Pavlova
January 26 is the official national day in Australia called appropriately – Australia Day. So I decided to cook a delicious meringue-based dessert with berries that’s especially popular in New Zealand and Australia. This cake was actually created in honor of the Russian ballet dancer Anna Pavlova. There are several versions of how and why this cake was created disputed between Australians and New Zealanders. According to one version, the dessert was created by a chef from Australia, for Pavlova’s birthday. Early on when Pavlova toured Australia and New Zealand, she stayed in a hotel where he worked and he created it in honor of her. In another version, the cake was created by a different chef from New Zealand, in honor of Pavlova and her tour.
But whoever invented this dessert, it really is amazing! Delicate, light and airy, so delightful and actually very easy to prepare. By adding the cornstarch, the dessert stays soft and delicate inside and crispy on top, which is not normal for meringue. You can decorate the top of this dessert with different berries and fruits, syrup, chocolate. In Australia and New Zealand they usually use strawberries for decoration. Its very important to not open the oven door when you are cooking meringues and decorate the cake just before serving.
More photos: here
Pavlova Recipe
By Published: January 24, 2016
- Yield: 8 Servings
- Prep: 10 mins
- Cook: 1 hr 30 mins
- Ready In: 1 hr 45 mins
January 26 is the official national day in Australia called appropriately - Australia Day. So I decided to cook a delicious …
Ingredients
- 5 egg whites
- vanilla
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 150 g (5.3oz) sugar
- 70 g(2.5oz) powdered sugar
- 4 tsp corn starch
- 1.5 cup heavy whipping cream
- 5 tbsp sugar for the cream
- berries and fruits for decoration
- mint leaves for decoration
Instructions
- Beat the egg whites with the salt and vanilla, gradually adding sugar and powdered sugar. Add the cornstarch last. Whipped everything for about 4-5 minutes.
- Lay baking parchment to a baking sheet and put 6-8 tbsp of beat whites with sugar in the center, flatten with a spoon in a circle with a diameter of about 22 cm, this will form the base of the cake. Then use a tablespoon to form the balls from the rest of the beaten egg whites.
- Put the cake in a preheated 110'C (230F) oven for an hour and a half, then turn off the oven and leave the cake for another 10 min there.
- Whip the cream with sugar, put it on top of the meringue, then decorate with berries and mint leaves.
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