Kathleen Rear

Nothing beats a Pavlova, crunchy and chewy meringue covered in fruit and cream, yum! And here’s a sneaky tip, most of it can be made in advance.

Birthday Pavlova
6 Egg Whites
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 cup Sugar
3 tablespoons Unsweetened Cocoa Powder (sifted)
1 teaspoon Red Wine Vinegar

Preheat oven to 350f/180c degrees.

Fit your stand mixer with the whisk attachment.
Wipe out the bowl of your stand mixer with the lemon juice.
This will ensure a fat free zone, as even a speck of fat in the egg whites will
not allow the whites to whip up at all.
Separate the eggs and add the egg whites to the bowl.
Begin to whisk on high speed, when they begin to appear foamy, start to add the sugar one tablespoon full at a time.
Once the whites are firm and shiny, and all the sugar is incorporated,
fold in the cocoa powder and red wine vinegar by hand.
Spoon the meringue into a rough 9 inch circle onto a sheet pan lined with parchment paper.
Place in the oven then immediately turn the oven down to 300f/150c.
Bake for 1 hour 15 minutes.
Allow to cool (in which it will deflate slightly and crackle) completely before adding the topping.
To make ahead, after you cool completely you can simply cover with a tea towel for up to 6-8 hours before adding the topping.

For the Topping:
Any fresh fruit.
2 cups Heavy Cream + 2 tablespoons sugar
Whip the heavy cream & sugar until firm peaks form.
Top the Pavlova with the fruit and whipped cream.