Mini Pavlova
Mini Pavlova is a beautiful, delicious, bite-size dessert for any occasion, especially holidays. Crispy on the outside and slightly chewy on the inside, topped with fluffy cream, your favorite fresh berries and nuts. These look absolutely divine at the desserts’ table; definitely an eye-catching piece of work.
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The meringues can be prepared 2-3 days ahead of time and stored in an airtight container, and assembled just before serving. I like recipes like that especially when you have a lot on the menu and trying to do as much as you can ahead of time for that big occasion.
Mini Pavlova Ingredients:
- 4 egg whites – room temp
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon organic corn starch
- 1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- pinch of salt
Pavlova Frosting Ingredients:
- 1 1/4 cups cold heavy whipping cream
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- blueberries for topping (about 30 – berry per pavlova)
- pistachios for topping (about 40)
How to Make Mini Pavlova:
1. Preheat the oven to 225°F. Line 2 large baking sheets with a parchment paper and set aside. In a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat 4 egg whites and a pinch of salt on high speed, until they start becoming foamy (about 1 minute). With mixer running, gradually add 3/4 cup sugar and beat for 9-10 minutes on high speed until stiff peaks form (pause mixer and scrape off sides with 2 mins remaining). Mixture will be thick, glossy and smooth.
2. Using a spatula, fold in 1 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice and 1/2 tsp vanilla extract (10-11 full strokes). Then fold in 1 tsp corn starch and 1/2 tsp cream of tartar (10-11 full strokes) until everything is well mixed, but don’t over-mix. Pipe meringue onto the parchment paper using a Wilton 2D tip, about 2” in size and 2” apart. Indent the center of each pavlova with a teaspoon to allow some extra room for cream. Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes, then turn the oven off and without opening the door, leave meringue in the oven for another 30 minutes. The outside will be dry, crispy and off-white colored, and the inside will be slightly marshmallow-y soft. Transfer pavlovas to a cooling rack to cool completely before topping with cream, the insides will be crispy as well once cooled.
How to Make Frosting for Pavlova:
3. In a medium bowl, beat 1 1/4 cups cold heavy whipping cream and 2 tbsps sugar until it forms stiff peaks, about 3 mins. Pipe frosting onto a pavlova using a Wilton 2D tip and top with fresh blueberries and chopped lightly salted pistachios (lightly salted balances out the flavors and sweetness). Once these are assembled, they stay delicious 4-6 hours in refrigerator. For best results, serve immediately OR prepare frosting, fruits and/or other toppings few hours ahead, and assemble an hour before serving. Enjoy!!!
More Mouthwatering Desserts to Explore:
- Oreshki Recipe (Walnut Shaped Cookies) – smooth dulce de leche filling
- Panna Cotta with Chocolate Jello – two favorite jello desserts combined into one
- Ukrainian Dulce de Leche Waffle Cake – the easiest dessert you will ever make
Mini Pavlova
Ingredients
PAVLOVA INGREDIENTS:
- 4 egg whites – room temp
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon organic corn starch
- 1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- pinch of fine salt
FROSTING INGREDIENTS:
- 1 1/4 cups heavy whipping cream - cold
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- blueberries for topping, (about 30 – berry per pavlova)
- pistachios for topping, (about 40)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 225°F. Line 2 large baking sheets with a parchment paper and set aside. In a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat 4 egg whites and a pinch of salt on high speed, until they start becoming foamy (about 1 minute). With mixer running, gradually add 3/4 cup sugar and beat for 9-10 minutes on high speed until stiff peaks form (pause mixer and scrape off sides with 2 mins remaining). Mixture will be thick, glossy and smooth.
- Using a spatula, fold in 1 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice and 1/2 tsp vanilla extract (10-11 full strokes). Then fold in 1 tsp corn starch and 1/2 tsp cream of tartar (10-11 full strokes) until everything is well mixed, but don’t over-mix. Pipe meringue onto the parchment paper using a Wilton 2D tip, about 2” in size and 2” apart. Indent the center of each pavlova with a teaspoon to allow some extra room for cream. Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes, then turn the oven off and without opening the door, leave meringue in the oven for another 30 minutes. The outside will be dry, crispy and off-white colored, and the inside will be slightly marshmallow-y soft. Transfer pavlovas to a cooling rack to cool completely before topping with cream, the insides will be crispy as well once cooled.
