This simple pavlova recipe only requires 4 ingredients and is easy to make! This popular Australian dessert is perfect for entertaining, topped with whipped cream, fresh fruit or grated chocolate. Enjoy the crisp pavlova meringue and soft marshmallow filling.
SIMPLE 4 INGREDIENT PAVLOVA
As an Australian, I grew up loving pavlova as the go-to dessert for any occasion. I was also told it was a tough one to master but taught myself pretty early to make an awesome pavlova.
My simple 4 ingredient pavlova is pretty easy to master… But I’ve had a few disasters over the years too.
Once I made something that resembled a meringue pancake after my mixer died mid-mix. Eeeek!
Plus a super hot fan forced oven for 5 years meant everything cooking too fast so the inside was much more marshmallow than meringe – just the way my husband prefers it! But hello shiny new oven!
But when you’ve got a normal oven and a working mixer, it’s pretty hard to get it wrong!
This is a family favourite recipe alongside my no-bake cookies and cream cheesecake.
You may also like:
White chocolate crackles
Healthy chocolate rice bubble slice
Potato loaf
Greek yogurt fruit bark
Tips For Making A Pavlova
Pavolva is one of those recipes that many people avoid trying, for fear of failure, but don’t be scared.
If you follow a few simple steps, you are almost always guaranteed a pavlova the whole family will love!
There are keys to creating the perfect pavlova:
Slow oven (low heat) to get the signature crunch
Have a good electric mixer and mix until stiff & glossy
Use fresh eggs and be very careful separating egg whites to avoid broken shell
Leave to cool in the oven as sudden temperature changes can cause the meringue to crack
How To Make Pavlova
Make sure you do follow the ingredients list and instructions carefully. If you want a larger pavlova, double up your ingredients.
You can also use the mix to make mini meringues but will need to monitor the oven closer as they will cook faster than a full-size pavlova.
Pavlova Ingredients
5 egg whites
2 teaspoons cornflour
1 teaspoon white vinegar or lemon juice
1 cup caster sugar
Simple Pavlova Recipe
Preheat oven to 120 degrees Celsius. Line a round baking tray with baking paper.
Separate egg whites into a clean, large bowl and mix until soft peaks form.
Mix in cornflour, vinegar or lemon juice and caster sugar and beat until stiff glossy peaks form. This usually takes around 10 minutes.
Spread mix in a circle shape on a tray, using a spatula to create peaks around edges.
Bake in a low oven for 1 and a half hours or until dry to touch.
Leave pavlova in oven to cool, with the door slightly ajar.
Top with whipped cream and your choices of filling, such as fresh fruit, chocolate, or mint. My grapes and Cadbury flake mix was a little strange but did the job. Fresh strawberries is always a winner.
The printable recipe card with a FULL ingredients list and detailed instructions can be found at the bottom of this post.
If you are looking for another super indulgent treat check out these:
Oreo cheesecake slice
Oreo brownies
Mint chocolate slice
White chocolate crackles
Rum balls
White choc hot cocoa balls
White chocolate fudge
Classic chocolate slice
What is your favourite dessert?
4 Ingredient Pavlova
Yield: 10 serves
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour30 minutes
Additional Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 2 hours
Australia's favourite summer dessert, this 4 ingredient pavlova is sure to be a hit topped with cream and fresh fruit.
Ingredients
5 egg whites
2 teaspoons cornflour
1 teaspoon white vinegar or lemon juice
1 cup caster sugar
Instructions
Pre-heat oven to 120 degrees Celsius. Line round baking tray with baking paper.
Separate egg whites into a clean, large bowl and mix until soft peaks form.
Mix in cornflour, vinegar or lemon juice and caster sugar and beat until stiff glossy peaks form. This usually takes around 10 minutes.
Spread mix in circle shape on a tray, using a spatula to create peaks around edges.
Bake in a low oven for 1 and a half hours or until dry to touch.
Leave pavlova in oven to cool, with the door slightly ajar.
Top with whipped cream and your choice of toppings, such as fresh fruit, chocolate, or mint.
