The great Aussie Pavlova! With a how-to video and easy tips that make all the difference, you’ll nail this classic Pavlova recipe every single time. With a delicate meringue crust and soft marshmallow insides, top with cream and fruit for a pav that will steal the show at any gathering!
Next time, try Mini Pavs. They’re adorable!
Pavlova
There is no greater summer dessert than the great Aussie Pav!
Pavlova is one of those desserts that is notoriously easy yet notoriously difficult. I think many people are scared to make it. Others have lamented that you should just accept that it will come out of the oven quite cracked.
Though I’m going to be sharing my tips for a perfect near-flawless pav (including a few you may have never heard of before!), first up, let me be clear about one thing – it does not matter if it cracks!! Even if it cracks severely.
Just do your best to piece it back together, using cream as a glue and to hide the worst cracks. It only needs to hold together for you to place it on the table, for everyone to ooh and ah over it, for you to have your moment of glory.
The minute it gets cut to serve it up, it doesn’t matter. Even a perfect pav looks like a mess once it starts being served!
But as it so happens, if you follow my tips, I’m confident you’ll have a crack-less near-flawless Pav… 😉
With the recipe video and my secret tips, this Pavlova recipe is easy to follow and you’ll nail it every single time!
Tips for a perfect pavlova
I’ve seen many “no-fail pavlova” tip lists, but I’ve never seen a list with all of these, mainly because some of them are my own, discovered after many trial and errors!
1. Measure the egg whites by volume. This is a big tip! “4 egg whites” can range from anywhere between 100 – 180ml (3 – 6oz) depending on the size of the eggs + how much egg white you manage to get out of each egg. The amount of egg whites used is key to a successful Pav!
2. Use fresh store bought eggs. Not eggs that have been hiding in the back of your fridge for weeks!
Got your own chickens? I’m jealous! BUT, don’t use freshly laid eggs for pavlova as they take longer to fluff up. Use eggs that are circa 5 days+ old. Store bought eggs are a safe bet. 🙂
3. Separate the eggs while fridge cold. Trust me, it’s so much easier than when they’re at room temperature. PS If you’re new to separating yolks from whites, just crack the eggs into your hand and let the whites slide through between your fingers. Jiggle your hand slightly to get all the whites off the yolk, and you’ll be left with just the yolk sitting in your fingers.
4. Not even a drop of yolk is allowed! Even a bit of yolk can ruin the whole batch i.e. it won’t fluff up. So if you accidentally get yolk in your whites, you can try scooping it out using a shell (also good tip for picking out shell bits) but if you think there’s any chance it has tainted the rest of the whites, start again. It isn’t worth the risk!
5. Bring egg whites to room temperature. They fluff up much better. So separate while cold, then bring to room temperature.
6. Make sure your bowls and whisk are clean and dry. Grease and water can stop whites from fluffing.
7. Use an inverted cake pan. For shaping (saves you drawing a circle on paper) and also ease of transferring the Pav to a platter. There is nothing sadder than pulling a perfect Pav out of the oven, only to have it crack when transferring it to the serving platter!
Tips continued below photo….you didn’t think I was done, did you? 😉
8. WEATHER WARNING!!! Heat and humidity. As it happens, Pav is a summer dessert but it is not conducive to being made in hot humid weather. It can cause the Pav to collapse during or after baking. I don’t know the exact temperatures and humidity % cut off points and had a number of epic failures before I figure out tips #9 – #13. Using the tips below, the Pav in the photos were made last week during a heat wave when it was 33C/91F and humidity was 65 – 75%. So if it is hot and humid where you are, do not skip #8 onwards, they were created especially for the Aussie summer!!!
9. Bigger is better….except in summer 😎 I know, I know. You want to do a giant pav. But honestly, for the sake of a Pav that doesn’t collapse on you, stick with 4 eggs. I can’t stress that enough. I’m speaking from experience here, having tried a few 6 egg pavs a few weeks ago. A 4 egg Pav will serve 8 -10 easily. 4 eggs doesn’t sound like much, but this expands. Any larger, and the risk of severe cracking is really high. At least, in hot humid weather. You can do giant Pavs in cooler months!
10. Don’t make it too tall. The taller the Pav, the greater the risk of collapse / severe cracking. In summer, I wouldn’t go higher than 5cm/2″. It will expand to about 7cm / 2.7″. You can do your taller Pavs in cooler months. 🙂
11. Make the edges sloped / dome like shape. Yes, a perfect cake-like shaped Pav with vertical smooth edges is pretty. But it’s also the most fragile shape. The shape of my Pav, almost like a dome but with a flat top, is the safest. Having the rugged surface also helps provide stability I find. (Really hoping an engineer reading this can explain why this is so in simple English, this is beyond my capabilities. I just know they are much more stable shaped like this!)
