Chelsea’s Pavlova
This recipe is from my second cookbook, Everyday Delicious. Don’t be afraid of making a pav – they’re pretty easy if you understand a few simple things about them. And please don’t freak out and think you’ve had a fail if yours doesn’t look perfect – there’s no such thing, and I can tell you no two pavs are EVER the same (even in made in the same kitchen using the same recipe by the same person). Most crack, some weep, some sink a bit. Meh. Remember, whipped cream and fruit hides all!
Chelsea’s tips
- If you like a super-crispy beige coloured shell, have the oven preheated to 180c then change it back to 120c as soon as the pav goes in (you’ll get a few cracks with this method). I prefer to start at 120c, for a paler shell that’s still crispy.
- I used to think that old eggs should be used as they whip up better. Now I am of the opinion that while they may whip up quicker, old eggs are not as stable once whipped and when cooking. So I actually like to use fairly fresh eggs in my pavs these days! You live and learn…
- Bring your eggs out of the fridge a few hours before, as I find room temperature eggs whip up best.
- Use an electric beater, or a benchtop cake mixer with the whisk attachment.
- Use a metal or ceramic bowl to beat the eggs whites, not plastic. Plastic bowls hold on to the grease from things you may have had in there previously. Egg whites hate grease – it stops them reaching their potential volume.
- For grease-free utensils, dip a paper towel in some vinegar and wipe the bowl/whisk clean. Make sure all your utensils are scrupulously clean before you start.
- Keep the eggs whites completely free of yolk. To be safe, break each egg into a clean mug before it goes into the main bowl. That way, if you have a fail, you only ruin one egg instead of eight! Get any bits of shell out, too, using a clean spoon.
- Use caster sugar – it dissolves faster than standard sugar.
- Electric beaters and mixers can have pretty powerful motors – use a medium speed when you first beat the egg whites before the sugar goes in. Once you start adding the sugar, then you can turn it up to a medium-high speed.
- Leave the oven door shut while cooking, then cool the pavlova in the oven with the door closed. Don’t open the door at all as the sudden temperature changes can cause it to crack, and worse.
- Pavs can weep and collapse for different reasons – overcooking, undercooking, overbeating or not dissolving the sugar properly before cooking. Humidity can also affect a pav (there’s not much you can do if it’s raining or muggy). That’s why we don’t worry too much if there are imperfections. Love your pav for what it is.
- You’d be surprised at how much temperatures can vary in ovens, even the new ones – they can run hot or cool by a whopping 20c – so if your pav is under or overcooked or overcooked (and the rest of your baking tends to fail), this could be why! Invest in a good oven thermometer and check – then adjust your temperature.
- There’s a bit of a balance that needs to be achieved with a pav. You want all the sugar to be dissolved fully before the pav goes into the oven. However, you don’t want to overbeat the mixture either – it should take around 10 minutes of beating in total. The mixture, by the end, should be very thick and glossy, and free of traces of sugar when you rub the mixture between your fingers.
Ingredients
8 free-range eggs, at room temperature
1 ¾ cups caster sugar
2 tsp cornflour, sifted
2 tsp white vinegar
2 tbsp just-boiled water
Whipped cream to serve (they do plant-based whipping cream nowadays at good supermarkets – the brand is Flora)
Fresh fruit to serve
Method
First, read the tips above.
Preheat the oven to 150c regular bake (140c fan bake).
Set an oven rack below the centre of the oven. Line a baking tray with baking paper, use a little butter or oil to stick it to the tray and stop it swirling around. Use a dinner plate (around 25cm in diameter) to stencil a circle on to the paper – use this as a guide for the pav on later. Spray with a non-stick baking spray.
Place an oven rack just below the centre of the oven.
Separate the eggs one by one into a clean mug, then tip into the clean whisking bowl.
Start the beater/whisk on a medium-low speed and whisk the eggs whites until firm peaks form – this means when the whisk is lifted from the mixture, the egg white should form a peak which stays upright and curl over a little bit at the end, and the mixture will be shiny and moist looking. Careful not to over-beat at this stage – if you do, the sugar may not mix in with the egg whites properly.
Increase the beater speed to medium-high and start gradually adding the caster sugar to the egg whites – do this a tablespoon at a time, with the beater running, from the sides (not dumped in the middle), beating for about 10 seconds after each addition. This should take about 6-7 minutes. Scrape down the sides every now and then with a spatula to get the stray sugar granules.
Add the sifted cornflour and vinegar with the last spoonful of sugar, then continue to beat/whisk for another 30 seconds. Rub some mixture between your thumb and forefinger – you shouldn’t feel any sugar grit. If you do, keep beating for 20 second chunks until it’s smooth.
Lastly add the boiling water, and beat 15 seconds.
Scrape the mixture out onto the lined baking tray into the circle you’ve drawn. Use a spatula to smooth it into an even circular shape.
