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….
How do you store this? And how long for?
Hi Gemma – see Note 7 below the recipe. N x
Can I store for weeks or just over night.
Hi Nagi thanks for the recipe! I’m just looking at this recipe and the one for Christmas pav, the Christmas one recommends fresh eggs this one recommends not fresh eggs (5 days old)- I’m just wondering which is correct? Thanks
Big thanks once again, Nagi! Fool proof recipe for this first timer. Made it for our anniversary dessert for the hubs. Perfect timing with mangos and blackberries hitting the shelves.
Thanks Nagi, great recipe, although a contentious call to say it’s an Aussie dessert !!!! – we in New Zealand claim it as ours!
Not even going to go there!!!! 🤣😂. 🇦🇺 vs 🇳🇿!! N x
Loved this recipe! First time making a pav and it turned out perfectly. No fuss, easy to follow instructions.
If I wanted to double the recipe and make two individual pav’s. Could I bake them together at the same time and would cook time be the same?
Yes as long as your oven is large enough and your mixer bowl size allows you to beat that volume of eggs to the correct texture…it’s a lot of mix! N x
Thank you Nagi!! I’ve just realized this would make a perfect keto low carb dessert. Simply use something like erythritol sweetener in place of sugar :))
Hi Nagi, if I double the recipe how long should I bake it for?
Thanks
Do you have any tips for making this in cold weather i.e. Canadian winters?
Make it exactly as she says, cold weather usually means a furnace is on here in Canada, which dries the air, which is very pavlova friendly.
Thank you for all the tips! I made this Pav today for my husband’s birthday and I added a little vanilla extract to the egg whites for a little flavour when I added the vinegar and corn starch. It turned out great! I love your recipes Nagi!
Tried this today and it was SOOO good!!!
Made the pav looks great, still in the oven cooling but it is seeping liquid. This has happened to me with other recipes too. WHY?
Hi Christine, this happens when the sugar hasn’t completely dissolved into the egg whites – can I ask what type of sugar you used? N x
Thank you for your reply. I used castor sugar and I felt I did beat it well with the egg whites. It was not grainy when I rubbed it between my fingers. This has happened to me before with other recipes too. By the way it tasted great.
omg, this is amazing!!! I tried another recipe and it turned out terribly then tried yours… Delicious! 1 question though I have been beating I for 6 min and the sugar grit is still there and is not going away what should I do.
Amazing! Best pav I have ever made excellent tips. No cracks & didn’t dry out in the middle. Thank you
First i want to say amazing i tried to make it once a couple years ago disaster was afraid to try again but you made it fool proof i really love all the notes you wrote i followed everyone thank you it turned out perfect! Ive made 2 now my question is i want to try mini ones but i dont know how long to cook them? Can you please please give me a idea? I dont want to try a different recioe yours is spot on ! Lol thank you!
Hi Sarah, I’m so glad you love the recipe!!! If you’re making mini pans, it really depends on the size as to how long you bake them for. What size are you wanting to make? N x
Ist time it turned out perfect few cracks. Everyone loved it
I surprised myself.
If you divided it into 4 how long would you bake ?????
This is the first time I’ve ever made pavlova and it came out perfect! Thanks Nagi! 😀
Wahoo, that’s awesome Gemma!!! N x
Hi Nagi, I made the meringue last night and live it in the oven for 19 hours. Follow your instruction to the letter. When I take it out today, there were a few ants ☹️ And the meringue melt a bit. Also cracks. Can you tell me what I might did wrong? I live in Malaysia where the weather is 31C and 68% humidity.
Hi Huda – I’m afraid I can’t help about the ants! Wow, bold, to crawl into an oven!! As for the melting and cracks, the heat and humidity is what is likely to have caused it. Pavlova doesn’t like it, I’m sorry to say! 🙁 N x
wtf am i supposed to do when it say 4-5 eggs
Well, if you have read the entire post, recipe and notes, you would’ve realised that the recipe asks for 150ml of egg whites and to get to this amount you would need 4 or 5 eggs depending on the size of the eggs.
Firstly, please do not swear on my website! That’s not acceptable around these parts. Secondly, 4-5 eggs means “four to five eggs”. This is because eggs differ in size. – Nagi
Wonderful it was delicious
I was wondering if I can double the recipe? 🙂
Hi Stam, you sure can – cook time will be dependant on if you’re making one large pan or two individual ones.
I was wondering if I can double the recipe to make it a bigger pavlova? 🙂