamy, then raise to high and beat until they hold a soft peak.
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Add the sugar a tablespoon at a time, beating well between additions, until the meringue is thick, glossy, and holds a stiff peak when the beater is lifted.
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Sift the cornstarch over the meringue, add the vinegar and vanilla, and fold in just until combined.
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Mound the meringue inside the traced circle, building the edge slightly higher than the center to cradle the cream later.
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Bake until the outside is dry, pale, and lifts cleanly off the parchment, about 1 hour 15 minutes.
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Turn off the oven and leave the pavlova inside with the door shut for at least 1 hour, until fully cool.
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Whip the cream with the powdered sugar to soft peaks just before serving.
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Spoon the cream over the cooled meringue and scatter the berries and mint on top.
Notes
The center should still give like a marshmallow when you cut into it — that’s the cornstarch and vinegar doing their job, not an underbaked meringue. If it comes out chewy all the way through instead of shattering at the edge, the oven ran a touch hot.
Bake and cool the shell a day ahead and keep it somewhere dry; humidity is what turns a crisp pavlova sticky overnight. Don’t add the cream and fruit until the last possible minute, since the moment they touch the meringue it starts to soften.