12. Preheat oven to a high temp, then turn down. The initial high temp really helps to get that crust kick started to stabilise the meringue.
13. Bake on a very low temp for longer – This keeps your Pav nice and white (so pretteee!). I bake mine at 100C /210f (fan/convection) or 115C / 240F (standard). Also baking for longer at a lower temp again helps with stability (higher temp can cause Pav to puff too fast which then collapses later).
14. No peeking and no thundering through the kitchen!! Seriously, I am NOT joking. Peeking = loss of heat / door slamming = collapsed Pav. Thundering through kitchen with timber floors (I’m glaring at a certain giant fur ball as I write that) = collapsed Pav.
15. Leave in oven overnight. Or all day. Letting it cool down gradually = less cracking risk. Also in summer, especially on hot humid days, where better to leave the Pav than in a sealed almost-airtight oven?
16. BE GENTLE when topping the Pav! Hanging my head in shame. I once tipped a bowl of strawberries on a Pav and watched in dismay as it sank. Place the topping on gently by hand.
17. Make extra cream. No, not for serving. To use as glue / disguise cracks / in case it sinks. Remember the beauty of the Pav – even in a severely destroyed state, it can still be made to look pretty with cream and fruit!
Follow those tips for my Pavlova recipe, and this is what will come out of the oven even on a 33C/91F day – a near perfect Pav. 🙌🏼
Top with cream and berries, or whatever fruit you want! I totally forgot to put passionfruit on this. I do feel like passionfruit and Pav is just quintessentially Aussie!
And that moment when you place if on the table, when everyone oohs and aaahs over the beautiful Pav…lap it up. You totally deserve it. 😉
Marshmallow on the inside. The softest most delicate meringue on the outside. Smothered in softly whipped cream and piled high with fruit… I truly cannot think of a great Aussie summer dessert. – Nagi x
PS. If it’s Christmas time however, you can take Pavlova to a whole new level – literally – with my showstopper Pavlova Christmas Tree! Or, serve up a platter of adorable Mini Pavlovas!
I love pav.
See?
Watch how to make it
Pavlova recipe video! Excuse the lighting and colour balance, it’s all over the place because it was filmed over a couple of days. 😇
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Pavlova!!
Ingredients
- 150 ml / 5 oz egg whites (4-5 eggs fridge cold eggs) (Note 1)
- 1 cup caster sugar (superfine sugar)
- 1 tbsp cornflour / cornstarch, sifted
- 1 tsp white vinegar
Cream
- 1 1/2 cups thickened cream / heavy cream (any whipping cream)
- 1/4 cup caster sugar (superfine sugar)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract or essence
Topping
- Fruit of choice. I used: raspberries, blueberries, strawberries and cherries.
Instructions
- Separate the whites and yolks while eggs are cold. Measure 150 ml/5oz egg whites (just shy of 2/3 cup, 140 – 160ml is ok).
- Set whites aside to come to room temperature.
- Preheat oven to 170°C/340°F (180°C fan-forced).
- Place whites in a bowl. Use a stand mixer (I use speed 7) or handheld beater (high) and beat until soft peaks form (Note 2)
- Add sugar 1 tbsp at a time, beating as you go. (Note 3)
- After adding the sugar, beat for a further 3 minutes or until thick and glossy. Rub a little of the fluff between your fingers, there should be no sugar grit – that means it is ready.
- Add cornflour and vinegar, beat on low for 5 – 7 seconds (or fold through with spatula) until just mixed through.
Making the Pav (Note 4)
- Get the base of a springform cake pan (24cm/9.5″ or larger) and turn it upside down. Dab meringue on the edge and place a piece of baking paper (parchment paper) on top.
- Gently place half the fluff onto the paper. Use the cake pan as a guide to make it round and coax it into a circle shape around 20cm / 8″ in diameter (Note 5).
- Carefully scoop out the remaining fluff. Now coax it into a dome shape (not a cake with straight smooth sides) with edges sloping in slightly. Flatten top. Make it 4-5cm / 2 ” high – not much higher. (Note 5). See video / photos in post. It will rise/expand.
- Transfer to baking tray. CAREFULLY place in the oven, GENTLY close the door and turn oven DOWN to 115°C/240°F (100°C fan).
- Bake for 1 1/2 hours – no peeking, no thundering through kitchen! (Note 6)
- Turn oven off, leave the door closed and leave Pav in the oven overnight to cool (I’ve done 18 hours).
- Transfer Pav to serving platter then slide cake pan out from underneath. Use butter knife if required to loosen edges from paper, then slide paper out from underneath.
