Okay, I’m just going to straight up say it. I am so incredibly happy with and proud of this Pavlova. So is my mum by the way, she had two pieces, while she normally never eats anything sweet. That says something about this gorgeous, beautiful, delicious Pavlova.

Did I not tell you Monday that today would be a great surprise? I did, right? That’s why I thought this would be a great recipe for this Sweet Sunday.

There are so many ways to describe this Red Berry Pavlova: luscious, fabulous, mouth-watering, sweet, exquisite, marshmallowy, alluring, mesmerizing and so on. It will leave you wanting more with every bite.

The cake’s story is quite interesting. The name has been derived from a Russian ballet dancer called Anna Pavlova. According to the story it has been created in honour of said dancer, during one of her tours in either Australia or New Zealand. Till this day there is still discussion on whether it’s an Australian or New Zealand recipe…

Pavlova is a dessert dish for which you’ll have to make French Meringue. This is a type of meringue which is made by whisking egg whites and sugar, in a 1 to 2 ratio. Normally, one large egg white will weigh about 30 grams. This recipe calls for 6 egg whites (180 grams or 6 oz) so you’ll need 360 grams (12 and 1/4 oz) of sugar. By adding whipped cream and fruit, you’ll create a Pavlova.

So let’s start with making meringue. The base is egg whites. These need to be whisked until fluffy and stiff peaks form. As can be seen on the photo below.

The finished product will look like this:

There is actually a very exciting way to check if the whites are perfectly beaten. If you can turn the bowl upside down without the egg whites falling out or moving, then your good. Otherwise, you’ll not only get messy, but also need to whisk more. (Perhaps it’s better to try it with a spoon first, just to avoid any messiness).

After adding sugar, cornflour, and vinegar, you’ll see that the meringue mixture has turned soft and glossy. This is also shown on the photo below. However, the mixture should be stiffer than on the photo. Unfortunately, my whisk broke down halfway -.- Luckily, it did not affect the outcome!

Transfer it to the baking tray. It should form a mound of meringue. Due to the fact that my mixture was not as stiff as I’d like it to be, mine was a bit flatter than desired.

After baking in the oven, it will look like this!!

Let’s decorate this beauty!