A step-by-step guide to master the pavlova; a simple and beautiful special occasion cake from @natashaskitchen

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My husband and I have been married 11 years this month. Time, slow down! This is a very special anniversary for us. Our first child is 5 and will be starting school this year. We didn’t go out of town to celebrate but we did go out to our favorite fancy restaurant and then shared dessert at home.

If you want to surprise your spouse and make dessert extra special, you should try this loaded berry pavlova. It’s light, airy and filled with all the best summer berries. It is crisp on the outside and marshmallowy soft inside. A sweet end to a sweet day!

Let me start out by saying the pavlova is EASY. Meringue is neither complicated or time consuming. It takes some time to bake/dry out in the oven, but your oven does all of the work.

I’ll be sharing all of my tips on getting the correct consistency and provide step-by-step photos of the process to give you confidence to re-create the recipe or make your own variation at home
A step-by-step guide to master the pavlova; a simple and beautiful special occasion cake from @natashaskitchen

Ingredients for Pavlova Cake:

6 egg whites, room temperature (*see tip 1 below)
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
2 tsp corn starch
1/2 Tbsp lemon juice
1/2 Tbsp vanilla extract

Ingredients for Frosting:

1 1/2 cups cold heavy whipping cream
2 Tbsp granulated sugar

Ingredients for Topping:

4-5 cups fresh berries (blueberries, raspberries, small strawberries, blackberries..) ** see tip 2 below
1-2 kiwi fruit, peeled and sliced

Very Berry Pavlova Recipe-7

*Tip 1: Pavlova eggs will beat best when they are at room temperature. If you forget this step, place un-cracked eggs in warm water for 15 minutes to bring them to room temp.
**Tip 2: Keep berries dry and chilled prior to use.

How to Make a Berry Pavlova Cake:

Preheat the Oven to 250˚F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

1. Using the whisk attachment on your stand mixer, beat 6 egg whites and 1 1/2 cups sugar for 6 to 7 minutes on high speed, or until stiff peaks form. The mixture will be smooth and glossy.

Very Berry Pavlova Recipe

2. Add 1/2 Tbsp lemon juice, 1/2 Tbsp vanilla extract and 2 tsp corn starch and continue mixing another 15 seconds or until well blended. Transfer immediately to a large sheet of parchment paper and use spatula to form a 10″ round ring, making a deep indent in the center to accommodate the cream and berries later. The center will rise so make a substantial well in the center.

Very Berry Pavlova Recipe-8

Very Berry Pavlova Recipe-9

3. Bake at 250˚F for 1 hour and 30 minutes. Then turn off the oven and with door closed, let it sit inside the oven another 1 hour until cooled. You can keep it in the oven longer to cool since the oven will be off and you might have dinner plans ;). Remove pavlova from oven and let cool completely to room temp then cover and let stand in a dry, room temp room up to 2 days or assemble and serve right away.

How to Make the Topping:

1. Beat 1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream with 2 Tbsp sugar on high speed 2-3 minutes or until frosting is stiff and spreadable but don’t over beat or it will become buttery. (note: you can make cream ahead of time, then cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to use).

2. Just before serving, spread whipped cream over the pavlova and top with plenty of your favorite berries. Refrigerate leftovers. It’s best served right away.

Very Berry Pavlova Recipe-2

A step-by-step guide to master the pavlova; a simple and beautiful special occasion cake from @natashaskitchen

Berry Pavlova Cake Recipe

4.91 from 98 votes
Author: Natasha of NatashasKitchen.com
A step-by-step guide to master the pavlova; a simple and beautiful special occasion cake from @natashaskitchen
This pavlova is light, airy and filled with all the best summer berries. A sweet end to a sweet day! Meringue is neither complicated or time consuming. It takes some time to bake/dry out in the oven, but your oven does all of the work. It is crisp on the outside and marshmallowy soft inside.

Ingredients 

Instructions

How to Make a Berry Pavlova:

  • Preheat the Oven to 250˚F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
  • Using the whisk attachment on your stand mixer, beat 6 egg whites and 1 1/2 cups sugar for 6 to 7 minutes on high speed, or until stiff peaks form. The mixture will be smooth and glossy.
  • Add 1/2 Tbsp lemon juice, 1/2 Tbsp vanilla extract and 2 tsp corn starch and continue mixing another 15 seconds or until well blended.
  • Transfer immediately to a large sheet of parchment paper and use spatula to form a 10" round ring, making a deep indent in the center to accommodate the cream and berries later. The center will rise so make a substantial well in the center.
  • Bake at 250˚F for 1 hour and 30 minutes. Then turn off the oven and with door closed, let it sit inside the oven another 1 hour until cooled. You can keep it in the oven longer to cool since the oven will be off and you might have dinner plans ;). Remove pavlova from oven and let cool completely to room temp then cover and and let stand in a dry, room temp room up to 2 days or assemble and serve right away.

