Recipes

Pavlova Christmas Tree

Create a festive showstopper with our pavlova Christmas tree. Enjoy crisp meringue layers, soft whipped cream, and fresh berries.

Ingredients

Meringue:

6 medium egg whites
300g caster sugar
2 tsp white wine vinegar
2 tsp cornflour

Decorations:

900ml double cream
1tbsp vanilla extract
Fresh berries of choice

Method

In a stand mixer, add the egg whites. Using the whisk attachment, whisk on high speed for around 5 minutes, until the egg whites are thick and doubled in size.
Next, gradually add the sugar whilst still whisking on a high speed, spoon by spoon.
Allow to whisk for another 5 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 130°C (fan).
Next, add the vinegar and cornflour. Whisk for a further 30 seconds to combine, then switch off the mixer.
Transfer into a piping bag. Add a piping nozzle for extra flair, or just snip the bag with scissors to pipe in smooth lines.
Line two baking trays with parchment and outline 7 different size circles, ranging from large, to small. This will provide the tree structure. A large bowl is a good place to start for the largest circle, then gradually reduce the size. The smallest should be around the size of a glass rim.
Flip the parchment over, so the pen or pencil doesn’t transfer, and pipe meringue into the circles. Play around with patterns, if you like.
Turn the oven down to 100°C and place the trays into the oven. These will now bake for 1 hour.
After an hour has passed, turn the oven off, but keep the door shut for at least 3 hours to continue gently cooking and to prevent cracking.
Finally, pour the cream and vanilla into the stand mixer and whisk on the highest speed until a soft, fluffy whipped cream forms.
Peel the largest meringue round off the parchment and place it onto a large round plate. Dollop on some cream and sprinkle over berries.
Repeat this process until all of the meringue rounds have been used up in size order.
Finally, dust with icing sugar, if you like, and enjoy this festive showstopper!