- Just before serving, top with cream and fruit of choice.
- Serve and be a rock star!
Topping
- Place cream, sugar and vanilla in a bowl. Beat cream until it is thickened and just holds its shape – don’t overbeat, it should be silky smooth, not speckled with bubbles and stiff.
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
More Aussie favourites
LIFE OF DOZER
Waiting for the Pav to fall on the ground….
Hi Nagi!
I want to make this for my Christmas dinner (served mid-day on Christmas day) and wondered if I could make it the day before and just leave it on the kitchen counter. I would add the whipped cream and fruit just before serving. If it won’t hold, I will go another way. Thanks so much!
Hi Allyson! If it’s super hot and humid like it is here in Sydney, then it will be prone to sweating which makes the meringue shell fragile. If you have a dry cool place to store it, like a wine cellar or garage, then that will work a treat! Though I find the best place to store it in humid hot weather is the oven 🙂 (Closed and turned off of course!) N x
Hi Nagi,
I can’t thank you enough for your notes and steps on how to make a pavlova. first time a made a pavlova, it didn’t turn out and then I followed your recipe on the weekend and my husband said it was the best pav his had. I have to agree, it tasted amazing. I wanted to ask you a question, if I double the recipe, do I need to keep it in the oven longer. If so, how long for?
Thank you Nagi
Hi Claire – so glad you loved this!!! To double it, I really recommend making two on one large tray instead. Reason being that the more eggs you use, the more fragile it becomes, especially in this hot Aussie weather. You could increase by 50%, just make the circle larger and keep the height specified in the recipe. Hope that helps! N x
Hi Nagi,
thank you 🙂
I’m a 74 year old widower – and not very experienced in the kitchen. I needed to make a dish for my group’s Xmas Party. Thought I’d try Pavlova – searched the web for recipes with videos then came across yours. BRILLIANT! And the reason why? – it’s all those great tips you include. I would probably have had a disaster if not for those.
My Pavlova turned out beautifully – and it was the hit of the party!
Many thanks!!!
I love hearing that Andy! I’m so pleased to hear that YOUR Pav was the hit of the party!!!
Made pavlova for the first time a few days ago as a trial run before Christmas using your recipe and it turned out great! Well except where I made a giant hole because I was ‘testing the hardness’ – whoops. But the taste was awesome! I’m going to be doubling the size for Christmas…do I keep the same height, but make the diameter larger? Do the baking times change at all?
Whoot! So pleased to hear that!! If you double it, it will be much more fragile unfortunately. Especially if you are in australia because it’s so hot and humid at this time of the year. If I was to double this recipe, I would make it in a rectangle shape, same height per the recipe. This will make it much more stable. Or make 2! N x
I ended up doubling the recipe for Xmas lunch and it turned out fantastic! Completely forgot to do a rectangle shape though. I used a pizza pan to do a larger circle. It did look perfect until my toddler stuck his finger into the side, and then it collapsed a bit when I put toppings on (probably because of hole?), but still looked great and tasted amazing!
One question – once it’s out of the oven I noticed (both times baking it) that there is an empty gap between the top of the shell and the marshmallowy stuff inside. Is that normal? Like an air filled space.
OMG!!!! Myself and my husband made this together for family sunday dinner…. it was a massive hit. This was my first time attempting pavlova. I followed all the notes and recipie to a tea and it came out perfect!!! Not even any cracks… will defs be making this beauty again 😁😁
That’s so terrific to hear Jess! Thank you for letting me know – N x 💓
Do you think I can use store bought “egg whites”. Already separated in the carton? I’m making this in America for my partners family so they can have a taste of Australia 🙂 Bringing some home to them. Would you also have any suggestions on how to make it bigger since it’s cold here?
Hi Stacey! Store bought is fine 🙂 And yes you can scale it up, make it using 6 egg whites. Scale the recipe by hovering over the Servings and move from 8 to X number. You can make yours a bit higher and the circle size larger (don’t just make circle larger i.e. keeping the same height per recipe, otherwise surface area will be too big and prone to collapsing) 🙂
Hello!
My son and I found this recipe and got really excited to try this out until we realized we dont have white vinegar on hand. Is there anything we can use as a substitute? Would apple cider vinegar work instead?
Hi Cerra! That will be just fine! N x
We had never heard of Pavlova but recently went to Ireland and tried it for dessert. We couldn’t wait to make it ourselves. We picked your recipe because of the pictures and tips and it was fabulous! We made sure to follow all your tips and it came out perfect. We used a fruit compote on top instead of fresh fruit and everyone loved it. It will be our new go-to dessert to impress people!
