Strawberry Pavlova

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Sweet, light, creamy, and topped with fresh strawberries, this Strawberry Pavlova is such a wonderful and unique dessert to have this spring!

Love meringue? Try my Lemon Meringue Cheesecake while you’re at it!

Strawberry Pavlova | What is Pavlova?

But wait, what is Pavlova? Simply put, it’s a meringue-based cake that originated in Australia and New Zealand! It has a crisp exterior yet soft interior, is light, sweet, and topped with whipped cream and fruit. For this Strawberry Pavlova recipe, I decided to muddle the strawberries with some mint leaves to give it an even more fresh taste. Love it!

This dessert is perfect for strawberry season, springtime or even during the summer (just be wary if you live in a humid climate)!

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Main Ingredients Needed

Can you believe that Strawberry Pavlova only takes 12 ingredients to make? Yeah, me neither! Such a complicated sounding dessert is actually quite simple when you break it down. Here’s what you need:

• Egg Whites – this is the base of the meringue. These need to come to room temperature before using to plan ahead!
• Salt + Cream of Tartar – just a pinch of both for flavor!
• Sugar – to sweeten.
• Lemon Juice – for a bit of fresh tang.
• Vanilla – for flavor.
• Cornstarch – this is such an important ingredient for pavlova. It helps create the crispy exterior while keeping the inside marshmallow-soft!
• Strawberries, Sugar + Mint – these three are mixed together for sweet and fresh flavors.
• Whipping Cream + Creme Fraiche – if you can’t find creme fraiche you can also use sour cream. These are using to create a creamy yet light topping or filling.

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How to Make Pavlova

For full details on how to make this strawberry pavlova recipe, see the recipe card down below 🙂

Prep

Allow egg whites to stand at room temperature. Meanwhile, line a baking sheet with parchment paper or foil. Draw a 9-inch circle on the paper or foil. Invert paper or foil so the circle is on the reverse side.

Preheat oven.

Make the Meringue

For meringue, in a large mixing bowl beat egg whites, salt, and cream of tartar with an electric mixer on medium speed until soft peaks form. Add sugar, a tablespoon at a time, beating at high speed until stiff peaks form. Beat in lemon juice and vanilla.

Sift cornstarch over egg white mixture; using a rubber spatula, gently fold cornstarch into egg white mixture.

Bake

Spread meringue over the circle on paper or foil, building up edges slightly to form a shell. Bake (do not open the door). Turn off oven; let meringue dry in oven with the door closed for an hour.

Cut Strawberries + Make Cream Topping

For the topping, clean, hull, and slice the strawberries. Place strawberries in a large bowl. Toss berries with sugar. Tear mint leaves; gently stir mint into strawberry mixture. Let stand to allow flavors to muddle together.

Meanwhile, in a large mixing bowl beat the whipping cream and crème fraîche with an electric mixer on medium speed (or beat with a whisk or rotary beater) until soft peaks form.

Assemble

Place meringue shell on a large platter. Spread the cream mixture into the meringue shell. Spoon the strawberry mixture over the cream mixture. Serve immediately.

Make Ahead Instructions

To make this fresh treat ahead of time simply make the meringue base and store, loosely wrapped in plastic wrap, in a dry place. The key here is to prevent the pavlova cake from getting moist (which would lead to the outside getting soggy). Store for up to 3 days!

Then, 20 minutes prior to sercing, prep the cream filling and strawberries. Assemble as directed and enjoy!

More Strawberry Cakes to Try!

• Strawberry Cake
• Strawberry Cheesecake
• Strawberry Shortcake
• Strawberry Mille Feuille

Try this Strawberry Pavlova recipe soon friends, you won’t regret it!

The printable recipe card is down below, enjoy 🙂