Pavlova

The Pavlova was named after the Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova. The meringue-based dessert has a crisp crust and a soft light filling. We topped ours with kiwi, raspberries and apricots, but feel free to top it with any fruit you fancy.

Ingredients:

• 6 egg whites
• 1 ¼ cup castor sugar
• 1 tbsp corn flour
• 1 tsp white vinegar
• 1 tsp vanilla essence
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 2 tbsp sugar

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 120 C
2. Line a baking tray with baking paper.
3. Using a pencil, mark a 24 cm diameter circle on the baking paper
4. Using an electric mixer, whisk the egg whites until they form soft peaks
5. Add the sugar gradually
6. Whish until the sugar has completely dissolved and the mixture looks glossy
7. Add corn flour, vinegar, ½ tsp vanilla essence and whisk until just combined
8. Using the circle you marked on the baking paper as a guide, spoon the mixture onto the baking paper
9. Smooth sides and top
10. Keep the tray on the centre rack of the oven and bake for 1 ½ hours or until the pavlova feels dry when you touch it
11. Turn off the oven, open the oven’s door and leave the pavlova to cool off completely
12. Run a spatula gently against the bottom of the pavlova to remove it from the baking paper and transfer it to a large plate
13. To make the filling, beat the heavy cream together with sugar and ½ tsp vanilla essence on medium speed until it becomes thick. Be careful not to over beat.
14.  Spoon the filling onto the pavlova
15. Top the pavlova with fresh fruits, for ours we used raspberries, kiwi and apricots.

Note: You can use foil instead of baking paper, but you would need to brush it with melted butter and dust it with corn flour. Remember to shake off the excess corn flour. Speaking about desserts, we've got some great interviews on Lonumedhu, especially with people who make sweet yummy beautiful looking things. Check out our interviews with Alaya Manik on Munch Me, Adlyn Saleem on Adlyn's Bakery and Shazley Mohamed Didi on Shazley's Little Teashop.