Valentine’s Pavlova Hearts Wreath with French Meringue
Last year for Valentine’s Day celebrations I made individual heart-shaped pavlovas and they were (and still are) incredibly cute. This year, I thought, why not make them into a wreath, so you have a little bit of a showstopper but it’s still easy enough to cut apart for pretty sharing? And baby girlllll ain’t she pretty??
This recipe uses French meringue, which sounds a lot fancier and harder to produce than it is. You just have to know how to use a mixer and pay close attention to the steps for when to add what ingredients to your bowl. Each basket is lovingly filled with a two-ingredient whipped cream and topped with fresh raspberries. As Ina Garten would say, how easy is that?
VALENTINE’S PAVLOVA
I’m of the belief that most holidays deserve celebration and decoration, because why not?! Valentine’s is one of those that I used tobe miffed by, simply because I felt I had to have a partner in order to celebrate, when in actuality – I can celebrate however and whenever I want. So cheers to all the red and pink and heart-shaped explosions of love (for the people around you, your pets, and most importantly, yourself).
Anywho, this pavlova is made up of six piped hearts, of French meringue, baked in the shape of a wreath and filled with raspberries and cream. While the meringue is delicate, since you don’t want to knock out any excess air that you’ve beaten into it, it’s truly quite simple to whip up and fun to pipe into these cute hearts, no piping tip required! So get your beaters ready, and get to making this love-packed wreath perfect for Valentine’s Day (or really any occasion)!
What is French meringue? There are three types of meringue – French, Italian, and Swiss – each incorporate sugar and heat differently, ultimately affecting both their baking requirements and final texture. French meringue is the most delicate of the three since in order to set it, it needs to be baked. Once formed – using egg whites, vinegar, cornstarch, granulated sugar, and powdered sugar – you need to prep it on your baking sheet and get it into the oven quickly before it starts to separate. Truly not hard, but be ready to whip, pipe, and bake all in one go.
INGREDIENTS
- Egg Whites: The key ingredient in a meringue and honestly thrilling to whip up (I always feel like a scientist when I do)
- Cornstarch: Helps with the structure of your meringue to prevent it from weeping and keep it fluffy
- White Wine Vinegar: The acid in the vinegar works with the egg whites to help them whip up easier and hold their shape better
- Granulated Sugar: Offers structure to your meringue while….
- Powdered Sugar: Blends more easily than the granulated sugar, ensuring a smoother finish to your bake. This also is used to lightly sweeten the whipped cream you’ll fill your baked pavlova with
- Heavy Cream: Really the only ingredient you need to make whipped cream, if you want it unsweetened. But since I like mine a little sweet, we’re also adding powdered sugar
- Raspberries: A bright red fruit, perfect for topping each heart-shaped pavlova basket in celebration of love!
What is pavlova? Utter bliss in a bite, in my opinion. I had my first pavlova in pastry school and fell in love (no pun intended for the purpose of this wreath). It’s most often made with French meringue (as discussed above) but a Swiss meringue can also be used. Pavlova originates in New Zealand/Australia, often seen during the holiday season. They can be filled with a variety of things but most often include some type of whipped cream and fruit topping. The meringue itself should have a crunchy shell on the outside, but be soft and chewy in the center.
HOW TO MAKE A PAVLOVA HEARTS WREATH
Start by grabbing a baking tray and flipping it over – unless you have a rimless tray. Tear off a piece of parchment paper to cover your tray and grab a plate, bowl, or circle shape that is around 8 ½-inches in diameter. Use a sharpie to trace the circle onto your parchment paper. Use a piece of paper (thicker is easier – like poster board) and cut out a 4-inch square. Fold the square in half and on the bent side, draw half of a heart filling as much of the space as possible. Cut out the half heart, open it, and now you have your full heart shape! Using your cut-out heart, work around the circle to trace 6 hearts onto your parchment paper, leaving no more than ¼-inch of space in between. Flip your parchment paper over, so the marker side is down against your baking tray, and set aside.
