Crispy-Chewy Meringue, Whipped Cream, and Fresh Fruit—This Pavlova Recipe Has It All (2024)

FAQs

What makes pavlova chewy? ›

Sugar makes the pavlova mixture strong and stable, and is responsible for that super hard shiny crust. I found that as you reduce the sugar or increase the brown sugar (it has more moisture), the final result is a chewier, with a more fragile, shattery crust.

What's the Difference Between Pavlova and Meringue? Pavlovas and meringues are both made of whipped egg white, but a Pavlova has a delicate crispy exterior with pillowy soft marshmallow inside, while meringue is dry and crisp all the way through.

French meringue is the least stable of the three meringue types but the lightest and the most airy. It is often used for making individual meringues, pavlovas, and torte layers with the addition of ground nuts. It is also the type of meringue used to make oeufs a la neige (snow eggs) and sweet soufflés.

Pavlova shell isn't crisp: is it humid? Pavlovas love to soak up moisture, so avoid making them on humid days. Egg whites won't whip: make sure your metal or glass mixing bowl is completely clean and dry, with no oily residue.

The acid will actually help stabilise your whipped whites too. That's why we add cream of tartar to our pavlova recipes. If you use a little more vinegar in the meringue, you'll encourage a soft centre and a crisp shell.

Store your pavlova in a dry, airtight container.

If your pavlova is left in the open, the sugar in the meringue will absorb moisture in your kitchen's air. This added moisture will turn your crispy meringue into a soft and sticky mess. An airtight container will help shield your meringue from moisture in the air.

If you don't want a chewy pavlova and prefer instead a soft centre with more of a marshmallow texture, I suggest shaping a tall pavlova and to bake the pavlova for slightly less time (about 1 hour if using the recipe above).

Italian Meringue Recipe

This type of meringue is commonly known as the most challenging of the three to master, but with the right technique you can create delicious desserts topped with this fluffy Italian treat. Like most meringue recipes, Italian meringue starts with sugar, water and egg whites.

Named after the famous Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova, a pavlova is essentially a meringue cake made of whipped egg whites and sugar. It's perfectly light and crisp on the outside, ever so slightly chewy, and the middle tastes like a light, airy marshmallow.

This is common so don't feel bad, all is not lost! Often it happens due to the change in temperatures. Pavlova can crack when they cool too quickly. Leave them in the oven after baking with the oven turned off to slow the cooling process and help avoid it breaking.

What type of meringue is chewy? ›

The recipe for Swiss meringue is slightly different since it consists of egg whites "cooked" by a sugary syrup whipped in a bain-marie. As a result, the Swiss meringue has much less volume than the French meringue but is smoother and silkier and crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside.

The cornflour (cornstarch) in the meringue mixture helps to give the marshmallowy interior. If you wanted a chewier interior then you could try omitting the cornflour from the recipe.

There are a few ways to avoid a pavlova collapsing, cracking and weeping. Here are the most common mistakes to avoid: Overbeaten egg whites: If you over-beat the egg whites, this can cause them to curdle and result in a pavlova that collapses after baking.

The pavlova should be white or slightly beige in colour, crisp to the touch and soft on the inside. If you have accidentally added too much vinegar, bake the same pavlova again at 150C for half an hour. This will crips it up but also give it a slightly darker colour.

A simple way of determining the temperature of the middle is to stick a probe thermometer in the pav. The tiny hole could be covered with fruit or cream. In my oven the middle of the pav (4 egg whites) was above 80 C when; The pav was baked in the oven for 45 mins.

Chewiness. The chewiness of the meringues is created by cooking the meringues at a slightly higher temperature for a shorter time, thereby keeping some of the moisture inside. They will also go a slightly milky coffee colour.

Bake for about 80 minutes, until your pavlova is golden and looks crunchy. If you over-bake it, the meringue will collapse on itself. It will still taste great, but will be more dense.

I heat the oven to relatively high, then turn it right down as soon as the meringue is in, so it puffs up.” As Lepard says, “You are not so much cooking meringue as drying it out, so there's no great mystery to a chewy one: just cook it for less time than you normally do.”