Make a series of smooth upward sweeps all along the sides of the pavlova. This helps give it structure and will help prevent it sinking or crumbling later on.
Place the tray on the rack just below the centre of the oven, leave for 5 minutes then turn the oven down to 120c regular bake.
Bake for a further 1 1/2 hours. Don’t open the oven door while it’s cooking. After the 1 1/2 hours is up, turn the oven off and leave to cool without opening the door for at least 3 hours. If you see a few cracks, this is totally normal, don’t fret. If you see a little bit of weeping, that’s cool too. No two pavs will ever turn out the same – even mine don’t. Just cover it with cream and you’ll be sweet.
Your naked pavlova can be kept in a clean, airtight plastic container for 1-2 days. (Not the fridge!)
If the outside has gone a bit soft by the time you want to serve it, you can crisp it up again for 15 – 20 minutes in a 150c oven.
When you’re ready to serve, decorate with whipped cream and fresh fruit – you can’t beat berries at Christmas!
Thank you for sharing this easy-to-follow pavlova recipe! I love the tips on egg freshness and temperature control. Can’t wait to try it for Christmas with some fresh berries!
Thanks x
Can you make several smaller individual pavs from the mixture instead of just one large pav?
Ive made this today for the first time, it looks great but it hasn’t crisped up on the outside at all. I followed the recipe, I have fan so had it set to 110 for 90 mins. I’ve got it back in at 150 to try crisp it a bit. Not sure if this is normal?
Hi Chelsea, about to try your pav but i’m a little confused as I think you say to preset the oven to 120C then to turn it down to 120C after the pav is in the oven for 5 mins. I’m presuming the turn-down relates to pre heating to 180C? Also, does the boiling water add volume, seeing as the sugar is hopefully already all dissolved ? Many thanks
Is all-purpose flour ok to use instead of cornflour? I couldn’t find it at the store and don’t have many options????
Made my first ever pavlova last night and it turned out great!
great news!
Hi Chelsea, just tried your recipe. It looked good when the cooking time was finished but now after leaving it in the oven I have checked it and it hasn’t gone crispy at all. It’s more marshmallow with a sticky crust. And it’s gone quite golden too. Any suggestions?
First time pavlova maker and I think it looks pretty good ???? Thanks Chelsea…Merry Christmas
Hi Chelsea, thank you for sharing this recipe, it sounds great! :-)
I wanted to ask, does this recipe often result in that lovely marshmallowy inside reaching the top of the cake, or does it tend to sink? I can only sometimes manage to get it to stay nice and high without sinking and creating a gap. Thanks!
Hello. Any recommendations on the cook temp and time if I cook as individual servings?
Hey there Chelsea, is it possible to do this recipe as mini pavalovas? What would the cook time be
How far in advance can the pav be cooked
You can cook the pav the day before, storing it in an airtight container. Do not assemble with cream etc until you are ready to eat it though x
Hi.
Do you have any tips on cooking a Pav in a fan forced oven? Mine only cooks on fan unfortunately
Thankyou
just turn the thermostat down by 20 degrees x
Hi Chelsea :-) I’m wondering if the marshmallowy meringue on the inside of the pavlova is very high and reaches the top in this recipe? I use a recipe that is the same as this but only 5 eggs and I’m just curious! Thanks :-)
Chelsea, I’ve been making your pavlova for the last few years now, I’ve used numerous recipes before and this is just perfect! So light and marshmellowy on the inside and it literally just melts in your mouth! Plus the height of it is amazing! I follow your instructions to a the letter and get a crunchy shell. It’s the only recipe I now use and have shared it around to friends. I constantly have compliments about my pav’s. Thank you for the perfect recipe!!
Lovely! x
Made this today for Christmas Eve dinner, first time making a pavlova, turned out beautifully! The only issue was it browned a little. I had the oven on 120 bake but it has a top element and bottom. Tuned it right down to stop the browning so will see how that tastes.
Hi, I’m a bit late to the party.
What size eggs are best? I only have size 6 and some extra small ones on hand. Should I use 1 or 2 more to make up the volume?
Thanks for the extra details.
Have just made this cooking as I type. I substituted custard powder for the cornflour coz that’s what my old recipe used. Very interested to see how this one turns out. I’ve been having trouble with pav weeping lately so fingers x. Every other recipe I’ve used of yours has been delicious so I’m feeling positive ????
I halved this recipe while keeping the cooking and cooling the time the same, and it turned out perfectly.
Can I cook two pavs side by side at the same time?
Hi Chelsea, this pavlova was delicious, but rather large. If I only want a smaller pav is it straightforward? Do I just halve the ingredients? And what happens for the cooking time? Thank you for your fantastic recipes.
This the recipe I have used for over 40 years, nearly a flop today, cake mixer has died tried to make it in the food processor, a flop, then made it using hand mixer, beat 30 seconds added sugar 30 seconds later added the failed thin pav mixture. Continue adding this eight plus times. Now have 8 mini pavs and a small ten inch one. The proof will be in the eating tomorrow.