Preheat your oven to 212F on the convection setting, this will help your wreath bake evenly. To make your French meringue, in a large bowl add your egg whites and beat with a mixer on low speed until they turn nice and frothy, with no loose liquid at the bottom. Add in your vinegar and cornstarch and beat until medium-soft peaks form (aka the mixture has stiffened but not completely and it still moves around in the bowl). Slowly add in your granulated sugar, a few spoonfuls at a time, beat, and repeat until all the sugar is added. At this point you should have glossy, stiff peaks – if not, continue to beat for a little longer. To test if you meringue is ready, you should be able to flip the bowl upside down and nothing will fall out of it. Sift in your powdered sugar and use a metal spoon or spatula to very gently fold it in, being very careful to not knock out any excess air. This video easily breaks down each stage of the French meringue process! Gently spoon your meringue into a piping bag and cut the tip off, enough to give yourself about a ¾-inch opening.
On your parchment-lined baked tray, begin to pipe your wreath. Start by piping the outlines of your six hearts following the outline you have drawn.. As you pipe, the the edges of each heart should touch the one next to it, since the lines you pipe will be a thicker than a sharpie. After you’ve piped the outlines, fill in the bottom of the heart in one layer. Following the edge of the heart, pipe the first outline of the basket and then on top of that, the second. Be sure to pipe one rim right on top of the other and don’t do more than two, as you will risk the weight being too heavy and the edges of the basket collapsing in the oven.
When all of your baskets are piped, you’re ready to bake! Gently place your tray on the middle rack in the oven and bake for 55 minutes. Then, turn your oven off but leave the baked meringue wreath in the oven with the door slightly cracked. Allow them to cool completely in the oven for an hour, allowing the meringue to cool slowly and prevent it from cracking.
While your meringue is cooling, make your whipped cream by adding your heavy cream to a bowl and sifting your powdered sugar over it. Whisk together until the mixture has thickened to whipped cream, if done by hand this will take a few minutes. Be careful not to overwhip and curdle your cream. Transfer to a piping bag and wrap tightly, placing in the fridge to keep cold
Once everything is cooled, pipe your whipped cream into each heart and top with raspberries!
3 reasons you’ll love this dessert
TIPS & VARIATIONS
- If you don’t have a full flat baking tray (aka there is no rim along the edge), flip your baking sheet over to ensure a flat surface for both baking and to easily slide your pavlova off of once it’s cooled
- When tracing your outline onto your parchment paper, use a thick marker like a sharpie, since you will need to flip your parchment paper over, so you don’t bake your meringue on the written side of the paper (we’re not trying to eat ink here)! Having a dark, thick outline will make it easier to trace with your piping bag
- Make sure the bowl you use to whip up your French meringue is completely clean, dry, and free of any fats. You can lightly dampen a towel with white vinegar and wipe down your bowl to ensure this. Any residue inside your bowl could prevent your meringue from properly forming.
- Your eggs should be at room temperature. A quick hack is to place your eggs (uncracked!) in a glass and cover them with hot water for 5 minutes. Then drain them before cracking and separating out the whites. Save your yolks for another recipe!
- Cut the tip off your bag to leave between a ½”-¾” opening. This will ensure that you’re piping a thick enough border for your hearts that they won’t collapse, but not too thick, where you won’t have enough to go around all of them
- Don’t pipe more that two layers above your base layer, to form your basket. If you pipe too many, the weight of meringue will force the heart to collapse in the oven
- Use a toothpick or spoon to very lightly smooth out any points (where you may have pulled up on the piping bag) around the rim of each basket. Do this very carefully so as to not disturb the air or structure of each heart. This is really just for aesthetics since how you put your meringue in, should be how it comes out – aka if you have some puffed-up points in your heart, it will baked with puffed-up points.
- Don’t overwhip your whipped cream! It should be fluffy but loose if you whip it too much, it’ll begin to get grainy and taste greasy
- While you can just spoon your whipped cream into the baked meringue baskets, placing it in a piping bag will allow you to fill each while keeping the heart shape visible
MAKING AHEAD & STORING
Pavlova is best the day it is made. You can’t make French meringue in advance, so you’ll have to be ready to bake this as soon as you whip up your meringue. Once your meringue is baked and cooled, you can wrap it tightly (but gently) and fill it the next day, just be sure to wrap it airtight if you plan to do this.
Fresh whipped cream can last in the fridge for up to a week if stored in an airtight container, which makes it easy to prep in advance once you’re ready to fill your pavlovas.
