Four egg whites become a crisp shell with a soft middle in this Hairy Bikers pavlova, so the texture is the whole point. Mums Still Know Best serves six with cream and berries, at about 530 calories in two and a half hours.
“Is it from New Zealand? Is it from Australia? Who cares? It tastes great!” jokes the book. The argument ends there, because the nest just holds softly whipped cream and heaps of your favourite fresh fruit.
One habit decides the shell, because the sugar goes in just a spoonful at a time. Rushing knocks the air out, while patience builds a meringue that is stiff, shiny and strong enough to carry all the fruit.
Hairy Bikers Pavlova Recipe
Description
One big meringue nest shaped inside a drawn 25cm circle, so the size comes out right every time. Once it cools, softly whipped cream fills the centre, then strawberries, raspberries and blueberries pile on with passion fruit if you fancy it.
Ingredients
For the meringue
For the filling
Instructions
- Whisk the whites: Preheat the oven to 150°C/Gas 2, then whisk the egg whites in a large grease-free bowl until stiff but not dry. They are ready when you can turn the bowl upside down without them sliding.
- Build the meringue: Whisk in the sugar just a tablespoon at a time, with a few seconds of whisking between each addition. Finally whisk in the vanilla and cornflour until well combined.
- Shape the nest: Draw round a 25cm dinner plate on baking parchment, then flip the paper onto a tray held down with dabs of meringue. Spoon the meringue inside the circle and shape a nest with soft peaks rising at the sides.
- Bake and cool: Bake in the centre of the oven for 1 hour until lightly coloured and crisp outside, turning the heat down if it browns too fast. Turn the oven off and leave the meringue inside for another hour, then cool completely.
- Fill and finish: Up to 2 hours before serving, whip the cream to soft peaks and spoon it into the nest. Pile on the berries, scrape over the passion fruit pulp, then finish with mint and a dusting of icing sugar.
- The chewy option: If you prefer a chewier meringue, the book says to bake for around 2 hours instead, then leave it in the switched-off oven for 1 hour before cooling.
FAQs
How do they make the spiced plum and cherry pavlova?
That is the famous one from British Classics, and its meringue is different from the start. A teaspoon of cinnamon mixes into 250g of sugar, which whisks into five egg whites before a teaspoon of vinegar folds through.
The 100g of dried cherries simmer in 100ml of kirsch until plump, so they drink the liqueur. The plums then poach in 200ml of red wine with orange juice, brown sugar and whole spices until their skins fall away, and a couple of spoonfuls of that spiced syrup finish the cream.
Which pavlova do they make at Christmas?
Their Perfect Christmas book goes tropical, with coconut, mango and passion fruit on top. The book says the combination is exactly what they find comforting and hugely delicious.
One warning comes with it, because coconut essence is strong stuff. Go gently, since too much takes over the whole meringue.
What other fruits do their pavlovas use?
A lemon and blueberry version appears in two of their books, which tells you how much they rate that pairing. There is even a Black Forest pavlova in their Chicken & Egg book, and a summer berries one in Veggie Feasts.
This recipe itself invites swapping, since the book says to use heaps of your favourite fresh fruit. For strawberries and cream in cake form instead, their victoria sponge fills with the same pairing.
Can I make this pavlova bigger?
The 25cm nest here serves six, while their plum version stretches to eight from five egg whites, so scaling the whites up is how they do it themselves. Keep the same slow sugar rhythm whatever the size, because bigger meringues collapse from the same rushing.
A larger pavlova also needs its full cooling hour in the switched-off oven. Cutting that short cracks the shell, since sudden temperature change is what breaks meringue.
How far ahead can I make a pavlova?
The bare meringue holds its crispness for 6 to 8 hours, which is the book’s own limit, and the cream should only go in within 2 hours of serving. Any earlier and the moisture starts softening the shell from the inside.
So this is a same-day dessert, built for occasions rather than leftovers. If you want a pudding that actually improves by waiting, their sticky toffee pudding gets stickier over two days.
