Blackberry and Nectarine Pavlova

A crisp exterior shatters away of slicing this bake to reveal a super sift spongy centre, piled high with whipped cream and fruit

There seems to be much trepidation around pavlova-making, for some reason. 

I guess on one hand, the dissolving of sugar into egg whites to form a pillowy cloud does seem like some sort of sorcery. But on the other hand, with just two key ingredients, how hard can it really be?

As usual, the devil’s in the detail and whilst the steps to making this delicious dessert is not difficult, it is important to follow the recipe precisely! 

I’ve worked so hard on perfecting this recipe that I shot it twice! I do think that the flatter pavlova lends itself to a better more stable structure, than a taller one.

WHAT EQUIPMENT DO I NEED TO MAKE THIS BLACKBERRY AND NECTARINE PAVLOVA?

IMPORTANT: Grease is the enemy of whipping egg whites, so I suggest wiping down all your equipment with a paper towel and vinegar until it is squeaking (literally) clean.

Stand mixer / hand mixer: A stand mixture with a whisk attachment is ideal, but you can also do this with a hand mixer. If using a hand mixer, ensure that your water and sugar is readily on hand to add in whilst still whisking the egg whites.

Bowls: it’s much better to use ceramic/stainless steel bowls for the simple fact that it’s easy to spot grease in the ceramic bowls as opposed to plastic.

Spoons: there aren’t any special alloys in metal spoons, yet many recipes call for them for the simple reason like above, they are easier to spot grease than plastic spoons.

Oven Themometer: Most ovens run hotter than they actually are meant to. For example, I set my oven to 130 degrees celcius and it heats to 160 degrees celcius. That is the main reason as to why pavlovas expand faster than they are meant to and then collapse. An oven thermometer is around R 150 and can be bought online from Yuppiechef.

WHAT INGREDIENTS DO I NEED TO MAKE THIS BLACKBERRY AND NECTARINE PAVLOVA?

Egg whites: it is critical that you use the freshest egg whites you can find as these will whip up the best.
It is also imperative that absolutely no streaks of yolk get into the egg whites, so crack the eggs and separate them carefully. I prefer to crack the whole egg into a bowl and then gentle scoop out the yolk with my clean fingers. I let the egg whites drip through my fingers to leave only the yolk behind.
It is far easier to separate the eggs when they are cold as there is a less chance of the yolk breaking. You do want the eggs to be at room temperature to ensure they whip up to their fullest, so once superated, ensure that they come up to room temperature.

Salt: A bit of salt brings a much needed balance to the otherwise sugary meringue.

Cream of tartar: The acid from the cream of tartar helps to stabilize the air bubbles which trap in between the protein strands of the egg whites, whilst being whisked.
This isn’t essential, but is a safety precaution if you do not have the freshest eggs. Cream of tartar is also relatively inexpensive and lasts a long time.

Caster Sugar: The granules of caster sugar is much smaller than normal, granulated sugar, which means it better dissolves into the egg whites and prevents the meringue from weeping ( some liquid which forms on the baking sheet, once baked due to it not fully being incorporated into the egg).

Water: A bit of an unconventional one and a tip I learned from Zoë Francois, who is a pavlova making expert. It helps produce a much softer meringue in the middle, though does destabilize the meringue a bit. If it’s a humid day, I would reduce the water to half the quantity. You may end up with a slightly crunchier meringue, but a more stable one.

Cornflour: The cornflour helps to stabilize the meringue and produce that soft marshmallowy centre. Too much however and it just tastes chalky.

Vanilla bean paste: Egg whites have quite a dominant flavour, and I find adding a bit of good quality vanilla bean paste goes a long way in removing the “egginess”. That and ensuring that it is fully baked.

Apple Cider Vinegar: This has similar properties to the cream of tartar and cornflour, but we try to moderate the amount used to avoid an acid taste.

If you make this recipe, please share it with me by tagging me on Instagram @adventureswithsugar or on Facebook at Adventures with Sugar. Please also leave a comment below to let me know how you got on with the recipe.

FOR THE BLACKBERRY AND NECTARINE PAVLOVA

• 200g fresh egg whites (from 6-7 large eggs)
• 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar (optional)
• 1/8 teaspoon salt 
• 3 tablespoons fridge-cold water
• 350g caster sugar 
• 1 tablespoon cornflour 
• 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar 
• 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste (I find vanilla essence to be less effective) 

METHOD

1. Cut a large piece of baking paper, enough to line a large flat sheet tray. ( The tray ideal needs to be bigger than the standard 23cm by 33cm cookie tray, for the pavlova to fit comfortably). 
2. To aid in creating a perfect shape, trace a 18cm circle onto the underside of the paper. 
3. Ensure no butter or grease gets onto the top side of the paper. Ensure the traces circle is on the underside of the paper, and adhere the paper to the tray using a little meringue on each of the four corners. 
4. Place the baking rack in the lower third of your oven, and pre-heat to oven to 130 degrees celcius. 
5. Add the egg whites, salt and cream of tartar to a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Whisk on medium speed for 2 – 3 minutes until the egg whites are getting foamy and medium stiff peaks form. 
6. Add in the cold water, and continue to mix. Then add in the sugar, a tablespoon of at a time. Ensure the sugar is well dissolved before adding more. 
7. Once all the sugar is added continue to whisk for a further 5 minutes until the mixture holds stiff peaks and glossy. 
8. Using a metal spoon, fold in the vanilla, cornflour and vinegar until well combined. 
9. Pile the meringue on your lined baking tray, within the circle you traced. Spread it out into a rough circle, then using an offset spatula (a large bread knife with the blunt edge can work too) start from the base and pull up diagonally, to form a dome-like mound. This really does not have to be perfect. 
10. Place the meringue in the oven to dry for 65 – 75 minutes. Keep an eye on it from around 50 minutes in case your oven runs hot. We’re not trying to bake the meringue, just dry it out gently. 
11. Your meringue is done when it feels firm on the outside and taken on an ever-so tan colour. 
12. Leave the oven door ajar and leave it to cool for another hour, before removing and letting it cool to room temperature. 
13. Use an offset spatula to run the spatula around the base to loosen the pavlova from the baking paper, and transfer onto your cake stand. 
    

TO FINISH

• 300ml whipping cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
• 1 teaspoon icing sugar
• 150g blackberries
• two firm nectarines, sliced in wedges
• granadilla curd

1. Whip 300ml of whipping cream with a teaspoon of icing sugar and vanilla paste, and pile it into the centre of the pavlova. The centre will collapse under the weight of the cream (if it has not done so already) but this is perfectly fine.
2. Arrange the fruit on the cream and finish off with the granadilla curd.

Recipe by adventureswithsugar.com