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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.
Ingredients for Pavlova Cake:
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
2 tsp corn starch
1/2 Tbsp lemon juice
1/2 Tbsp vanilla extract
Ingredients for Frosting:
2 Tbsp granulated sugar
Ingredients for Topping:
1-2 kiwi fruit, peeled and sliced
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.
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.
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.
Berry Pavlova Cake Recipe
Ingredients
- 6 egg whites, room temperature (*see tip 1)
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 2 tsp corn starch
- 1/2 Tbsp lemon juice
- 1/2 Tbsp vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups cold heavy whipping cream
- 2 Tbsp granulated sugar
- 4-5 cups fresh berries, blueberries, raspberries, small strawberries, blackberries..** see tip 2
- 1-2 kiwi fruit, peeled and sliced
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 2: Keep berries dry and chilled prior to use.
I hope you love this easy and wonderful Berry Pavlova Recipe!! 🙂
Every time I make this it comes out flat.
It doesn’t have those nice tall sides. Tastes good. But I still think it’s wrong.
Should I be beating it for longer. I am following the directions.😫
Hi Billie, are you beating for the recommended time with a high powered mixer? Also, be sure the egg whites are at room temp or they take longer to beat. I hope that helps!
Start mixing slowly rather than on high?
We mix it on high.
Made this before and loved it. Was wondering if I could add some cocoa to this to make a chocolate version? Have you ever tried doing so?
I haven’t tried that but I’m definitely intrigued! If you test it out, let me know how it goes 🙂
Hi, if I double the recipe, what is the baking time then??
Hi Hanit, If you are planning to make 1 really large pavlova, I can’t really say without testing it that way myself. Sorry I can’t be more helpful, but you will have to experiment. It will be done when it’s firm to the tap on the outside.
how early in advice can I make the crunchy part? before putting on the frosting and serving?
It’s best if used the same day it is made because of the soft center. You can make it in the morning and leave it at room temperature until the evening and just before you serve it, add the cream and toppings.
Can you use wax paper instead of parchment?
It sticks pretty badly to wax paper. I would highly recommend using parchment paper.
Natasha I’ve attempted to make this recipe twice already and both times it has failed. Mine just isn’t as fluffy as yours. I don’t understand what more i need to add to make it easier to spread onto the pan. It comes on almost at a half liquid.
Hi Inna, if it’s liquid when you put it on the pan, that means you aren’t whipping your mixture long enough. Are you using a high powered stand mixer on high speed to whip your egg whites and sugar? Also, are you whipping until stiff peaks form? Are you baking right away without letting the unbacked pavlova sit on the counter too long? If it stands out of the oven for awhile, it can get liquidly at the base. Finally, are you changing anything about the recipe – substitutions? I hope that helps!
I followed the recipe to a T. The first time around I kept whipping for almost 15 min while adding more and more sugar because the peaks didn’t look like yours. And I am using a high speed mixer. Would it turn out differently if I whipped it by hand quickly?
Hi Inna, are you using a stand mixer or hand held electric mixer? Generally, the hand held ones take longer to whip and the stand mixer with whisk attachment is more effective in incorporating air into the egg whites. That is a really long time for the egg whites. Are you using regular egg whites at room temperature and not egg carton whites? Also, are you using granulated or organic sugar?
Hi, Natasha. My question seems silly but I will ask it anyway 🙂 how do you cut it without having each slice fall apart? Is there some sort of secret?
Hi Julie, I like to use a serrated knife so it slices through better without pressing down the cake. The slices still do fall apart somewhat if they are sliced thinner.
That makes sense. Thank you for your quick reply. I love cooking with your recipes. I have made a ton and NEVER have been disappointed 🙂
Hi Natasha,
Just wanted to clarify… Is 1.5 cup 1 and a half?
Looking forward to trying this recipe
I’ve made your berry sauce panna cotta and it was amazing!
Krystal
Hi Krystal, yes, sorry I used to write measurements like that until I changed to the standard measurements. I updated it to read 1 1/2 cups. Thanks for the wonderful review! I’m so glad you liked the panna cotta 🙂
One really important step to this recipe is to add the sugar GRADUALLY while whisking the egg whites PLUS you should add a pinch of salt to the egg whites before adding the sugar. This will make it stiff otherwise it will be too runny if you just add the 1.5 cups of sugar with the eggs all together. Most pavlova’s add a little vinegar too instead of lemon juice. (at least that is the traditional recipe).
Hi Natasha. I don’t know if you got my message or not, but do you bake your pavlova at the convection bake oven setting?
Hi Angie, I recall replying to that question but just in case, I do bake on the bake oven setting.
Do you use the convection bake setting whenever you bake this and other desserts?
