My hubby made this dessert for my parents and their guests once. The guest didn’t like sweet things and in general prefers salty things because he loves his alcohol. However, he tried a little bit of this dessert, fell in love with it and had not only seconds but thirds! Hubby also made it for my mom’s birthday this year and it’s always so yummy. Simple ingredients, sweetness that’s just right and fruits that make it fresh. Such a yummy dessert. And we won’t get into whether or not it was the Kiwi or Aussie that made it first. What exactly is it? It’s crunchy on the outside like a meringue but fluffy, light and marshmallow-like on the inside. The cool down process allows it all to be made without cracks in it so be patient when you make this delicate dessert!

Ingredients:

For pavlova:

• 6 egg whites, at room temperature in a large bowl
• 1 pinch salt
• 1 cup of super fine sugar
• 1 tsp vinegar
• 1 tsp vanilla essence
• 2 teaspoons of corn flour (we use rice flour)

For whipped cream:

• 2 cups heavy cream
• 2 – 4 tbsp sugar (you can adjust this according to how sweet you want the whipped cream to be)

Directions:

For Pavlova:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Measure the sugar and place to the side in a bowl.

3. Using an electric mixer, beat the egg whites until stiff or until peaks fold over.

4. Add sugar a teaspoon at a time, beating after each sprinkling until it dissolves completely. You should see peaks stand up when the beater is lifted up. Repeat this until all the sugar is incorporated into the egg mixture.

5. Sprinkle in the cornflour, vinegar, and corn flour and fold it in gently with a spatula.

6. Line a cookie sheet with baking paper. Spread the pavlova mixture into a circle keeping it as round as possible.

7. Place the pavlova in the oven then turn the oven temperature down immediately to 210 degrees F. Bake for an hour.

8. Turn the oven off and let the oven cool down naturally (don’t open the door yet)!!

9. After the oven has cooled off, open the oven door slightly and let it cool down even more. (This slow cooling process allows the pav not to crack so be patient!)

10. Carefully lift the pavlova onto a serving plate, decorate with whipped cream and fruits.

For whipped cream:

Pour heavy cream and sugar into a bowl and beat until cream is thicker. It should peak at when the beater is taken out but should not be clumpy or it’ll be hard to spread over the Pavlova. We like the cream not to be too sugary, so we use 2 tablespoons but if you want it sweeter, use more!