Christmas Pavlova
This Christmas Pavlova is a show-stopping holiday dessert with a crisp meringue shell, marshmallow-soft center, and dreamy mascarpone whipped cream piled high with fresh raspberries. A gorgeous Christmas dessert!
Servings: 8
Ingredients
- 6 large Egg Whites
- 1 1/2 cups Granulated Sugar (super fine sugar, if possible)
- 2 Tablespoons Cornstarch
- pinch Salt
Mascarpone Whipped Cream:
- 1 cup Heavy Cream
- 8 ounces Mascarpone Cheese (or cream cheese)
- 1 1/4 cups Powdered Sugar
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Bean Paste or Extract
Topping:
- 12 ounces Fresh Raspberries
- Fresh Mint Leaves
- Powdered Sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 310 degrees. Start by ensuring your bowl is clean of any water or grease. Separate your egg whites from your egg yolks and ensure there are no egg yolks in the bowl with the whites. This is imperative to perfecting the ideal meringue. Room temperature egg whites work best.
- Whip the egg whites on high speed until soft peaks form. Begin adding the sugar a little at a time, whipping the mixture continuously. After all of the sugar has been added, beat for 3 minutes longer, until thick and glossy.
- Add in cornstarch and a pinch of salt and whip just until combined, about 5 seconds.
- Tear a sheet of parchment paper large enough to cover your baking sheet. Place an 8–10 inch bowl or cake pan upside down on the parchment. Trace a circle lightly with pencil. Draw a smaller circle inside (about 4–5 inches wide) to create the ring shape. Flip the parchment over so the pencil marks are underneath but still visible through the paper. This gives you a guide for even shaping.
- Add large dollops of meringue around the outer circle first. Work your way around in a ring, making sure the meringue touches between dollops so the wreath is continuous and stable. Aim for a ring that is about 3 inches wide evenly thick all the way around.
- For a dramatic, cloud-like wreath -- add another layer of meringue on top of the first ring. Gently swirl or lift the meringue with the back of a spoon or small spatula to create soft peaks.
- Carefully place in oven and immediately reduce heat to 250 degrees. Bake for 1 hour 10 minutes. Do NOT open the oven or the pavlova may fall. You want to be gentle with this dessert. Do NOT remove from the oven but just turn off the oven and let pavlova remain in the oven for 2 hours.
- Once the pavlova is done, gently remove from the oven.
- In a large bowl, whip the heavy cream, mascarpone cheese, and powdered sugar until soft peaks form. Fold in vanilla bean paste.
- Carefully spread the whipped cream mixture over the pavlova. Top with fresh raspberries. Dust with powdered sugar. Eat as soon as possible!
Notes
Can I replace mascarpone with cream cheese?
Yes—cream cheese works, but it will taste slightly tangier and a bit firmer. Mascarpone is creamier and more traditional with pavlova.
Yes—cream cheese works, but it will taste slightly tangier and a bit firmer. Mascarpone is creamier and more traditional with pavlova.
Nutrition
Calories: 489kcal | Carbohydrates: 65g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 24g | Saturated Fat: 15g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 62mg | Sodium: 66mg | Potassium: 134mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 59g | Vitamin A: 848IU | Vitamin C: 11mg | Calcium: 72mg | Iron: 0.4mg
