Pavlova Recipe
4 Ingredient Pavlova Recipe where I share with you how easy it is to make, but not without a few very important details, helpful tips and suggestions.
Servings :8 servings
Ingredients
- 4 egg whites
- 1 cup castor sugar
- 2 teaspoons maizena
- 1/2 tsp cream of tartare
Instructions
Please read the notes below before starting the recipe.
- Preheat the oven to 150C and make sure that the rack is in the middle. We are going to lower the heat later. Line a baking tray with baking paper or use the loose bottom of a cake tin. Line it and place it on the baking tray. Set aside.
- Beat the egg whites using a stand mixer with the paddle attachment (medium-high) or use a hand held mixer. Beat till a white cloud of foam - soft peaks, takes about 5 minutes.
- Add the sugar. Pour it in in parts so a little at a time, this can be two, three or four parts but don't add it at one time. As you add beat until you've used all the sugar.
- Stiff peaks: Once the sugar has been added, increase the speed of the mixer to high and beat for around 2 minutes until the peaks are now snow white and stiff. Turn the whisk upside down, the peaks should be stiff and fall, if they do, keep beating.
- Fold in the ingredients Turn the stand/hand mixer off and use the clean spatula (the one you cleaned with vinegar earlier!) to gently fold in the Maizena and the cream of tartare.
- Prevent sticking: Dab tiny bits of your egg white mixture onto the pan just to help the baking paper stick to the pan.
- Shape the pavlova: Scoop your pavlova out of the bowl - very gently - onto the baking paper and start using the flow of your hand movements to shape it. The back of a spoon helps in getting those side lifts but don't be too pedantic! Its a pavlova not supposed to be perfect!
- Oven guideline: (middle rack as mentioned earlier) close the oven and drop the heat to 110 C. DO NOT OPEN THE OVEN AGAIN PLEASE. It will also cool down in the oven.
- Bake your pavlova for 1 hour 25 minutes. Don't open the oven but do turn the oven off and leave the door closed. No peeking.
The Big Reveal
- Open your oven door to peep inside and you can gently touch the top. Be gentle it's very fragile! The top should have a light feel to it not stiff.
- Close the door and leave the pavlova to cool down completely.
Notes
Prep Your Work Station/Ingredients and Equipment
- Use kitchen tissue paper and white vinegar to clean the bowl and spatula.
- Separate the egg whites form the yellow. Add the whites into the bowl that you will using.
- Use the bottom of a round baking cake tin and place it on a baking tray.
- The baking tray should preferably have very low sides so that you can shift the round cake tray off with ease when your pavlova is ready.
- Place a sheet of baking paper over the round bottom cake tin covering the entire rectangular tray
Making Pavlova
Egg whites: Use room temperature egg whites. If your eggs are cold: Take them out the fridge and separate the whites from the yellow. Then let them reach room temperature while you get the rest of the ingredients together. There should be no trace of yellow in the whites as this could hinder the results. Suggestion: Use the bowl of the cake stand that you will be using to add your egg whites in or a stainless steel bowl if using a hand mixer. This prevents the egg whites being transferred from one bowl to the next when it's time to whisk them. Baking the Pavlova: Be careful not to bump the oven door or heavy movements in the kitchen, while the pavlova is baking (don't start moving furniture around!)When To Stop Beating The Whites
Rub a little of the beaten whites between your fingers - if you feel no sugar at all between the fingers, you can move on to the next step but if you feel a little sugary grainy feeling between your finger keep going until its gone. Egg Whites: You beat only the egg whites, the dry powders are folded in with a spatula.Tips and Suggestions / Decorating
Carefully transfer your pavlova from the baking tray onto a cake stand. Be gentle but tag at the baking paper to pull it out from underneath. If it sticks to the paper, use a table knife to gently slide it in underneath to try and loosen the paper from the cake. It it gets a slight crack don't despair you can cover that up with the cream. Just try and be gentle. Mine almost always has a slight crack, simply fill the cracks or leave it be, that's the beauty of a pavlova! Decorate when serving (not hours before) with cream and fruit and remember to work gently even when adding the fruit. I find that the fruit will sink the pavlova in the center if overloaded but again, it's okay, enjoy it :) After you admire yourself as true hero of the kitchen which you are! Serve and be merry! Miranda, xx PS. I prefer using castor sugar because granulated takes forever in a day to dissolve! Also if you want castor and only have granulated at home, don't rush to the shop. Simple pour the granulated into a food processor and blend it into castor sugar. I use this theory in creating spice blends, if you have a grinder and the ingredient can be ground, grind it. Substitute cream of tartare for cider vinegar or lemon juice just as I did for my Mini Pavlovas recipe. Remember that once your pavlova is cooled, you can store it at room temperature for a day or two before decorating and serving, but it must be in a container with a tight fitted lid to prevent air from entering. Did You Make This Recipe?Post a pic and mention @anosmickitchen or tag #anosmickitchen!