Pavlova Part 1: Testing the recipe

it's my sister's birthday party and i promised her that i'll bake her a birthday cake. this is my first attempt at baking a pavlova so i thought it'd be safe to do a test run to test the recipe. as i sit here typing this, i am trying my best to contain my excitement. i have three mini pavlovas sitting in the oven that are begging to be smothered in whipped cream and topped with strawberries and eaten. in a little less than an hour, i will be sinking my teeth into the crispy crunch shell of fresh homemade pavlova to get to the soft marshmallow inside. yum!

whenever i get a craving for pavlova, i usually pop into my favourite neighbourhood cafe for a slice and it's fifteen bucks a pop! some days i have to pay more because one slice isn't enough to fulfill my insatiable pavlova craving. so yes imagine my joy when i discovered how cheap and easy it is to make my own pavlova!

the pavlovas are done! they were a little sticky and chewy. i think it's because i didn't beat the egg whites and sugar well enough and the sugar didn't dissolve properly :( i managed to save them by into the oven for an extra 30 minutes and they were turned out lovely! I topped them with whipped cream, strawberries and some melted belgium chocolate. delish! :)

Tips that i found useful:

#1 make sure your whisk and bowl is dry and squeaky clean

#2 separate your eggs when they are still cold and allow the egg whites to rest for half an hour (or until they are at room temperature) before making your pavlova

#3 make sure you add in the sugar a tablespoon at a time to make sure all the sugar is incorporated into the egg whites otherwise your pavlova will turn out sticky and chewy (i made this mistake!)

#4 leave the meringue to cool in the oven with the door slightly ajar. if you remove the meringue when its still too warm it will cool too quickly and may crack and collapse.

Makes 6 mini pavlovas or 1 giant pavlova

(I only used half the recipe to make 3)

Ingredients:

Pavlova

4 large egg whites

200grams of castor sugar

1/2 teaspoon of vanilla essence

1 teaspoon of white wine vinegar

1/2 tablespoon of cornstarch

Topping:

Whipped Cream

Strawberries

Melted chocolate

Method

1. preheat oven to 150C

2. draw three circles on a piece of baking paper (i used a bowl as a guide) and place it on a baking tray with the circles on the reverse side.

3. beat egg whites on medium speed until they hold soft peaks.

4. slowly add in sugar, a tablespoon at a time until the meringue holds very stiff and shiny peaks.

5. beat in vanilla extract and fold in vinegar and cornstarch into the mixture with a rubber spatula

6. spread the mixture on the baking paper. make sure the mixture is within the circle.

7. bake for 1.5 hours. the pavlova is cooked when it turns a pale beige colour. turn the oven off and let the pavlova cool in the oven for 1-2 hours.

8. serve pavlova with whipped cream and strawberries.