- In a medium bowl, beat 1 1/4 cups cold heavy whipping cream and 2 tbsps sugar until it forms stiff peaks, about 3 mins. Pipe frosting onto a pavlova using a Wilton 2D tip and top with fresh blueberries and chopped lightly salted pistachios (lightly salted balances out the flavors and sweetness). Once these are assembled, they stay delicious 4-6 hours in refrigerator. For best results, serve immediately OR prepare frosting, fruits and/or other toppings few hours ahead, and assemble an hour before serving. Enjoy!!!
Tracy says:
I made these today and they were delicious, turned out so perfect. Thank you for the tested perfected recipe. It’s a keeper.
Olga in the Kitchen says:
Hi Tracy! That’s wonderful. Thank you for sharing.
Faye says:
Amazing. So easy and delicious treat to combine with whatever fruit you like, caramel, chocolate, fruit syrup…so many options!
Olga in the Kitchen says:
Yes! You can decorate it and make it pretty with little effort & the flavor combination possibilities are endless! I’m so glad you loved it, Faye!
Leslie B says:
I tried the recipe, and it turned out great. I’ve always had problem with doing pavlovas, and this one turned out to be successful.
Olga in the Kitchen says:
Hi Leslie! I’m glad you loved it.
Blair says:
These really do melt in your mouth! Love the blueberries and nuts combination – very tasty!
Olga in the Kitchen says:
That’s awesome, Blair! Happy to hear hear you enjoyed this recipe :)!
Millie says:
Thank you so much for this recipe ! I just made it over the weekend and they turned out perfect and delicious. I baked them longer since I’ve made them larger. Also I noticed I liked them better the next day with fresh fruit from the fridge and COLD whipped cream. It takes away from the sweetness, it was a light dessert. I recommend to use cold fruits and whipped cream.
Olga in the Kitchen says:
Thank you Millie for the wonderful review! I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed this recipe :).
Katrine says:
I never wrote a review of any recipes, but today I had to! I have made pavlova many years ago and every time it was a complete fail. Finding your recipe, I was determined to try again. I used your recipe and they turned out were perfect. I shared with my family as a trial run and they all loved it! Thank you!
Olga in the Kitchen says:
I’m so glad you were able to get this to work for the entire family! Thank you for sharing your amazing review with us!
Mel says:
Oh my goodness!!! These are absolutely delicious!!!! I made the pavlova last night and made the whip cream today. They were so good that they are all gone today and I’m going to make more tomorrow!
Olga in the Kitchen says:
That’s so awesome, Mel! It sounds like you have a new favorite!
Jodi says:
Hi! Can the Pavlovas be made in advance? If so how long? Thinking of making for a crowd of 80.
Thanks!
Jodi
Olga in the Kitchen says:
Hi Jodi! You can make the meringues up to 2 days ahead of time and store loosely wrapped in a plastic bag then assemble just before your event. Once they are assembled they stay great for up to 4 hours (you can do room temp or fridge..I usually keep them in fridge until ready to serve). Hope this helps 🙂
Mary K. says:
This is the first Pavlova recipe I LOVED. I tried several that are chewy or too gummy inside, but yours is so crispy all the way. So amazing, thank you for sharing.
Olga in the Kitchen says:
Thanks Mary, I’m glad it all worked out the way you like it! 🙂
jessica says:
Hi Olga, I am planning to buy a decorating kit with tips and a pastry bag on Amazon. Which one would you advice to buy as there are too many of them and i am not sure which one is the best? Thank you!
Olga in the Kitchen says:
Hi Jessica. I used to own a brand called Ironwood and I didn’t really like it because if the frosting was a bit on the runny side, it didn’t hold the shape. So I purchased Wilton 55 piece set and it’s more than enough to decorate any cake or dessert and make something beautiful out of anything. You can purchase it on Amazon for $30 (at the moment). Any tip works great with any type of frosting.