Tried this for my very first pav and it was a great success – everyone loved it on Xmas day. Once again Chelsea has developed a winning recipe. Thanks so much!
Hey Chelsea. Just wondering if I can use this for mini pavs. If so, what timing would you suggest? Not so long?
Hi. Would this recipe be suitable for mini pavs? If so, what temperature and timing should I use?
Hi Chelsea, I usually make this pav for Christmas but this year we are doing only finger foods for dessert. Would it work if I make the mixture up and then divide it into smaller portions and reduce the cooking time? Thanks!
Hey Chelsea. I am looking to make this pav this Christmas, however I wanted to make mini pavs using the same recipe. What would you suggest as a cooking time for minis? Thanks heaps. Merry Christmas
First time making a pav; this recipe was a winner! Loved the ‘heads-up’ tips & the straight forward recipe. Tasty, mashmellowy inside with yummy crunchy outside. Demolished with people going back for seconds & thirds! Been asked to make another for Christmas now. Appreciate this recipe thanks Chelsea!
I made this pav three times over the course of three days, the first time it turned out to be delicious but I thought that I under beat the eggs because it was as flat as a pancake so I tried again the next day I under beat the eggs last time so I beat them for longer this time. It was then that I realized that I over beat them the first time and I over beat them even more the second time, after it got out of the oven it was twice as wide and four times as tall as my last pav, I’m not joking it was really big, if you want a huge pav and you don’t mind it being a little flat over beat the eggs a lot and that’s the resault. So third time I actually took the time to find out what a stiff peak looked like and the eggs were perfectly beat! I put it in the oven and was beautiful! Of course then my mother came into the kitchen and thought the oven was too cold when I’m reality I had purposely turned down the oven like it said to in the recipe, she turned up the oven and caused my pav to brown slightly giving small parts a slightly charred taste, but, as you said cream and fruit hides all! and everyone loved it! I will use this recipe in all my future pavs unless I find a better one, but why even look? The probability of finding a recipe as good as yours is very small and it would be very hard to find!
Everyone who tasted my pav wanted the recipe and gave me positive comments and it tasted great every time no matter how flat it was!
Thank you for this phenomenal recipe!!!
If I was to halve the recipe, would I change the cooking time for this too?
This pav is perfect! I had a never fail recipe but wanted a bigger pav and yours turned out perfectly. And so big I had to put it on a microwave turntable to serve, lol!
Now I need to look at maybe halving it to make it my new go-to pav recipe.
Made my first ever pav using this recipe and it came out perfectly
Hi Chelsea
I’m going to try your recipe but want to cook little pavlovas – for a grazing table – what do you reckon re cooking times??
I would like to make mini pavs. If I half the recipe and make into 4 small pavs what would you suggest the cooking time? Thank you
Hi Chelsea, I’ve been recommended this recipe by so many people! But I’d like to make mini, individual pavs. Presumably you don’t have to tweak the recipe at all to make several small pavlovas?
By far the best pavlova recipe I have tried (and there have been many attempts with little success) and this worked perfectly and tasted so Good! Thanks for always providing great easy to follow recipes ????
If I wanted to split this into two smaller pavs – what would the cooking time be?
Can you make single serve PACs with this recipe? And if so how?
I made this last night, thankfully cut into this morning before topping it. The inside isn’t cooked :( double checked the cook book and it didn’t mention fanbake so it was only at 110 maybe that’s why it wasn’t cooked enough. Is there any way to know if it’s cooked inside? The outside looked amazing. At least it was a trial run before Christmas but now I’m to scared to try again
Hi
What cooking time would you suggest if making individual ones rather than one big one?
I can’t wait to make this for my French friends!
Thank you Chelsea for everything you do,
Claudia xxx
How can I make the outside chewy rather than crunchy?
I have been requested to make a chewy pav. What makes it chewy rather than
Marshmallowy. Thank you
Hi Chelsea,
If I were to make this recipe into two smaller Pavolvas would this work? If so, what would the cooking time be?
Oops I only realised while the pav is in the oven I only put 3/4 cup sugar rather than 1 3/4 cup sugar. Be interesting to see how it turns out????
Hello Chelsea, I’d like to try your pav recipe but was wondering if it would work if I was to put it onto the tray before cooking in a wreath shape – would this still cook ok?
I aade this pavrecipe best recipe so far my family loved it
Hi Chelsea
Would this recipe work for 6 mini pavs? What changes to cooking time etc would you suggest for 6 small pavs?
Hi Chelsea, Can you make the pav the day before and then just serve it up the next day?
Well had a crack at this today and what a result!
Looks and tastes great! I’m no chef but have moderate success with a couple of pavs in the past but this surpasses them all!
Will be my go to recipe from now on