Classic berry pavlova recipe has the wow factor

A gorgeous pav laden with plenty of fresh fruit makes an impressive end to any Christmas feast.

This is an indulgent pavlova with mascarpone cream and fresh berries topped with toasted sliced almonds. The base is a classic Kiwi pavlova recipe, crunchy on the outside and marshmallowy on the inside.

Classic berry pavlova

Serves 6

Ingredients

4 egg whites, at room temperature

1 ¼ cups sugar

1 tsp white vinegar

1 tsp vanilla bean paste

1 Tbsp cornflour

Topping

200g mascarpone

1 cup cream, whipped just to soft peaks

1 tsp vanilla bean paste

3 cups fresh berries: strawberries, raspberries, blueberries

⅓ cup sliced almonds, toasted

Icing sugar

Method

1. Pavlova: Preheat the oven to 180C.
2. Using a stand mixer, beat egg whites and sugar on maximum speed for 10 minutes or until stiff peaks form when you lift the mixer head.
3. Combine the white vinegar, vanilla paste and cornflour in a small bowl and add to the egg whites. Beat for another 4 minutes, or until the meringue is very thick and glossy.
4. Place a sheet of non-stick baking paper on a tray and trace a 20cm circle on to the paper. Use small dabs of meringue mixture to fix the paper to the tray.
5. Spoon meringue on to the tray to within 2cm from the circle edge and smooth the top.
6. Place in the preheated oven. Immediately reduce temperature to 100C and bake for 1 hour. Turn the oven off and leave the pavlova in the oven until completely cool (at least 2 hours or overnight).
7. Mascarpone Cream: Place the mascarpone in a large bowl and mix in the vanilla paste. Very gently fold in the softly whipped cream. Don’t overwork the mixture or it could go grainy.
8. Dress the pavlova: Pile the mascarpone cream on top of the pavlova. Arrange berries on top, scatter with toasted almonds, and dust with icing sugar.

Afterword

This recipe uses unsweetened cream but, if you prefer a sweeter cream, add some caster sugar to the mascarpone with the vanilla and beat until the sugar has dissolved.