GF Fruit Pavlova
This naturally gluten-free dessert is simple to make and the shells can be make in advance with very little effort. The spectacular crispy texture of the outside is balanced by a chewy interior. Layer on homemade whipped cream and some fresh fruit for a real crowd-pleaser.
GF Fruit Pavlova
Ingredients
- 4 egg whites
- 1 c granulated sugar, plus more for the macerating the fruit
- 1 c heavy cream
- 3 Tbsp Powdered Sugar
- fresh fruit of your choice, sliced
Instructions
Preheat and prepare the pan. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees. Line a baking sheet with a piece of parchment paper. Decide if you are going to make one large pavlova or individual desserts. If you do mini sized, trace circles on one side of the paper. I use a pint glass for individual pavlovas but make whichever size you want by using a larger or smaller circle. Flip the paper over before adding the meringue.
Make the meringue. In a very clean, grease-free mixing bowl, beat the egg whites with a handheld mixer on medium-high for 2-3 minutes until the egg whites form soft peaks. Gradually sprinkle in 1-2 Tbl granulated sugar at a time, beating the mixture well on high between sugar additions until you have beaten in the whole cup of sugar. The mixture should be thick and glossy from the sugar and likely take about 8-10 minutes total to prepare.
Pipe and bake. For a large, family-style pavlova, heap the meringue onto the parchment and use the back of a spoon to spread it into a circle or oval shape making sure the sides are slightly higher than the center. Or if you want to make smaller pavlova you can dollop smaller mounds on a cookie sheet or get fancy and pipe them.
Place the beaten meringue into a piping bag fitted with a star or round tip. I use a zip top bag with a corner cut off instead. Using your traced circles as a guide, pipe or spread the meringue to the edges of the circle filling in the bottom.
Pipe a second layer around the edge or use your spoon to make the edges higher than the middle. The number of individual pavlovas you get will depend on how large or small you make them. With my pint glass I made approximately 8-10 smaller pavlova.
Bake for 1 1/2 hours. Turn off the oven and leave the oven door closed with the meringue inside for an additional 1 hour to dry out the dessert shell. Remove from the oven.
Macerate the fruit. Sprinkle 1-2 tsp of granulated sugar over the sliced fruit and stir gently to combine. Let this mixture sit at room temperature for 30 minutes or until the fruit begins to produce a little juice.
Make the whipped cream. Beat the heavy cream and powdered sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer, or in a medium bowl with a handheld mixer, for 2-3 minutes or until stiff peaks form.
Layer the whipped cream and macerated fruit on top and serve.
Make ahead tip: store the baked pavlova shells in an air-tight container for up to three days (especially if it is not humid since that will soften the shells) or wrap the shells well and freeze.
