Roses are red, violets are blue, these Mini Pavolvas were made just for you ❤️ ! With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, nothing says I Love You quite like my heart-shaped pavlovas. These delicate treats are as stunning as they are delicious!
My Mini Pavolvas serve as the perfect dessert to celebrate and express one’s love this Valentine’s Day! Treat yourself, your significant other, family or friends to a sweet treat and even sweeter memories! So, let me show you how it’s done. Grab a spoon and come and cook with me!
What is Pavolva?
A Pavolva is a meringue-based dessert, with origins in Australia and New Zealand. It’s crispy on the outside and soft, slightly chewy and marshmallow-like on the inside, making it an enchanting and interesting bite! A classic pavlova is typically topped with whipped cream and a variety of fresh fruit.
My Mini Pavolva recipe turns a traditional pavlova into 6 smaller, heart-shaped meringue desserts, perfect for your Valentine’s Day celebrations! These airy pavlovas are adorned with Chantilly cream (or vanilla-flavoured whipped cream), a handful of fresh raspberries and a dusting of powered sugar. Doesn't that sound divine?!
The Ingredients You’ll Need
The best things in life are made better with some mini pavlovas. To achieve the perfect pavlovas, you’ll need a few simple and every day ingredients, including:
Egg Whites: Egg whites serve as the foundation to the perfect meringue.
Granulated Sugar: Granulated sugar adds sweetness and serves as a stabilizer, binding with the egg whites to create a solid meringue structure.
Cornstarch: Cornstarch adds stability and softness to the pavolvas’ centre, ensuring a slightly chewy and marshmallow-like consistency.
White Vinegar: A hint of acid gives the meringue a glossy sheen and aids in stabilizing its structure.
Heavy Cream: Heavy cream serves as the rich base for the Chantilly cream topping.
Powdered Sugar: Powered or icing sugar adds sweetness to the cream, while also helping to stabilize it.
Vanilla Extract: Vanilla gives the cream some additional sweetness and imparts it with a subtle floral note.
Fresh Fruits: Raspberries are soft and sweet and add the most beautiful bright, red hue to this delicious Valentine’s Day treat.
Tips For Making the Perfect Pavlovas
Let’s set you up for success! Here are some tips and tricks that will help you achieve the perfect Pavlovas:
Clean Equipment: Ensure that your mixing bowl and whisk attachments are clean and dry. This helps optimize the volume of the egg whites. Avoid using plastic mixing bowls as they absorb and retain grease and make beating egg whites difficult.
Egg Temperature: Use fresh, room-temperature eggs for optimal results. Cold eggs are harder to separate and reduce meringue volume.
Separating the Eggs: When separating egg whites from the yolks, use three bowls for good measure! One bowl for cracking the eggs and separating them, the other for the egg whites and the final bowl for the egg yolks. This safeguards and prevents egg yolks from making their way into the already separated egg whites. Yolks hinder the egg whites’ ability to whip up properly due to their higher fat-content.
Salt: Adding a pinch of salt helps the eggs whites whip up faster while also stabilizing them. It also enhances the flavours of the ingredients while balancing the overall sweetness. Granularity of salt matters when creating a meringue. Table salt is more granular and dissolves easily and quickly into the egg whites.
The Addition of Sugar: Incorporating sugar too quickly into the beaten egg whites can ruin the meringue by weighing it down. Adding the sugar slowly, 1 tablespoon at a time, helps the sugar dissolve in the egg whites, resulting in a stiffer and smoother meringue.
Baking Temperature: Pavlovas like to be baked low and slow. A temperature of 200F dries out the pavlovas’ exterior while leaving the interior soft, slightly chewy and marshmallow-like in consistency and texture.
Make Ahead: While it’s best to serve mini pavlovas on the same day that they are made, you can store the meringues, in a single layer, in an airtight container for 1 to 2 days. Top the meringues with Chantilly cream, fresh raspberries and a dusting of powdered sugar just before serving.
Watch the video below for step-by-step instructions as to how to make the perfect mini pavlovas!
For more fun and exciting dessert ideas, try my Poached Pears, Croissants with Strawberries and Cream, Peanut Butter Chocolate Bars and Carrot Cake recipes!
Mini Pavlova Recipe
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 2 hours
Total Time: 2 hours and 15 minutes
Serves: 6 (Makes 6 heart-shaped pavlovas)
Ingredients:
Mini Pavlovas
4 large egg whites, at room temperature
Pinch of table salt
1 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 tsp cornstarch
1 tsp white vinegar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 pints of fresh raspberries, as a topping
Chantilly Cream
1 cup heavy cream, chilled
2 Tbsp powdered sugar, sifted
1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 200F and line a 11” x 17” rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
Making the Meringue: To a large glass mixing bowl, add the egg whites and salt. Using a handheld or stand mixer, beat the egg whites on high speed for 2 - 3 minutes or until soft peaks form.
Add the granulated sugar, 1 Tbsp at a time, and mix on high speed until the sugar is fully incorporated. Repeat the process with the remaining sugar. This process should take approximately 6 - 7 minutes. You know your meringue has reached the perfect consistency when it’s glossy and smooth and stiff peaks have formed.
Then, add the cornstarch, vinegar and vanilla and mix on high speed for 10 seconds or until fully incorporated.
Forming the Pavlovas: Transfer the meringue into a piping bag, fitted with a round piping tip. Pipe the meringue into 6 hearts, measuring 4 x 4 inches, leaving 2 inches of space between each pavlova.
Bake for 2 hours or until the outside is pale in colour and dry and firm to the touch.
Remove the meringues from the oven and set them aside to cool on the baking sheet.
Creating the Chantilly Cream: Once the meringues have cooled, to a large mixing bowl, add the cold heavy cream, powdered sugar and vanilla. Using a handheld or stand mixer, beat the cream over high speed for 3 - 4 minutes or until stiff peaks form.
Gently lift the cooled meringues from the parchment paper and place them onto individual plates or a large serving platter.
The Finishing Touch: Using a piping bag, pipe the Chantilly cream onto the base of the pavlovas. Garnish with fresh raspberries and dust with powdered sugar. Serve immediately and enjoy!
