CHRISTMAS PAVLOVA
The holiday season has begun and it’s time to start planning our Christmas menus. When it comes to dessert, I just can’t go past a marshmallow-filled Pavlova and my Mini Christmas Pavlovas are the perfect dessert for holiday entertaining! Top them with white chocolate cream, a boozy raspberry sauce and pistachios for a fun, festive vibe. Then serve on the most beautifully stylish Pavlova Platter to create a crowd-pleasing dessert this Christmas.
This post is sponsored by Minimax, one of my favourite kitchen and homewares stores that offers a stylishly curated range of everything you’ll need for entertaining this holiday season. Thank you for supporting the brands that support Apple Cake Annie.
Mini Christmas Pavlovas
When I was asked to create an easy Christmas dessert recipe for Minimax, Pavlova was the first thing that came to my mind. It’s the ultimate easy Christmas dessert and it’s always a crowd pleaser! And when you serve Mini Pavlovas, there’s no messy slicing…plus everyone gets their own spectacular show stopping dessert!
Is Pavlova a Christmas Dessert?
In Australia, Pavlova has to be one of the most popular desserts for Christmas. That fluffy marshmallow centre and crispy meringue shell makes a deliciously light dessert that is perfect for our summer weather. To be honest, I can’t remember a Christmas without Pavlova! Plus my Pavlova recipe is super simple to make, with plenty of tips for creating the perfect Pavlova, so you can’t go wrong!
See how to make a Pavlova
Ingredients for Christmas Pavlovas
- Egg whites: use room temperature egg whites, which are easier to whip
- Caster sugar/Superfine sugar: is more readily absorbed into the egg whites than regular sugar
- Cream of tartar: can be substituted with white vinegar and is used to stabilize the egg whites
- Heavy cream and White chocolate: make the white chocolate cream
- Frozen raspberries and sugar: for the sauce
- Chambord Framboise or Grand Marnier: for the optional boozy sauce (can be omitted for a regular raspberry sauce)
- Fresh raspberries and unsalted pistachio kernels: to decorate
Faults in Pavlovas (and how to avoid them)
Egg whites not whipping: make sure your metal or glass mixing bowl is completely clean and dry, with no oily residue. And be sure that there’s no egg yolk present in your whites -these will all prevent your egg whites from whipping. Cold egg whites can also be harder to whip up to a nice foam.
Pavlova has discoloured or turned brown: check your oven temperature and know where your oven’s hot spots are, by using an oven thermometer.
Pavlova shell isn’t crisp: is it humid? Pavlovas love to soak up moisture, so avoid making them on humid days.
Pavlova has cracked: it’s not uncommon for pavlova to have some cracking, but to avoid it collapsing, be sure to allow the pavlovas to cool completely before opening the oven door.
Pavlova is weeping: cooked pavlova will “weep” a sugary syrup when the sugar hasn’t been completely dissolved. You can prevent this by:
- don’t overwhisk your egg whites: keep the mixer speed on med to medium-high. If you over whisk the egg whites, they will become grainy, lose their structure and not able to hold the sugar
- use caster sugar: (superfine sugar), not regular sugar, as the granules are too large and will take too long to incorporate into the egg whites
- avoid making Pavlovas on humid days: I know it’s a pain and Pavlovas are a bit temperamental this way, but Pavlovas love to absorb moisture. On humid days, they will soak up moisture, weep and collapse.
How to Decorate and Style Pavlova for Christmas
If you know me, you know I love simplicity! Nothing too fussy, which is why I love to serve my Mini Christmas Pavlovas on a simple white platter. With fresh raspberries and pistachios topping the Pavlovas, there’s plenty of colour and festivity, so keep it simple. A dollop of white chocolate cream, with a sprinkling of berries and pistachios. And if I’m feeling extra festive, I’ll add a little gold leaf, but let’s not get too carried away….
Storing your Pavlova for Christmas
Pavlovas are best eaten within 24 hours of baking and soon after they are decorated. You can make your Pavlovas and leave them to cool in the oven overnight, or you can store cooled, undecorated Pavlovas in an airtight container. I like to decorate my Pavlovas just before everyone arrives for lunch, or sneak it in between courses. Once decorated, they can be stored in the fridge until you’re ready to serve, but are best eaten that day.
I know you’re going to enjoy this super easy, but oh so festive Christmas Pavlova recipe! Seriously, it needs to go to the top of your Christmas dessert list, because everyone will love it! Be sure to pin it, save it and share it with everyone you love.
Happy baking, friends!
Christmas Pavlova
Ingredients
- 4 Egg whites room temperature
- 1 cup Caster sugar
- ¼ tsp Cream of tartar
White Chocolate Cream
- 125 ml Heavy cream
- 80 g White chocolate
Raspberry Sauce
- ¼ cup Sugar
- 2 tbsp Water
- 125 g Frozen raspberries defrosted
- 1 tbsp Chambord Framboise raspberry liqueur, can be substituted with Grand Marnier, or omitted
Decoration
- Fresh raspberries
- Pistachio kernels unsalted and partially chopped
Instructions
Make the White Chocolate Cream
- Place half of the cream and all of the chocolate in a microwave safe bowl and heat on 50% for 1 minute
- Stir the chocolate and cream vigorously, then heat again on 20 second bursts, until mixture is smooth.
- Cover mixture with plastic wrap (touching the surface). Cool to room temperature and then place in the fridge overnight
- When ready to decorate the Pavlovas, whisk the chocolate mixture on medium-high until fluffy
- Add the remaining cream and continue to whisk until thickened
Pavlovas
- Preheat oven to 120°C/110 Fan/250°F
- Line 2 baking trays with baking paper -use a little of the pavlova mixture to "glue" the corners down
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk the egg whites and cream of tartar on medium speed until it forms soft peaks
- Gradually add the sugar, one tablespoon at a time, whisking for 30 seconds between additions
- Using a large ice cream scoop, place 2 scoops onto the baking sheet, repeating to make 10 pavlovas
- Use an offset spatula or butter knife to push down lightly, then smooth to form pavlovas into circles. Using the offset spatula, swipe up diagonally to form grooves
- Bake for 1 hour, then turn off the oven and leave to cool completely in the oven (you can quickly check to see if the pavlovas are ready -if they're a little sticky, continue to cook for another 10 minutes)
Raspberry Sauce
- Place the defrosted raspberries, sugar and water in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer. Simmer for 5 minutes, until slightly thickened
- Place a mesh sieve over a bowl, then push the raspberry mixture through the sieve and discard the seeds
- Optional stir through the Chambord
- Allow to cool before using
- Just before serving, dollop the White Chocolate Cream onto the Pavlovas and decorate with fresh berries and pistachio kernels. Drizzle with the Raspberry sauce
Notes
- Raspberry sauce can be made in advance. It will keep in the fridge for 2 weeks
- Oven temperatures are low for baking Pavlovas and ovens can vary -I use an oven thermometer to check the temperature of my oven before baking
- Raspberry liqueur is optional in the sauce and can me omitted. Add a little extra water if the sauce is too thick
- The white chocolate cream is partly prepared the night before, so allow time for that.
- White chocolate cream pairs beautifully with raspberries, but can be replaced with Chantilly Cream for a quicker and easier alternative
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