Mother's Day :: Pavlova

It was Mother's Day on the weekend, and of course I celebrated it with my mum. As part of her gift I asked her what she'd like me to bake her. She wanted a pavlova. 

Pavlova's are kind of a tradition in our family. We have them every year on Christmas day for dessert and I LOVE them. Honestly, I was kind of excited she asked me to bake her one because they are sort of her thing. Here's the recipe I used so you can bake this amazing treat yourself.

Ingredients
- 6 eggs, separated
- 1 tbs butter
- pinch of cornflour
- 1/4 cups (270 grams) caster sugar
- 2 tsp cornflour
- 1 tsp white vinegar
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 300ml thickened cream
- pulp of 2-3 passionfruit
- pineapple, peaches, pears or the fruit of your choice

Method
Preheat your oven to 120 degrees celcius. Line an oven tray with foil and brush with melted butter and dust with cornflour, shaking off any excess. I like to mark roughly a 24cm diameter circle on the foil (this will help you when you are spooning the mixture onto the tray. You can also use a cake tin if you don't have an oven tray handy). Once you are ready to start making the pavlova, turn the oven down the 100 degrees celcius.

Use an electric mixer to whisk egg whites in a clean, dry bowl until soft peaks form. (Make sure all your equipment is really clean! Not like you're dirty or anything, but any hint of prior cooking will result in peaks that aren't too crash hot). Gradually add sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating well after each addition, until meringue is thick and glossy and the sugar has dissolved. I like to rub a little meringue between my fingers. If it's still "gritty" with sugar, then continue to whisk until the sugar dissolves.  Next add cornflour, vinegar and vanilla and whisk until just combined.

Spoon meringue onto the foil, using the marked circle as a guide. Smooth sides and top of pavlova. Use a small spatula to form little peaks around the edge of the pavlova. This will help the structure of the pavlova base and will prevent it from collapsing. Bake in the oven for 1-1.5 hours (it really depends on your oven) or until pavlova is golden. Turn off your oven and leave the pavlova IN the oven (Do not take that bad boy out as much as I know you want too. Trust me, I know!). Leave the door of your oven ajar and allow the pavlova to cool completely. When completely cold, transfer to a serving plate or store in an airtight contained until required. I baked my pavlova the night before and stored it in some tupperware until the next day.

Use an electric mixer to whisk the cream and icing sugar together in a medium bowl until firm peaks form. (If you whisk the cream too long it will curd, but you'll be able to tell when the cream is just how YOU like it). Now its time to decorate. Spoon the cream onto the top of pavlova and decorate it with the fruit of your fancy!

 

Here's a picture of the pav I made. I chose to add my mums choice of favourites: peaches, pinapples, pears and passionfruit pulp. The best thing about pavlovas is that even if your pav breaks and crumbles, it doesn't matter! You can hide it all beneath the cream and fruit, and it will taste fabulous anyway!

Happy Mother's Day to all the mummies out there.

♥ Katie Lou

KL