With the weather heating up we thought it was the right time to turn to an Australian classic, the Pavlova Meringue
Ingredients
For the Pavlova Meringue
• 6 egg whites
• 1 ¾ cup caster sugar
• 1 heaped tsp corn flour
• 1 tsp vinegar
• 1 tsp vanilla essence
For the Whipped Cream
• 400 g thickened cream
• ⅓ cup caster sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla essence
Optional Toppings
• 1 punnet strawberries
• 1 kiwifruit
• 1 banana
• 1 passionfruit
• icing sugar (to dust)
Instructions
1. First up, preheat your oven to 150˚ Celsius and line your tray with baking paper.
2. Pop your egg whites into the KitchenAid mixing bowl and attach the whisk.
3. Start by whipping the egg whites on Speed 2 then move through to Speed 4 after a couple of minutes. When the egg whites turn into bubbly soft peaks, up the speed to 6 and add the sugar and cornflour, then increase to Speed 8 for 10 – 12 minutes until you’ve got yourself a luxuriously smooth, glossy meringue mixture.
4. Now bring the speed right down to 4 and pour in the vinegar and vanilla essence. You might need to scrape down the meringue from the sides of the bowl every now and again with a spatula to make sure it mixes through. Let it mix for 1 minute then switch off your KitchenAid.
5. Now scoop out your meringue mixture onto the lined baking tray and form a flat circle shape. Smooth it out or get creative with twists and twirls. Pop in the oven and bake for between an hour to an hour and a half until the meringue has set into a crunchy, crispy outside with a soft golden glow. When cracks start to appear on the top, you’re ready to go. Switch off the oven and allow the pavlova to cool in the oven with the door slightly open.
6. While the pavlova is cooling, pour your cream into your cleaned KitchenAid bowl and pop it in the freezer for 10-15 minutes. When your pavlova is cool, place the bowl back on your KitchenAid and whip the cream on Speed 6 – 8. Add in the sugar and vanilla essence and continue to whip until the cream thickens and holds a nice shape.
7. Top your cooled pavlova with whipped cream and sliced fruit, and dust with icing sugar.
Recipe Courtesy of Wandercooks
