Perfectly crisp on the outside with a chewy marshmallow centre, this is our go-to Pavlova recipe. Serve it with a generous dollop of vanilla bean whipped cream and plenty of fresh fruit!

Serves: 8-10
Prep: 30 min
Cook: 1 hour 15 min

Ingredients

3/4 cup (180ml) egg whites (approximately 6)
1/4 cup (60ml) cold water
2 cups (440g) caster sugar
1 tsp Hansells Vanilla Bean Paste
2 tsp white vinegar
2 heaped tbsp cornflour

To Serve

1 cup (250ml) thickened cream
1/4 cup (40g) icing sugar, sifted
1 tsp Hansells Vanilla Bean Paste
300g fresh kiwis and strawberries

Method

  1. Place oven rack in lower third of oven and preheat to 110°C (fan forced). Draw a circle on a piece of baking paper using a 20cm cake tin as a guide. Place baking paper, marked side down, on a baking tray.
  2. Place egg whites in a large mixing bowl and use an electric mixer with a whisk attachment to whisk on medium or medium-high speed until foamy. Add salt, vinegar and cornflour and whisk on medium or medium-high speed until soft peaks form (this will take about 1 minute).
  3. With motor running, add sugar a spoonful at a time, whisking well on medium speed after each addition, until sugar has dissolved and mixture is very thick and glossy (this will take 4-5 minutes). Add Vanilla Bean Paste and whisk to combine. Use a spatula to stir meringue mixture to ‘loosen’ it slightly (this will remove excess air and give it a smoother, less ‘foamy’ texture).
  4. Spoon meringue mixture onto lined tray and use the back of the spoon to spread it to fill the marked circle. Make a well in centre and build up sides, creating swirls or smoothing surface as desired.
  5. Bake 1 hour 15 minutes, until meringue is crisp and hard to touch, but not coloured.
  6. When pavlova is cooked, turn off oven, leave door slightly ajar and allow cool it completely in oven (this will take about 2 hours).

Once meringue is cool, combine cream, icing sugar and Vanilla bean paste and beat until soft peaks form. Add to top of meringue and serve with fresh fruit.