That’s terrific to hear Joyce! So glad you enjoyed this, thank you for letting me know! N x
I haven’t tried this Pavlova yet, but am planning on doing so very soon! It looks lovely and delicious! Oh, I just have tell you, I think Dozer is adorable!
Ooh, I hope you do Deb! I really love Pav and it took me YEARS to master the recipe and make it foolproof!! N xx
My daughter and I made this together for Geography/Culture. It turned out perfect, thank you so much, my family are all of this instead of their favorite dinner I made 😂😂😂 I’ll be making this often. Thank you for sharing this recipe. I had no issues with anything, even ate the two pieces left over from night before. It didn’t collapse or do anything strange. EXCELLENT!!!!
I’m so pleased to hear you enjoyed this Shawn, thanks for letting me know! N x ❤️
Hi Nagi!
Love all your tips and tricks.
Just a few questions,
I’m currently making this at this very moment for DH birthday. Been in the oven for one and half hour (100c fan)
But how do you know when its done? I checked the pavlova and it is still soft to the touch. Is this normal or i have to increase the baking time?
Thank you Nagi. ☺️
I’m sorry I missed this Ira! Pavlova’s are delicate to touch but they should have a crisp meringue shell. Was it crisp?? 🙂 N x
Hello! I made this last weekend for a BBQ, it turned out perfectly and everyone loved it! This was my first time making pavlova and I chose your recipe because of the helpful tips. I am making it again tonight fir another cookout as requested by friends. Thank you for a great (so far) fool proof recipe that I can’t wait to experiment with variations and flavors.
I’m so happy to hear that Rachel! Thanks for sharing your feedback – N x ❤️
Thank you so much for this recipe! I made it exactly as directed and it came out lovely! It was the perfect dessert for a recent family get together 🙂
That’s terrific to hear Sara, thanks for leaving a review! N x
Have you ever done 2 of these in the over at once? I’d love to make a stacked pav!
Gosh yes! It works great because it’s on so low and the oven cooling method. Works a treat! Make them larger so they aren’t as high – makes them stronger for stacking 🙂
Thanks for the recipe! I made it and it was great!
Thanks for trying my recipe Deea! So pleased you enjoyed it – N xx
Hi Nagi, I made the pavlova based on your recipe and tips yesterday. Honestly, it was the best I’ve ever made. My friends loved it too. There were some wows and oohs.
I guess it’s because there seems to be less sugar in it compared to other recipes but most of all it’s the long baking at lower temperature I think. It was the first time the pavlova was all white!! And the tip wiyh the cream not being too stiff. Wonderful.
The only thing I noties was that the bottom was very soft, as if it was melting. I had also noticed that while in the oven,the pavlova leaked a bit on the bottom.
But that little thing aside, it was awesome. I also love to just look at the pavlova. So white, delicate and then all the colours of the fruit. 😊
I’m so happy to hear that Yves! Thank you for taking the time to come back and let me know! On the soft bottom and the leaky bits, it sounds like the sugar wasn’t quite dissolved enough, you can see even in my photos that there is some slight crystallisation. 🙂 It…happens with homemade pavs! N xx
To prevent that from happening just place a tiny bit of the whites in your fingers to make sure all the sugar is dissolved. If not beat just about 1 more minute test again it should feel smooth and silky. That should never happen. It’s a small tiny step that will keep your Pavlova perfect. Great blog!! Thank you so much!
I definitely do that! Key step I even demo in the video! 🙂 N xx
I plan on making the meringue today, storing in the oven overnight and assembling it Friday night for dessert. I also want to serve it Saturday lunch, how will it be if already assembled?
Hi Hannah! Please see recipe notes, I really don’t recommend assembling ahead of serving. Sorry! 🙂
Just read your awesome detailed recipe and notes-and viewed the video-and am very excited to try my first Pavlova! We are traveling (~3 hrs) to join some other couples for a weekend get away and my job is to fix dessert! My plan is to make the meringue the day before and then store it in an airtight container for travel the next day. Is it also possible to make the cream topping as well the day before? If so, would I keep that refrigerated?
I do plan to do a practice run through this weekend.
Thanks!
Ooh! I’m excited that you’re going to try this! 🙂 The thing with cream is that it loses aeration overnight so where possible, I really like to whip it fresh. 🙂 I hope you love it! N xx
Thanks so much Nagi! It shouldn’t be a problem fixing it fresh. Thanks again!
So beautiful!!! Well done! I love Pavlovas… they’re decadent. Can’t wait to try for the next special occasion👌
ME TOO!! Pavs are the BEST!
I did it. I followed your instruction to a T, and it came out beautifully and so tasty.
My fancy desert for special dinners. Thank you for a wonderful recipe and so well explained.
That’s fantastic to hear Rae! Thank you for taking the time to come back and let me know! N xx