This Mixed Berry Pavlova is gluten-free, elegant, and easy to make ahead of time and put together quickly at a dinner party or romantic dinner.
Sometimes you don't want a super-rich, mega-sweet, loaded-with-chocolate and/or caramel dessert. Sometimes, a little fruit will do. But if you want that fruit to be extra special, perhaps with the crunch of a sweet meringue, and the creaminess of a dollop of whipped cream, Mixed Berry Pavlova is exactly what you need.
This dessert is perfect for dinner parties or romantic dinners in for a couple of reasons. It's very elegant and looks fancy - especially if you garnish it with a couple of mint or basil leaves. It's also very easy to almost completely make ahead of time, leaving you to simply assemble it after you eat dinner. Let's learn how to make it.
How to make Mixed Berry Pavlova
Making this Mixed Berry Pavlova involves making three components: the meringue, the lightly sweetened berries, and the whipped cream. I recommend starting with the meringue because it takes the longest, and they can also be held at room temperature until ready to use.
To make the meringue, whip some egg whites with cream of tartar, vanilla, and sugar. Make sure to save the yolks for another use (perhaps take the opportunity to make some strawberry rhubarb curd or lemon curd). For best results, make sure the egg whites are at room temperature. You can use either a stand mixer or a hand mixer for this.
Spoon the meringue into 6 equal mounds on a baking sheet that has been lined with a silicone baking mat (or parchment paper). Bake the meringues until they look dry, then turn off the oven but leave the meringues in the oven until they are dried through (about 2 hours). From here, you can use the meringues immediately or put them into an airtight zipper bag or container to use when you're ready.
To make the berries, simply mix the berries with the sugar. Make sure to stir gently to avoid crushing any of the berries. Note that if you're using frozen berries, it's best to thaw them in advance in the fridge, and discard any excess liquid.
Make the whipped cream just before you're ready to serve the pavlova. I find that using a hand mixer is easier than a stand mixer for smaller amounts of whipped cream, but if you have an immersion blender with a whisk attachment, you can use that too.
To put the pavlovas together, simply spoon a dollop of whipped cream onto the top of each pavlova, then top the cream with your desired amount of berries. Feel free to garnish with anything like chopped or shaved dark chocolate, or chopped mint.
Mixed Berry Pavlova Ingredients
- Large egg whites - for best results, they should be at room temperature when they are whipped
- Vanilla extract - you will be using this both in the meringue and the whipped cream.
- Cream of tartar - cream of tartar is a powdered acid that helps to stabilize whipped egg whites. Find it in the baking aisle either near the leaveners or with the spices.
- Sugar - this will make an appearance in all of the components of this dessert - the meringue, the berries, and the whipped cream. Regular granulated sugar is fine.
- Strawberries - you can use fresh or frozen. If using frozen fruit, a bag of frozen mixed berries is the easiest (this is what I used in the photos you see here, but I have used fresh in the past too).
- Raspberries - fresh or frozen (thawed)
- Blackberries - fresh or frozen (thawed)
- Whipping cream or heavy cream - in contrast to the egg whites, whip the cream while it is cold for best results.
Mixed Berry Pavlova Variations
One of the nice things about pavlova is that you can make it in any flavor variation that you like. Instead of the mixed berries, consider using any of the following:
- Mixed tropical fruits (mango, papaya, pineapple, bananas, etc.), with or without coconut
- Cherry chocolate (consider using my Eton Mess recipe as inspiration)
- Chocolate strawberry - use chopped fresh or frozen strawberries with chocolate syrup and/or chopped dark or milk chocolate.
- Mixed stone fruits - sliced or chopped peaches, plums, apricots, and/or cherries
- Or feel free to come up with your own combination - use fruit, nuts, and/or any dessert syrups that you like.
Want more Meringue recipes?
Mixed Berry Pavlova Nutrition Notes
A large portion of the calories, as well as all of the fat in this recipe comes from the whipped cream. If you require a low-fat (or low-saturated fat) diet, reduce the amount of whipped cream in your portion.
This recipe is gluten-free and vegetarian as written.
Mixed Berry Pavlova
Equipment
Ingredients
Instructions
- Adjust oven rack to the medium position; heat oven to 200°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Whip 4 large egg whites, ¾ teaspoon vanilla extract, and ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar in the bowl of a stand mixer or a large non-plastic bowl at medium-low speed until foamy (about 1 minute). Increase speed to medium-high and whip until soft peaks form (about 1 minute). Gradually add 1 cup sugar and continue whipping until stiff peaks form (2-3 minutes).
- Scoop 6 mounds of meringue onto the baking sheet. Using a spoon, form each mound into a bowl shape. Bake meringues until they look dry, about 2 hours. Turn off oven but keep the sheet in the oven until the meringues are completely hard, about 2 more hours. If not using right away, seal in an airtight container or bag and store at room temperature for up to 2 weeks.
- Toss 1 ½ cup strawberries, 1 cup raspberries, and 1 cup blackberries with 1 Tablespoon sugar in a medium bowl. Let sit until juicy, about 10 minutes.
- Whip 1 cup whipping cream, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, and 1 Tablespoon sugar in a large bowl on medium-high speed until soft peaks form.
- Spoon about ¼ cup whipped cream onto each meringue. Top with berries and serve.
Nutrition
Notes
Taste the fruit before adding the sugar to determine if more or less sugar is required.
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