New Zealand Pavlova

About This Recipe

Pavlova is New Zealand's most fiercely claimed national dessert, named after Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova during her 1926 tour of Australasia. The New Zealand version is characterised by its high, cloud-like structure, soft marshmallow interior, and generous topping of lightly sweetened whipped cream and sliced kiwifruit. The secret lies in the addition of cornflour and vinegar which stabilise the meringue and create that iconic chewy centre. It is an unmissable centrepiece at Christmas and summer gatherings.

Ingredients

Serves 10

• 6 largeegg whites, at room temperature
• 300 gcaster sugar
• 2 tspcornflour (cornstarch)
• 1 tspwhite wine vinegar
• 1 tspvanilla extract
• 500 mlheavy whipping cream
• 2 tbspicing sugar
• 4 largekiwifruit, peeled and sliced
• 200 gfresh strawberries, hulled and halved
• 1 largepassionfruit, pulp scooped out

Instructions

1. 1

   Preheat and prepare

   Preheat oven to 150 °C (130 °C fan). Draw a 22 cm circle on baking paper and place it pencil-side down on a baking tray.

2. 2

   Whip the meringue

   In a spotlessly clean bowl, beat egg whites with an electric mixer until stiff peaks form. Add caster sugar one tablespoon at a time, beating well between each addition, until the meringue is thick, glossy and holds firm peaks — about 10 minutes total.

3. 3

   Fold in stabilisers

   Sift cornflour over the meringue and add vinegar and vanilla. Fold gently with a metal spoon until just combined — do not overmix.

4. 4

   Shape and bake

   Pile the meringue onto the circle, spreading to the edges with a spatula. Create a slight indent in the centre for the cream to sit in and smooth the sides in an upward motion. Reduce oven to 120 °C and bake for 75 minutes.

5. 5

   Cool in the oven

   Turn the oven off and leave the pavlova inside with the door ajar for at least 1 hour or until completely cool. This prevents cracking.

6. 6

   Whip cream and top

   Whip cream with icing sugar to soft peaks. Spoon over the cooled pavlova. Arrange kiwifruit and strawberries on top and drizzle with passionfruit pulp. Serve immediately.

Variations

• •

  Replace kiwifruit with mango and raspberry for a tropical version.

• •

  Drizzle with melted dark chocolate before adding cream.

• •

  Mini individual pavlovas bake in just 25–30 minutes.

Storage

Untopped pavlova: store in an airtight container at room temperature up to 1 day. Once topped, consume within 2 hours.

Frequently Asked Questions