A good pavlova is hands-down my favourite cake, if you can call it that – and the trick to making a good one is very simple.
The main problems with a pavlova are caused by an unstable meringue, and the way to stabilise it is by making sure the sugar is completely dissolved, and also by adding a little acid (such as cream of tartar or vinegar) to the mix.
Follow this method and you’ll have a successful pav every time.
Golden crown pavlova
serves 6–8
6 egg whites
1½ cups (330g) caster sugar
1 tbsp cornflour
¼ tsp cream of tartar
a pinch of salt
300ml thickened cream
½ tsp natural vanilla extract
150g thick coconut yoghurt
An assortment of chopped or sliced golden and yellow fruits to top the pavlova, such as feijoa, yellow nectarine, banana, mango, papaya and passionfruit
Spun sugar
1 cup (220g) sugar
Heat your oven to 110C. Whisk the egg whites to soft peaks in the bowl of a stand mixer. Sprinkle in the caster sugar a tablespoon at a time and continue to beat until glossy.
About halfway through adding the sugar, stir the cornflour, cream of tartar and salt into the sugar, then continue adding to the egg white mixture. Beat for a further 10 minutes after all the sugar has been added.
The whole process should take about 15–20 minutes, and you should not be able to feel any grains of sugar when you rub the mixture between your fingers.
Line a baking tray with a sheet of baking paper and spread the meringue on the baking paper in a rough cake shape. If you keep adding meringue to the centre and pushing it down, the pavlova will form an attractive natural edge.
Place in the oven and bake for 90 minutes, then turn off the oven, allowing the pavlova to cool without opening the door for at least three hours, but preferably overnight.
For the spun sugar, place the sugar in a small saucepan with two tablespoons cold water and swirl the pan to mix. Place over medium–high heat and swirl occasionally until the mixture forms a dark golden caramel.
Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly.
Dip two forks into the caramel and draw the forks away. As the mixture cools, it will form long threads as the forks are drawn away; at this point the sugar is ready to be spun.
Repeatedly ‘cast’ the sugar over a large metal bowl to form long threads supported by the edges of the bowl. Gather the threads together into a crown shape.
Whip the cream to soft peaks with the vanilla, then mix the yoghurt through.
Dollop the cream and yoghurt mixture onto the pavlova and top with your assortment of fruits. Top with the crown of spun sugar.
Note: Some people warn about over-whipping the meringue but, in reality, once the sugar has been added, that is very difficult to do. However, the sugar stabilises the meringue, so you need to ensure it has been fully dissolved when whipping the egg whites.
This is an edited extract from Adam Liaw’s Destination Flavour (Hardie Grant Books, $50)
