Hello my lovely readers. I have a rare recipe on my blog for you today – a dessert. I was shocked when I realised just how few dessert recipes I have. It just goes to show, we may have cake or cookies in the tin, but I rarely make dessert, much to my Hubby’s disappointment. So in order to correct this I have made a delicious Lemony Strawberry Pavlova!
As you may be aware, I love lemons, especially in cakes like my Mini Lemon Drizzle Bundt Cakes. This lemon pavlova is the stuff of fairies, rainbows and dreams. It is incredibly light, with a crisp, outer shell that hides a soft, marshmallow like interior. It really does melt in your mouth!
Slathering the top with dreamy, lightly whipped cream, fragrant strawberries and finishing with a limoncello sticky drizzle. This Lemony Strawberry Pavlova is the perfect dessert, especially on a Sunday after a roast.
Having made a few pavlovas now, I think that I’ve got them pretty much nailed. Yes I know that the weather, in particular humidity, can play havoc with them, but they are a fairly easy, foolproof dessert. The way I see it is this; if the worse happens and they crack and crumble, then make an Eton mess – whipped cream, crumbled meringue and fresh fruit. Altenatively if the cracking isn’t that bad, slather them with whipped cream and fruit and nobody will notice the disaster you have managed to avert 😉.
Fortunately this Lemony Strawberry Pavlova behaved. Today is a sunny dry day and apart from me using a new baking tray that was just a teeny bit too wide for our oven, hence this pavlova was cooked on a slant, it turned out beautifully. Better than that it tastes amazing. If you’ve ever eaten lemon roulade, then that has a similar texture to this pavlova.
When I first started making pavlovas I hadn’t any pictures to guide me through the process, so I’ve included a few so that you will know how things are supposed to look!
Also I managed to get hold of some early season British strawberries, they smelled so fragrant. This pavlova would also work well with Raspberries, Blackberries and Blueberries, so use whatever fruit is in season.
Recipe: Makes one Lemony Strawberry Pavlova serves 8
6 Large Free Range Egg Whites – the yolks will keep for a day in the fridge and I’m making ice cream tomorrow which they will be perfect for!
300g/10.5oz Caster Sugar plus 1tablespoon for the drizzle
2 Lemons
1tsp Corn Flour – also known as corn starch I use Dove Farms as it is gluten free
1tsp White Wine Vinegar
300ml Double Cream
300g/10.5oz Fresh Strawberries
50ml Limoncello – optional use water if preferred
Method: Preheat the oven to 180C/160C fan, gas mark 4.
- Make sure the large bowl you will be whisking the egg whites in is scrupulously clean.
- Cut 1 lemon in half and wipe around the inside of the bowl with it.
- Separate the egg whites from the yolks and place the egg white into the clean, lemon wiped bowl.
- Squeeze the juice of the cut lemon into the bowl with the egg whites, ensuring pips and pulp are caught by a sieve.
- Start whisking on a slow speed and gradually build up to high.
- Keep whisking until the egg whites have reached the stiff peak stage.
- This is where, if you hold the whisk up the whisked egg white will not flop over
- I couldn’t take a photo and hold the whisk up, but you can see the peaks in the bowl stand up and the egg white on the whisk didn’t move whilst I stopped to take a snap.
- Resuming whisking on a high speed add the caster sugar 1 tablespoon at a time, or do as I did, pour it from a jug in a slow gentle stream so that it all becomes slowly incorporated into the egg whites.
- Once the meringue looks glossy, with a satin sheen, the meringue is mixed.
- Add the corn flour and vinegar and gently fold into the meringue, so as not to knock out any of the air.
- Draw a 25cm circle on a piece of baking parchment that fits onto a baking tray.
- I drew round a 10″ cake pan.
- Flip the baking parchment over and secure to the baking tray with a dob of meringue in each corner.
- Scoop half of the meringue onto the middle of the disc.
- Using a palette knife spread the meringue out so that it fills the marked circle, ensuring it is fairly level.
- Fill a large piping bag, fitted with a large star tip, with the remaining half of the meringue.
- Pipe a swirl pattern around the edge of the pavlova base.
- Place the meringue into the hot oven and immediately turn the heat down to 150C/130C fan, gas mark 2.
- Bake for 1 hour 15 minutes – 1 hour 30 minutes.
- When baked the pavlova will have a hard outer shell with a hint of soft marshmallow deliciousness inside.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool on the baking tray.
- Once cooled use a palette knife to slide under the pavlova and separate it from the baking parchment. Transfer to a cake stand or serving dish.
- When ready to decorate, place the limoncello, juice of 1 whole lemon and tablespoon of caster sugar into a small pan. Bring to a bubble and reduce the heat until the liquid is about a quarter of its original volume.
- Whilst the lemon drizzle is reducing, pour the double cream into a bowl and whisk until it has reached the floppy stage. It will not be stiff, just thickened enough to hold a figure of eight.
- Spoon the whipped cream onto the inner part of the pavlova.
- Decorate with strawberries.
- The concentrated lemon drizzle should look like the picture above.
- Drizzle it over the strawberries, for an intensely lemon flavour.
- Serve immediately.
The lemon pavlova can be made, unfilled a day in advance. Store on the original baking parchment, but loosen it first with palette knife, wrap in cling film. The cream can be whipped ahead of time and stored covered, in the fridge. Make the drizzle and assemble just before serving.
This Lemony Strawberry Pavlova is sure to wow any dinner party guests and your family. It is so light and the lemon so refreshing, it is absolutely perfect for dessert after a heavy meal, such as a roast or curry.
One bite of this delicious delight and my mouth felt cleansed and ready for a second, third……. 😉.
Whilst I am unreliable at the best of times, I really am going to try to make one dessert a month. Yes really, a proper pudding, or lighter dessert during the warmer months. My husband will be a very happy man!
Are you a dessert person? Do you look at a restaurant menu, pick your dessert and plan your meal around it??
If you have enjoyed this Lemony Strawberry Pavlova here is my other pavlova dessert for you to try:
I love reading your comments, thank you for taking the time to leave them and keep them coming please? I’m usually around on Twitter most days, so if you have any cooking/baking dilemmas send me a tweet and I’ll do my best to get back to you? I may not always have the answers, but I belong to an awesome community of amazing cooks and bakers. Between us there isn’t usually much that we can’t help with!
Have fun whilst you are cooking/baking and remember a feast can be improved with good company.
Sammie xx
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Pavlova is one of my favorite desserts and I just don’t make it often enough! Yours is spectacular and love the lemon drizzle, too!
Thank you for your lovely comments Christina. It is mine too, I am making a concerted effort to make more desserts! Sammie X.
Wow, this pavlova looks amazing! I like how you’ve piped the swirls around the edge too, this is definitely something I’m going to try next time I make pavlova. I never have enough patience though and eat the meringue before I have the chance to put the filling on! 😂
Rebecca
Thank you Rebecca, yup I’ve done that too!! I thought I’d give the swirls a try, first time piping meringue. Sammie.