Pavlova Recipe (VIDEO) (2024)

FAQs

Why didn t my pavlova go crunchy? ›

The secret to a good, crisp pavlova is in the drying of the meringue after cooking. If there is a lot of moisture in the air, whether from humidity or even other cooking you are doing in the kitchen, you will have problems. That's why the “Pavlova Nazi” in me insists on no boiling saucepans during pav time.

Overbeating egg white breaks down the structure and the meringue is likely to collapse during baking. Beat until firm peaks form, then start adding sugar. If the egg white starts to separate or looks curdled, it's overbeaten and you'll need to start again with fresh egg whites.

Bake the meringue: Bake for 60 to 70 minutes for 1 large pavlova, or 50 to 60 minutes for mini-pavlovas. The pavlovas are done when the outsides are dry to the touch. The interior of a properly cooked pavlova should be marshmallowy. It's fine if cracks form in the crust.

Adding the sugar too quickly can deflate the mixture, which means you will have a less airy pavlova. If you mix in the sugar too quickly, then you risk adding too much air quickly, which can also destabilize the meringue.

The pavlova should be white or slightly beige in colour, crisp to the touch and soft on the inside. 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.

Egg whites are cooked at 80 C so we know that the baking temperature has to be above 80 C. If the middle of your pav doesn't reach 80 C the marshmallow is not completely cooked & it will not be stable. Too much unstable marshmallow, the pav will collapse & it will weep.

Use cornflour and vinegar as an insurance policy

If you've noticed that most pavlova recipes add cornflour and something acidic, often vinegar but sometimes lemon juice or cram of tartar, here's why: adding starch and acid creates a more stable foam and helps prevent several potential problems.

This is when there's liquid seeping out the pavlova, known as weeping. This can happen while the pavlova is cooling, and sometimes even when it's still in the oven baking. The reason a pavlova weeps is because of the sugar in the meringue, seeps out of the pavlova.

At the same time, you don't want to accidentally undercook your pavlova – especially since uncooked eggs are often responsible for food poisoning. To kill dangerous bacteria, including salmonella, the pavlova's spongy centre must reach temperatures above 72℃.

Don't open the oven door while the Pavlova is baking! If you must check the shell when the baking time is up, very quickly open the door and tap on the shell, then gently close the door straight away. The Pavlova must be left to cool completely in the oven, undisturbed.

Is baking paper or foil better for cooking pavlova? ›

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.

Use fresh egg whites. Old egg whites tend to collapse when other ingredients are folded in, and they don't rise well in the oven. Use eggs at room temperature. Cold egg whites tend to reduce meringue volume.

In the case of the meringues, adding the sugar at the start of mixing produced a cookie that was dull on the exterior, with a too-fine crumb within. The cookies made when the sugar was added at the very end had an overly airy texture (tasters compared it to Styrofoam) and a grainy consistency.

Our answer

If the meringue is a lot flatter after baking then it is possible that the egg whites were whisked too much. The extra air expands in the oven and can overstretch the cells of whisked egg white, causing them to break and the meringue to collapse.

‌Solution: Leave meringues to cool in the oven.

You can also use the oven to re-crisp soggy or stale meringues. Put them in at a low temperature for ten minutes.

In some cases, the recipe calls for a more chewy meringue. You did not beat the egg whites long enough to get stiff peaks (or violated one of the many rules of how to even get to stiff peaks (no cream of tartar, even a tiny speck of egg yolk or other protein in the whites, room temp whites)

So, meringue, if baked at too high a temperature, will lose its shape as air expands before the meringue is set. If your meringue has been taken off too early and isn't stiff during shaping, you will also see more movement. So, try to make sure that your meringue is at peak stiffness and glossiness.