Easy Individual Berry Pavlovas with Whipped Cream
Pavlova is a texture paradise. Make it into individual berry pavlovas? Sheeeesshh. A meringue-based dessert often filled with cream and berries. The meringue is crunchy on the outside and chewy on the inside, the whipped cream adds to the silky sweetness, and the berries – be they fresh or compote – offer a delicious bite to round it all out.
This recipe calls for a French meringue, piped into multiple baskets – shaped to your heart’s content. Then fill with freshly made whipped cream, and top with homemade cherry-berry compote.
It’s the treat to show off some of those baking skills to your friends and family, while also making you look a lot fancier than the effort of the recipe effort really requires. So, if you want to change up your dessert table, why not get “fancy” and whip up some individual pavlova baskets?
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WHAT IS A PAVLOVA?
In the simplest terms, a pavlova is a baked meringue, often filled with whipped cream and fruit. French meringue is most commonly used to make a pavlova, though you’ll sometimes seen Swiss meringue instead.
The meringue is made by whipping a combination of egg whites, sugar, cornstarch, and vinegar. Once the peaks are stiff, it can be piped into your desired shape (like this heart wreath pavlova!) or spread on a baking sheet (like this 2-layered minty peach pavlova!).
Make sure your bowl is clean and grease-free! Even a little bit of fat in your bowl can prevent the egg whites from properly whipping into stiff peaks.
INGREDIENTS
- Egg whites: provide structure and volume for the meringue
- Cornstarch: stabilizes and keeps the center soft
- White wine vinegar: strengthens the meringue and reduces cracking
- Granulated sugar: adds sweetness and shine to the pavlova while sweetening and thickening the compote
- Powdered sugar: smooths texture and balances flavor
- Heavy cream: whips into a light, fluffy topping
- Vanilla extract: gives warm, aromatic flavor
- Cherries: add tart, juicy depth to the compote
- Raspberries: bring bright, tangy flavor
- Orange zest: adds citrus fragrance
- Orange juice: balances acidity and enhances fruitiness
Why is the oven temperature so low? Meringues need gentle, low-and-slow baking to stay crisp without cracking or browning. Leaving them to cool in the oven helps them adjust gradually, preventing sudden temperature shocks.
HOW TO MAKE INDIVIDUAL BERRY PAVLOVAS
To make the French meringue, start by placing the egg whites into a clean bowl with plenty of space for growth. Using a mixer on low speed, beat until the whites are frothy with no liquid left at the bottom. Add the vinegar and cornstarch and continue beating until you reach medium-soft peaks. Slowly add the granulated sugar, just a spoonful at a time, beating well after each addition until stiff, glossy peaks form—you should be able to turn the bowl upside down without anything falling out. Finally, sift in the powdered sugar and gently fold it in with a metal spoon, being careful not to deflate the mixture.
For the whipped cream, combine the cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla in a bowl, then whisk by hand with a side-to-side or up-and-down motion until it becomes glossy and softly thickened. You can also use a hand mixer. Once it reaches the right texture, stir lightly with a spatula to finish, then transfer the cream to a piping bag and refrigerate until ready to use.
To prepare the cherry-berry compote, place the cherries and raspberries into a pot over high heat and cook until they begin releasing their juices. Stir occasionally. Add the sugar and orange zest, then stir well. When the mixture begins to thicken, pour in the orange juice and bring it to a gentle boil before lowering the heat. Allow the compote to simmer and thicken for about 8 minutes. Stir occasionally, then remove it from the heat. Transfer to a bowl to cool at room temperature. Once cooled, cover and refrigerate.
For assembly, preheat your oven to 212°F convection. Spoon or pipe the meringue mixture onto a parchment-lined baking sheet, shaping small nests no more than three layers high to prevent collapse.
Bake for 45–90 minutes depending on size, checking after 45 minutes by gently pressing the sides of a nest. If firm and easy to lift from the parchment, they are done. Turn off the oven, leave the door slightly ajar, and let the meringues cool inside for one hour.
Once cooled, pipe whipped cream into each meringue nest, adding a little extra on top to create a lip. Then spoon the compote over the cream. Serve and enjoy!
3 reasons you’ll love this dessert
TIPS & VARIATIONS
- When making your meringue, use a completely clean, grease-free bowl. Even a little fat can prevent the eggs whites from forming stiff peaks.
- Add sugar gradually to your eggs whites as they whip, to avoid a grainy texture and help the meringue turn glossy.
- Don’t skip the vinegar and cornstarch in the French meringue. They stabilize the meringue and keep the centers chewy.
- Low and slow baking is key for pavlovas! Higher heat can crack or brown the meringues. Removing the meringues from the oven before they’ve had time to cool can also cause them to crack.