Hi Angie, I don’t use convection settings for pavlova or any desserts because the bake time is altered drastically and I have to provide uniform baking times that work in most ovens. I’d be concerned about making pavlova on a convection setting because the center needs to form as well as the outside so quick baking might not be ideal. I haven’t tested it that way but those are my thoughts on it anyway 🙂
Natasha….i cant make a toping for my pavlova. All desaster..😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭please
Are you having trouble making the whipped cream? Are you using HEAVY whipping cream? Is it cold? How long are you beating it?
This cake is by far my favorite! I’ve made it 4 times within a year probably but everytime I make it, it seems to crack in the middle. I’ve tried different methods as to why it might crack but no luck 🙁 any idea what is causing it to crack?
Hi Natalie, since it is a delicate dessert, it’s pretty normal for it to crack under the weight of the berries and it’s more likely to crack depending on how many berries you add.
Hello Natasha
Do I have let it dry for 2 days ?
Hi Vika, no you don’t have to. It is dry after baking and ready. That is jut a make-ahead option. You can make it 2 days ahead if you wish but it will be ready once it is at room temp 🙂
Thank you Natasha
This recipe is so easy and delicious!! My mom and everyone who tried it really enjoyed it. I can’t stress enough how easy and delicious it is. I’m so glad I tried it!!
Anna, thank you for such a great review, I’m so happy to hear that 😁.
Do you beat the eggs and then add the sugar? Because my mixture would not thicken 🙁 I even added more sugar and nothing worked.
That seems odd because if you use the correct proportions it will thicken if you beat on high-speed. I am always happy to help troubleshoot. What kind of mixer were you using and what setting was it on? How long did you beat it for? Where your egg whites at room temperature? Was the bowl that you were beating it in clean and dry and free of any egg yolk?
Hi Alina. Pavlova can be fussy! Your bowl must be absolutely free from moisture or residue grease and your beaters must be perfectly dry. If there is just a trace of egg yolk in the mixture, it will not thicken. I always break each egg into a separate bowl to collect my whites, so in the unfortunate event of a yolk breaking, it will not contaminate the entire mixture.
Awesome tip! thank you so much!
After I wash the bowl I always wipe the bowl with white vinegar to make sure there isn’t any grease that could cause the egg white not to whip
Question.. why does my pavlova Ooze out suryp..and even with letting it dry put it sticks to the bottom and cracks and breaks.. and sometimes kinda hollow.. thanx
The center of a pavlova is not like a meringue because it is meant to be marshmallow soft and not fully dried out, but it also should definitely not be oozing. Are you using a conventional oven and baking in the center of the oven without opening the door too often to check on it (which can cause heat loss and and under-baked final product). If it’s oozing, I’d definitely recommend baking longer (not all ovens are created equal and some take longer to bake). For the sticking issue, do you make sure to cook it on parchment paper and NOT WAX Paper? Wax paper sticks to pavlovas and is not recommended. I hope that helps! 🙂
Hi as it, your pavlova oozes out syrup because the sugar is not thoroughly dissolved during the beating process. I recommend using castor sugar. Also, if you rub little of the mixture between your thing and finger prior to baking, it should feel absolutely smooth. If it is just a touch grainy, you would need more beating.
I am right now in the middle of cooking Natasha’s Very Berry Pavlova and I am a little annoyed that I misread the 250 deg F and put the oven onto 250 degrees as I have a gas oven. 12 mins in I have a lovely dark brown and almost black in places top to my pavlova. I pretty much use the internet alot for recipes be it savoury or sweet. It would be a kindness to at least put the other types of oven temperatures to match. In trying to resurrect the mistake I will most likely have to throw it into the compost bin and waste 6 whites. And the result is no desert so please add the matching temperatures albeit gas mark, celsius. Alot of cooks do do this and it helps when you are busy with kids, dogs and life in general.
Hi Louise, I’m sorry that happened to you! That is a major bummer! I only add the temperatures in Farenheight to reduce confusion since most of my readers have ovens that read in F. Otherwise someone might miss the F and set their oven to the Celcius measurement. I hope that makes sense. Thank you for writing in.
Also I don’t want my pavlova to be soft centered but more like maringue. Should I bake it longer?
If you want the cake to be crisp on the inside rather than soft, you probably should check out my Boccone dolce cake recipe. Those layers are crunchy rather than soft and the cake itself is delicious.
My pavlova is in the oven now.. so if I will be assembling it tomorrow I just leave it out without wrapping with plastic wrap or anything?
Hi Valentina, sorry for the late reply. You can leave it at room temperature and just loosely cover it with plastic wrap or a plastic bag once it is at room temperature.