The baked, whipped cream-filled, and fruit-topped pavlova will last in the fridge in an airtight container for 2-3 days.
MORE PAVLOVA RECIPES
If it’s peach season, you have to try my Mint & Peach Pavlova. The balance of fresh peachy mintness with the creamy chew of the pavlova is just divine. Looking for something on the chocolatey side? Try my Dark Chocolate S’mores Pavlova! It’s a rich and classy take on the campfire treat we all know and love.
Equipment
- Digital Scale
- Mixing Bowls
- Mixer
- Measuring Cups
- Measuring Spoons
- 8 ½”-inch circle, for tracing
- Paper or posterboard
- Sharpie
- Scissors
- Piping Bag
- Spatulas
- Spoon
- Baking Sheet
- Parchment Paper
- Fine Mesh Sieve
Ingredients
- 100 g egg whites approx. 3 eggs, room temperature
- ½ tsp cornstarch
- 1 tsp white wine vinegar
- 100 g granulated sugar
- 100 g powdered sugar sifted
- ¾ cup heavy cream
- 2 ¾ tbsp powdered sugar sifted
- 12 ounces fresh raspberries
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 212F CONVECTION
- To start, draw your heart wreath onto a piece of parchment paper. Take an 8 ½-inch plate or circle and place it onto a sheet of parchment paper, large enough to fit on your baking tray. Trace the circle onto the center of your parchment paper with a sharpie. Then, using a piece of paper (thicker is easier – like poster board) and cut out a 4-inch square. Fold the square in half and on the bent side, draw half of a heart, filling as much of the space as possible. Cut out the half of the heart, open it, and now you have your full heart shape! Using your cut-out heart, work around the circle to trace 6 hearts onto your parchment paper, leaving no more than ¼-inch of space inbetween. Flip your parchment paper over, sharpie side down, and place on your baking tray.
- For your meringue, add your egg whites to a clean bowl with space for growth
- With your mixer on low speed, beat your egg whites until nice and frothy, with no loose liquid at the bottom.
- Add in your vinegar and cornstarch and beat until medium-soft peaks form (aka the mixture has stiffened but not completely and it still moves around in the bowl).
- A few spoonfuls at a time, add your granulated sugar, beat, and repeat until all the sugar is added. You should have glossy, stiff peaks at this point. If you want to test your work, you can flip the bowl upside down and nothing should fall out.
- Sift in your powdered sugar and using a metal spoon, gently fold in the sugar until just combined. Be very careful at this stage to not knock out any excess air from the meringue.
- Gently place your meringue into a piping bag and cut the tip off the bag, enough to give yourself about a ¾-inch opening
- On your parchment-lined baked tray, follow the outlines you have drawn to start piping your hearts to form a wreath. As you pipe, the the outlines of each heart should touch the ones next to it. After you’ve piped the outlines, fill in the bottom of the heart in one layer. Following the edge of the heart, pipe the first outline of the basket and then on top of that, the second. Be sure to pipe one rim right on top of the other and don’t do more than two, as you will risk the weight being too heavy and the edges of the basket collapsing in the oven
- When all of your baskets are piped, place on the middle rack in the oven and bake for 55 minutes
- Turn your oven off but leave the baked meringues in the oven with the door slightly cracked. Allow them to cool completely in the oven for an hour. Allowing them to cool slowly with help prevent them from cracking
- While your meringue is cooling, make your whipped cream. Add your heavy cream to a bowl and sift your powdered sugar over it. Whisk together until the mixture has thickened to whipped cream, if done by hand this will take a few minutes. Be careful not to overwhip and curdle your cream. Transfer to a piping bag and wrap tightly, placing in the fridge to keep cold
- Once everything is cooled, pipe your whipped cream into each heart and top with raspberries!
- Enjoy immediately!
I made these today for lunch with friends and they turned out fantastically! I was a bit lazy and didn’t make your adorable heart shapes, but more like bird nests. Anyway they were a hit! Also, I’d like to note that I made and baked the merengue yesterday and stored them in a tight plastic container at room temperature so I only had to add the whipped cream and fruit just before serving. Thanks for the great recipe Hannah!
Yes! These work great to store a day ahead airtight, to make it easy for topping and serving the next day! So glad you and your friends enjoyed!