- Don’t overcook your compote. It will thicken as it cools, so you don’t want to overcook it and end up with a gloopy compote.
- Frozen fruit works beautifully, so this dessert is year-round friendly! You can easily swap for fresh as well. Note that there is a little extra liquid from the water crystals on frozen fruit. So, if you’re fresh fruit doesn’t seem to be breaking down, add a little more juice or water to loosen.
- Assemble your individual berry pavlovas just before serving to keep meringues crisp.
- Skip the compote and top with fresh fruit if desired! Passionfruit, strawberries, and/or blueberries would work deliciously too!
MAKING AHEAD & STORING
Once the French meringue is whipped up, it needs to be baked immediately. But, once baked and cooled, you can store the meringues for up to 3 days in advance of serving. Keep them in an airtight container at room temperature (not in the fridge!).
Your assembled individual berry pavlovas can be stored in the fridge for up to 1-2 days. Note that they will lose some crispness in the fridge, so they are really best served (and eaten) once assembled.
MORE FRUITY RECIPES
Want to turn these pavalovas into a beautiful wreath? Try this Valentine’s Pavlova, individual heart-shaped meringue, piped into a wreath, and baked! These Simple Citrus Fruit Tarts make pretty, individual desserts, topped with slices of fresh orange and lime. Looking for something creamy to feed a crowd? This White Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake is a dream and will be sure to wow. Something just for you? Try this Mini Lemon Tart for One!
EQUIPMENT YOU’LL NEED
Equipment
- Piping Bag
- Baking Tray
- Parchment Paper
- Spatula
- Spoon
- Baking Sheet
- Fine Mesh Sieve
- Mixing Bowls
- Hand Mixer
- Digital Scale or Measuring Cups
- Measuring Spoons
Ingredients
- 100 g Egg whites*, room temperature approx. 3 eggs
- ½ tsp Corn Starch
- 1 tsp white wine vinegar*
- 100 g Granulated Sugar approx. ½ cup
- 100 g Powdered Sugar, sifted a little over ¾ cup
- 200 g Heavy Cream ¾ cup
- 20 g Powdered Sugar, sifted 2 ¾ tbsp
- ½ tsp Vanilla Extract
- 25 g Cherries frozen (1/4 cup)
- 75 g Raspberries frozen (3/4 cup)
- 50 g Sugar 2 tablespoons
- ½ Zest of an orange
- ½ orange juiced
Instructions
FRENCH MERINGUE
- In a clean bowl* with space for growth, place the egg whites.
- With your mixer on low speed, beat your egg whites just until they are nice and frothy, with no loose liquid at the bottom.
- Add in your vinegar and cornstarch – along with any additional flavorings you desire – and beat until medium-soft peaks form (aka still moves around in the bowl, not completely stiff).
- A few spoonfuls at a time, add your caster 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.
WHIPPED CREAM
- Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Using a hand whisk, manually whisk from side to side or up and down. This whips without the extra effort of going round and round!
- Your cream should become shiny and glossy as you whip.
- Once cream becomes decently thick – still “soft” but not liquid – use a spatula to lightly stir for final thickness.
- Place into a piping bag and store in the fridge to cool.
CHERRY-BERRY COMPOTE
- Place frozen cherries and berries into a pot or frying pan over high heat, until juices start to release. Stir occasionally.
- Add sugar and zest, and stir.
- Once the mixture begins to thicken, add orange juice and bring to a gentle boil. Reduce heat to low and thicken for about 8 minutes, stirring occasionally. The compote will thicken as it cools so don’t over thicken in the pan.
- Remove from heat and pour into a bowl to cool to room temperature before covering and placing in the fridge to cool completely.
ASSEMBLY
- Preheat oven to 100C or 212F convection (120C or 248F non-convection)
- Once you’ve made your French meringue, gently place the mixture into a piping bag (with or without a nozzle).
- On a parchment-covered baking tray, pipe small shaped nests, no more than three layers up (to avoid collapse – remember French meringue is very delicate at this stage)
- Gently place in the oven and bake for 45-90 minutes, depending on the thickness. Start at 45 minutes.
- To check for doneness, gently squeeze the sides of one of your baskets. If firm, gently try to lift/peel from the parchment paper. When there is no resistance, they are ready
- Turn your oven off but leave the baked meringues in the oven with the door slightly cracked, to cool for one hour
- For assembly, pipe your whipped cream into one of your room-temperature meringues. I like to not only fill the basket but pipe a little extra above, so there is a lip of sorts to place my compote. Once you have your cream in the nest, gently top it with your room-temperature compote.
- Enjoy!
these turned out so cute and all the flavors and textures go together so well
so happy to hear that teresa!