Mini Pavlova Recipe - Meringue Dessert - The Cookie Rookie (2024)

FAQs

What's the difference between meringue and pavlova? ›

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.

My pavlova is soft and sticky/soggy (there is no crisp shell) Baking the pavlova on a high humid day can make it become soft and sticky to the touch.

It can also be used as a substitute for any dish that calls for egg whites beaten to stiff peaks, like meringue cookies, pavlovas, cream pies, or macarons.

Pavlova is a meringue-based dessert. Originating in either Australia or New Zealand in the early 20th century, it was named after the Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova. Taking the form of a cake-like circular block of baked meringue, pavlova has a crisp crust and soft, light inside.

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.

The cornflour and vinegar that is added strengthens the egg white and make it more stable and you get the marshmallowy centres from the shorter cooking time.

My pavlova is cracked

Basically, cracks are either a result of the air trapped inside the meringue inflating OR deflating. It goes both ways! The cracking can happen during baking as a result of a few things - air pockets expanding too quickly during the bake, forcing its way through the crust.

So although you have an air conditioned kitchen it could still have a fair amount of moisture in the air, even at a cooler temperature, and we suspect that this may be the reason that the insides of the pavlovas are sticky. Also in humid conditions the meringues will soften very quickly when stored.

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.

Pavlova meringues should have a crisp crust on the outside but a soft, marshmallowy centre. It is quite unusual for a meringue to have an "eggy" flavour and unfortunately this is usually an indication that the eggs are slightly stale.

Why is my pavlova like marshmallows? ›

The cornflour (cornstarch) in the meringue mixture helps to give the marshmallowy interior. If you wanted a chewier interior then you could try omitting the cornflour from the recipe.

It can be made with any sugar. One cup of superfine sugar or packed brown sugar is equal to 1 cup of granulated sugar; 1-3/4 cups powdered sugar equals 1 cup granulated. Superfine sugar may dissolve more readily and produce a smoother glossier meringue, but volume will not be as great.

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.

In its relaunched online edition, the OED says the first recorded pavlova recipe appeared in New Zealand in 1927. This was in a book called Davis Dainty Dishes, published by the Davis Gelatine company, and it was a multi-coloured jelly dish.

How to Make New Zealand's National Dessert, Pavlova. After a hearty meal, you need a dessert that will close the palate – something sharp and citrus sweet, with a fluffy texture, maybe with a bit of fruit, that doesn't weigh you down as you start to wash the dishes.

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.

But not all meringues are the same. There are in fact three major types: French, Swiss, and Italian. The distinction depends on how the key ingredients — egg whites and sugar — are combined and whether any heat is involved in the process.

A texture lover's dream come true, pavlova is made from egg whites that are slowly baked in a relatively cool oven. The egg whites take on a chewy-crisp texture on top, a soft marshmallow texture inside, and a crunchy crisp texture around the edges. That's three completely different textures in one single bite.

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.