Notes
Pavlova work best with fresh eggs, taking care not to get any yolk or shell in your egg white mixture. Ensure you beat your egg whites until they are stiff, making it essential you use an electric mixer.
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Vinegar added to the meringue will lower the pH of the egg whites. This acidic environment will also help to stabilize the egg white foam, preventing the meringue from collapsing too much. The acidity helps to unravel the protein and prevent the proteins from binding together too tightly.
The acid will actually help stabilise your whipped whites too. That's why we add cream of tartar to our pavlova recipes. If you use a little more vinegar in the meringue, you'll encourage a soft centre and a crisp shell.
What's the Difference Between Pavlova and Meringue? Pavlovas and meringues are both made of whipped egg white, but a Pavlova has a delicate crispy exterior with pillowy soft marshmallow inside, while meringue is dry and crisp all the way through.
Powdered icing sugar (not icing mixture) is preferable to caster or granulated sugar. If you do happen to overbeat your meringue (which may end up looking clumpy and watery) you can try to save it by adding another egg white.
Sugar makes the pavlova mixture strong and stable, and is responsible for that super hard shiny crust. I found that as you reduce the sugar or increase the brown sugar (it has more moisture), the final result is a chewier, with a more fragile, shattery crust.
If you have accidentally added too much vinegar, bake the same pavlova again at 150C for half an hour. This will crips it up but also give it a slightly darker colour. Just before serving, whip the cream and spoon it onto the top of the pavlova, leaving an edge of pavlova.
Pavlova shell isn't crisp: is it humid? Pavlovas love to soak up moisture, so avoid making them on humid days. Egg whites won't whip: make sure your metal or glass mixing bowl is completely clean and dry, with no oily residue.
Our answer. Nigella's pavlovas, such as Lemon Pavlova (from SIMPLY NIGELLA), contain cornflour (cornstarch) in the meringue. The cornflour helps the meringue to stay soft in the centre, to give the contrast of crisp crust and marshmallowy interior.
It is also possible to use lemon juice or cream of tartar as alternatives. Both of these should be used in the same quantity as the vinegar, for this particular recipe 1 teaspoon. Cream of tartar is sometimes known as tartaric acid.
Acid. Whether it be vinegar, lemon juice, cream of tartar, or a combination, an acid will greatly improve the structure of meringue. Acid not only helps meringue whip up and aerate more quickly, it also keeps it stable. Without acid, meringue is more likely to collapse either during or after mixing.
If this is a concern to you then it is fine to use other types of acid for the meringue. We would avoid using malt vinegar or balsamic vinegar as they have a very strong flavour and could affect the flavour of the meringue. Lemon juice is an ideal alternative, or you could use cream of tartar.
Make sure your utensils and egg whites are free of any grease. Do not use parchment paper or a greased and floured baking sheet– the meringue will often stick to them. Use aluminum foil.
Transfer the meringue to a baking tray lined with aluminium foil. My mum has always used foil, she was making pavs before you could buy baking paper. I use baking paper for meringues but I found it is easier to get the pav off foil rather baking paper.
There are three main ingredients in a meringue recipe that interact to form the foam structure: egg whites, sugar, and cream of tartar or acid. The backbone of the foam structure is made up of proteins, amino acid chains. Egg whites provide the meringue with necessary proteins that form the meringue foam.
Named after the famous Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova, a pavlova is essentially a meringue cake made of whipped egg whites and sugar. It's perfectly light and crisp on the outside, ever so slightly chewy, and the middle tastes like a light, airy marshmallow.
They reckon Bert Sachse, a chef in Perth, Western Australia, created the dessert but his recipe is believed to date from around 1935. They also claim to have a Pavlova recipe dated 1926, the same year as New Zealand's recipe. However, the Aussie version has jelly as a base.
French meringue is the least stable of the three meringue types but the lightest and the most airy. It is often used for making individual meringues, pavlovas, and torte layers with the addition of ground nuts. It is also the type of meringue used to make oeufs a la neige (snow eggs) and sweet soufflés.
Introduction: My name is The Hon. Margery Christiansen, I am a bright, adorable, precious, inexpensive, gorgeous, comfortable, happy person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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