hip the egg whites and vanilla to soft peaks and gradually add the sugar slowly, whipping until the sugar is completely dissolved.
Pinch the meringue between your fingertips to feel that all of the sugar granules have completely dissolved.
Sprinkle the meringue with the corn starch & vinegar.
Fold in the corn starch and vinegar gently with a rubber spatula. This step helps a crisp crust to form on the meringue and keep the inside marshmallowy.
Divide the meringue into 3 equal portions ( or two if making a 2 layer) Spread each evenly to the edges of the marked edges on the paper.
Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until small cracks start to appear in the meringue. ( For a 2 layer about 1 hour and 25 minutes.)
Turn off the oven, leave the door ajar and allow the pavlovas to cool completely in the oven.
To prepare the vanilla whipped cream
Simply whip all 3 ingredients together until firm peaks form.
To construct the cake.
Add half the jam to the bottom layer and spread evenly. Add a layer of vanilla whipped cream.
Repeat on all layers.
I tend to keep the top more plain just with cream and berries for garnish.
Notes
I generally make my pavlovas a day ahead and keep them on a rack covered with a tea towel overnight.
It is best to construct the cake as close to serving as possible. Humidity affects baked meringue so the less time it has to do that the better. That being sad, if making it on the day, you can hold it in the fridge for several hours before serving.
Of course, because of the dairy, the leftovers should always be refrigerated.
ADVERTISEMENT
