Dessert

Strawberry Pavlova

Name: Strawberry Pavlova
Prep time: 1 h
Cook time: 1 h
Total time: 2 h
Cuisine: Australian
Ingredients: 140 g Egg Whites; 210 g Custer Sugar; 10 g Cornstarch; 1 pinch Salt; 0.5 Vanilla Beans; 25 g Icing Sugar; 250 g Cream; 0.5 Vanilla Beans; 20 g Honey; 140 g Strawberries

This summer dessert is composed of a French meringue base filled with a strawberry cream Chantilly and topped with fresh strawberries.

Belula June 23, 2015 September 06, 2020

Jump to Recipe

45° shot of the strawberry pavlova served on a white plate with flowers on the background

When I go back to Argentina for the holidays, this is the cake I make the most often. A crowd pleaser and such an easy treat to make. Pavlova is the perfect way to put those egg whites you do not want to throw away to good use. It is also gluten free in case you have friends and family members that cannot eat gluten. It is the perfect summer dessert and one of the best gluten free desserts out there!

What is Pavlova?

Pavlova is a meringue-based dessert that was created in Australia and New Zealand in honour of the ballet dancer Anna Pavlova. It has a crunchy exterior and a soft/marshmallow interior and it is usually topped with whipped cream and fresh fruit.

For this strawberry Pavlova recipe, I used:

French meringue
Chantilly Cream
Strawberry Compote
Fresh Strawberries

45° shot of the strawberry pavlova served on a white plate with flowers on the background and some fresh strawberries in the front

A few tips for French meringue success:

Use old egg whites.
Leave the egg whites at room temperature overnight.
Do not forget to add the salt! It enhances the flavours and it also helps with stability of the egg whites. To learn more about the role of salt in meringue you can click here What does salt do to a meringue mixture?.
Bake at low temperature (100 C°/210 F) to prevent colouring of the French meringue disk.

90° shot of powdered sugar being sprinkled onto the strawberry pavlova

Can You do French Meringue without a Stand Mixer?

Funny story when I went to pastry school, we had no stand mixers in the practical room, we had to make everything by hand, from French buttercream, to bread, to croissants, to meringue.

The answer is yes! You can make French meringue either by hand or using a hand or stand mixer. Either way it works! So, if you do not have a mixer don't be discouraged, you can still make this yummy dessert. It will take a little longer, and your arm will be a little sore :).

How to Make Chantilly Cream?

You need whipping cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla bean. The most important thing to remember is the ratio of sugar to cream:

It is 1 part of powdered sugar to 10 parts of whipping cream! (10%)
Whisk the cream, the sugar and vanilla bean seeds until they hold stiff peaks.

Some tips for success:

The cream should be extremely cold for better results!
If you can refrigerate the container where you will whip the cream, even better! Your success is guaranteed.

These are all the tricks necessary to make Chantilly cream recipe!

Overhead closeup shot of the strawberry pavlova

How to Make Strawberry Pavlova?

To make this strawberry pavlova recipe you need to prepare 3 key components:

French meringue
Chantilly cream
Strawberry compote

Once they are ready you can proceed to assembly the cake:

Mix ¾ of the compote into the Chantilly cream. They should both be cold.
Fill the meringue base with the strawberry Chantilly cream.
Top with Fresh strawberries and enjoy!

Overhead shot of the meringue base filled with strawberry Chantilly cream

Overhead shot of the meringue base filled with strawberry Chantilly cream and topped with fresh strawberries surrounded by flowers on the to corner and a bowl filled with strawberry compote

A note: to give strawberries some shine you can toss them with one teaspoon of powdered sugar!

Variations for this Strawberry Pavlova

You can make a mini pavlova version of this dessert too. This recipe makes 6/8 mini individual pavlovas.

You can also add a layer of dulce de leche underneath the Chantilly cream if you want to try it the Argentine way 😊.

You can replace the strawberries by any other fresh fruit you choose: raspberries, blueberries, mango. This list goes on!

45° shot of the strawberry pavlova missing one slice with a small spoon on the serving plate

Overhead shot of the pavlova with one slice served on a small plate

The ingredients used in all recipes on this site are measured using the metric system. I use a scale to be precise with my measurements and ensure good results. If you would also like to use a scale, here are some: USA, Canada, UK, Australia, France.

Strawberry Pavlova

Prep Time: 1 hour

Cook Time: 1 hour

Total Time: 2 hours

Servings: 8 servings

Nutrition: 236 cal

Cuisine: Australian

Ingredients

French Meringue

Egg Whites 140 g
Custer Sugar 210 g
Cornstarch 10 g
Salt 1 pinch

Chantilly Cream

Vanilla Beans 0.5
Icing Sugar 25 g
Cream 250 g

Strawberry Compote

Vanilla Beans 0.5
Honey 20 g
Strawberries 140 g

Procedure

French Meringue
1. Pre-heat the oven to 100 C.
2. Line a baking sheet with baking paper or a silpad.
3. Mix the powdered sugar and the sugar.
4. Whisk the egg whites until there are no visible bubbles, and then add the sugar one spoonful at a time. Finally add the salt and the cornstarch. Continue to whisk until the whites hold stiff peaks.
5. Pipe or spread the meringue using the the back of a spoon onto the lined baking tray. Shape into a circle of 18 cm in diameter, making the centre shallower than the borders.
6. Cook for about 70 minutes, or until de meringue is crunchy on the outside a little soft on the inside. Turn the oven off and let it cool off inside the oven.
Chantilly Cream
1. Cut the vanilla bean in half, scrape the seeds off of the bean with the back of a knife and add to the cream. Mix the icing sugar in.
2. Whisk until the cream holds its shape when the whisk is withdrawn.
3. Refrigerate until it is time to use.
Strawberry Compote
1. Cut the strawberries in half or quarters if they are too big. Cut the vanilla bean in half and scrape the seeds off the bean with the back of a knife.
2. In a pot, toss the strawberries with the honey and the vanilla.
3. Cook over medium low heat for 5 to 6 min. Blend. Cool down. Refrigerate.
Assembly
1. Cut the fresh strawberries in half. Sprinkle them with icing sugar to make them shine.
2. Mix 3/4 of the strawberry compote with the Chantilly cream.
3. Place the French meringue disk on a serving plate and fill with the strawberry Chantilly.
4. Top with fresh strawberries.
5. When serving, add a spoonful of strawberry compote over each slice of strawberry Pavlova.

If you made this recipe I would really appreciate it if you leave a rating or comment below! Also, if you share on social media please use #cookwithbelula, I would love to see what you create!

6 comments

(3)

Strawberry Pavlova

What is Pavlova?

A few tips for French meringue success:

Can You do French Meringue without a Stand Mixer?

How to Make Chantilly Cream?

How to Make Strawberry Pavlova?

Variations for this Strawberry Pavlova