Pavlova has become quite a traditional Christmas dessert in our household over the last several years. I am sure it is so for quite a lot of people, especially here in the southern hemisphere where it’s the middle of summer. Hot desserts just don’t seem to appeal as much. This Pavlova with Lemon Curd Cream and topped with fresh berries is one of my favourite versions. Even though I love making my own curd, on this occasion I wanted minimal effort so I used my favourite shop bought lemon curd.
It’s super easy to prepare the pavlova the night before and top it with the lemon curd cream and berries just before serving. Don’t forget a generous sprinkling of icing sugar to garnish.
Even though I’ve used a variety of berries for this Pavlova with Lemon Curd Cream, you can use any fruit you prefer. And if you’d like to make a passion fruit (granadilla) version, just substitute the Lemon Curd with Passion Fruit Curd and top with some granadilla pulp.
This Pavlova serves around 4 or 5. I have kept it quite small for my purposes, but you can easily double it if you’re making it for a larger group. Also, do not feel obliged to make this shape. I printed a simple Christmas Tree stencil from the internet and placed it under my baking paper to follow the shape when piping my meringue. But you can make absolutely any shape you like. Even if it’s just a circle. Just remember to give it a bit of a rim so that the cream doesn’t all squish off when adding the fruit.
Pavlova with Lemon Curd Cream
Ingredients
Pavlova
- 2 Large Egg whites Room temperature
- Pinch of Cream of Tartar
- 1 Cup Castor Sugar
- 1 tsp Cornstarch
- 1 tsp Vanilla paste, extract, or the seeds of one vanilla pod
- ¼ tsp White Vinegar
Lemon Curd Cream
- ½ Cup Fresh Whipping Cream
- ½ Cup Good quality Lemon Curd
- 2 Tbsp Icing/Powdered Sugar
Toppings
- Fresh Berries
- Icing sugar for sprinkling/decorating
Instructions
Pavlova
- Preheat the oven to 110°C. Line a large baking sheet with baking paper and set aside
- Separate your eggs and place the whites into a large bowl or the bowl of your stand mixer. Add the cream of tartar. Then using an electric hand mixer or your stand mixer, whip the egg whites until soft peaks
- Add the cornstarch to the castor sugar. Start adding the sugar to the egg whites, one spoon at a time while continuing to whip
- Once the sugar is incorporated, add the vanilla and vinegar and mix through
- When the meringue is at still peak stage it is ready
- Pipe or spoon the outline of your shape with meringue, then fill it in and even it out and reserve some meringue for the ridge/edge
- Pipe or spoon the remaining meringue to form an edge
- Bake for 1 hour, then turn off the heat but do not open the oven. Leave the meringue in the oven for 30 minutes with the door closed. Then place a wooden spoon or similar in the door to open it slightly and leave the meringue for another 30 minutes to cool down with the oven
- When the meringue is completely cool, gently peel away from the baking paper
- If making the night before, store in an airtight container
Lemon Curd Cream
- Whip the cream until stiff peaks, then fold in the lemon curd and sugar, taking care not to knock out all the air
- Just before serving, spoon the cream onto the pavlova and top with your choice of fresh fruit
- Sprinkle with some icing sugar and serve
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