Our Strawberry Pavlova recipe really is the star of the snow! ❄️🍓 This dessert will go down a treat this Christmas!
Preheat oven to 150°C/130° fan assisted. Trace a 20cm (8inch) circle onto the back of a piece of parchment paper with pencil, then flip it over and place on a large baking sheet.
To make the meringue, whisk egg whites on a low speed with electric mixer until they’re looking frothy.
Increase speed slightly and start to add the sugar slowly, about a tablespoon at a time.
Keep whisking, increasing the speed over time, as you add the sugar, until you have thick and glossy peaks.
Make sure the sugar has been completely dissolved by rubbing a little bit of meringue between your thumb and finger, if you can feel any grains of sugar, continue whisking until meringue has a smooth texture.
Add the cornflour, vinegar and vanilla, whisk until combined.
Dab a small bit of meringue on the corners of the baking sheet under the parchment paper so that the paper sticks.
Spoon meringue onto the parchment paper and use a spatula or large spoon to spread meringue within the traced circle, shaping it into a tall mound, keeping the sides tall and vertical so that it doesn’t spread outwards. Smooth the top then create a slight dip making a shallow bowl to hold the toppings once baked.
Bake in pre-heated oven for 10 minutes, then reduce heat to 110°C/90°C fan assisted and bake for a further 1 hour – 1 hour 15 minutes.
Turn off oven, leaving the meringue inside, and leave to cool gently for at least 4 hours. You can leave it overnight if you want to make it the day before.
Once completely cold, carefully run a large sharp knife or cake spatula under the parchment to loosen the meringue from it. Carefully transfer meringue to a serving dish.
Whisk together cream, icing sugar and vanilla in a large bowl just until medium peaks. Be careful not to overbeat!
Spoon cream on top of meringue then pile high with strawberries, dust lightly with icing sugar if desired.