Enjoy the best of summer fruit in this delicious and easy Peach Pavlova with berries, topped with homemade vanilla whipped cream and drizzle of maple syrup. Check out the post for tips on successfully making the meringue!
Course Dessert
Cuisine Australian
Keyword meringue, pavlova recipe, pavlova with berries, peach pavlova
Preheat the oven to 280°F (140°C) or 240°F (120°C) if using a fan-assisted oven.
Place the egg whites, sugar and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer (see notes) and combine with a whisk. Place the bowl over a pot of simmering water, making sure the bowl doesn’t touch the water. Heat the egg white mixture, whisking constantly, until the sugar completely dissolves or it reaches 160°F (70°C). This can take up to 5 minutes. You can check whether the sugar is dissolved by rubbing some of the mixture between your fingers.
Carefully transfer the hot bowl to the stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat the meringue on high speed until stiff peaks form and it’s no longer hot to the touch. Depending on your mixer, this could take up to 10 to 15 minutes. After you’ve reached the glossy, stiff peak stage, turn off the mixer and add the vanilla, white vinegar and cornstarch. Beat for another 30 seconds until everything is combined.
Draw a 9-inch (23-cm) circle on a piece of parchment paper to use as a guideline. Using a little bit of meringue on the corners, stick the paper to a baking sheet so it doesn’t move.
Scrape the meringue into the middle of the circle and spread it with an offset palette knife, making sure to stay inside the circle as best you can. Smooth the sides and make a dip in the middle, then pull diagonal lines from bottom to top with an offset palette knife or a spoon, for decorative purposes. Alternatively, you can make rustic swirls or peaks.
Place the pavlova in the oven on the middle rack and bake for 60 to 70 minutes. It needs to be crispy on the outside, with just a touch of golden color. When it’s done, turn off the oven and leave the pavlova inside to cool gradually.
When the meringue is completely cool, carefully place it on a serving plate.
In a large bowl, beat the cream with the powdered sugar and vanilla, using an electric hand mixer, until it forms medium soft peaks. Fill the dip in the meringue with whipped cream, using a spoon. Add some maple syrup over it and top with peaches and fresh berries.
Serve immediately.
Notes
Pavlova is best the same day, but you can keep it in an airtight container in the fridge for a couple of days. However, it’s possible the sugar will start oozing out from the meringue due to humidity in the fridge.
When making any kind of meringue, make sure to clean the bowl and whisk with some vinegar and paper towels to get rid of any possible grease before whipping.
Don’t worry about the cracking outside, it’s normal and happens even when you do everything right.