How to Make the Topping:

  • Beat 1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream with 2 Tbsp sugar on high speed 2-3 minutes or until frosting is stiff and spreadable but don't over beat or it will become buttery. (note: you can make cream ahead of time, then cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to use).
  • Just before serving, spread whipped cream over the pavlova and top with plenty of your favorite berries. Refrigerate leftovers. It's best served right away.

Notes

*Tip 1: Pavolva eggs will beat best when they are at room temperature. If you forget this step, place un-cracked eggs in warm water for 15 minutes to bring them to room temp.
**Tip 2: Keep berries dry and chilled prior to use.
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: Russian, Ukrainian
Keyword: Berry Pavlova Cake
Skill Level: Easy/Medium
Cost to Make: $$
Natasha's Kitchen Cookbook

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A step-by-step guide to master the pavlova; a simple and beautiful special occasion cake from @natashaskitchen

I hope you love this easy and wonderful Berry Pavlova Recipe!! 🙂

4.91 from 98 votes (26 ratings without comment)

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Comments

  • Nadia
    February 28, 2015

    Any suggestions on what temperature to bake and for how long if I want to make mini size pavlova??

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      March 1, 2015

      I do have a recipe posted for mini Pavlovas on my blog. That should help. 🙂

      Reply

  • Angela
    December 9, 2014

    I have a question regarding pavlova, why does it crack and instead of being fluffy mine sit down. I hope it makes sence? I baked it few times and sometimes it’s fine and others not. Need help. Thank you

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      December 9, 2014

      I’ve had mine crack before. It helps to let it cool completely before frosting it and you can leave it in the oven a little bit longer to dry it out more. The center of a pavlova is supposed to be soft so cracking is not unusual. You can always cover it up with frosting 🙂

      Reply

  • Tanya
    November 6, 2014

    Thank you so much for all of your hard work. God bless you and your baby.
    I like beze kind of style cakes and currently trying pavlova for the first time. Quick question what do u do with leftover egg yolks? Just curious, bc I never really knew that to do with them.
    I wanted to give this recepy a 5 but the phone didn’t let me. Sorry

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      November 6, 2014

      To be honest, I usually toss them unless I’m feeling really creative and ambitious. They can be used for creme brûlée or custard. 🙂

      Reply

  • Leah
    October 12, 2014

    Boccone Dolci — 3 layers of meringue, chocolate, shipped cream, and sliced strawberries with a peekaboo lacy meringue top layer.

    Reply

  • sveta khochay
    September 17, 2014

    im in it for the money hahahahahahaha

    Reply

  • Estera N
    September 16, 2014

    Chocolate cake or cheese cake for me 🙂

    Reply

  • Svetlana
    September 16, 2014

    This is a wonderful recipe.

    Reply

  • Stacey Roberson
    September 16, 2014

    Tweet: https://twitter.com/luckisattitude1/status/512042969378340864

    Reply

  • Stacey Roberson
    September 16, 2014

    Chocolate eclairs! My all-time favorite.

    Reply

  • Marcie
    September 16, 2014

    My favorite dessert is probably the 30th anniversary cheesecake from Cheesecake Factory. I wish I could claim it to be something I make at home, but it’s just SO GOOD!

    Reply

  • Lena
    September 16, 2014

    I love tiramisu and the cake rolls from your website. Yum!!

    Reply

  • Olga B
    September 16, 2014

    We love chocolate sour cream bundt cake 🙂 and your Pavlova looks delicious 🙂 so will try it next. Thnx a lot for this giveaway and the new recipe!

    Reply

  • Olga B
    September 16, 2014

    We love chocolate sour cream bundt cake 🙂 and your Pavlova looks delicious 🙂 so will try it next. Thnx a lot for this giveaway and the new recipe!

    Reply

  • Alla Yeremeyev
    September 16, 2014

    I love a few cakes and it’s Markiza, grafskie razvaliny and muraveinik.

    Reply

  • Liya
    September 16, 2014

    Cookies oreshki…

    Reply

  • Kimmy Ripley
    September 16, 2014

    That looks divine!
    My favorite dessert to make is rainbow cake! I have a 4 year-old daughter so she always gets a kick out of it when I make one. 🙂

    Reply

  • Olya
    September 16, 2014

    Love any dessert with meringue in it:):):)

    Reply

  • Tatyana R
    September 16, 2014

    My favorite cheesecake, and I did try almost all your dessert recipes, thank you for your nice recipes.

    Reply

  • kjasus
    September 16, 2014

    https://twitter.com/raggammuffin/status/511963740989038592

    Reply

  • kjasus
    September 16, 2014

    my favorite dessert is german chocolate cake

    Reply

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