If you''ve never tried a Pavlova cake, you might be flicking through this recipe right now and wondering what it is? Named after the famous Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova, a Pavlova cake is essentially a massive layer of meringue topped with whipped cream and fruit. Pavlova cakes are hugely popular in Australia, but they''re slowly creeping their way into American culture and ours.
We have to admit, a Pavlova cake is one of those cakes that is more difficult to make and, in principle, requires quite a bit of pastry skills. But, never mind! We''ve put together a few tips to make your cake just the way it should be.
- Whisk the eggs before adding the sugar. Paul''s cake is made with meringue, which does not contain any leavening agents apart from the whisked egg whites, so you need to whisk the egg whites well before adding the other ingredients. Whisk the egg whites until soft and then slowly add the sugar. Continue beating the egg whites until stiff peaks form.
- Bake the meringue at a low temperature and slowly. To prevent the meringue from bursting, bake it at a low temperature for about one hour, then turn off the oven and leave the meringue in the warm oven for another hour. This will dry the meringue completely and help it to cool without bursting.
- Only assemble the Pavlova cake once the meringue has really cooled down. Warm meringue will not be firm enough and the whipped cream added later will become runny.
The BAM vanilla paste will also play an important role in the preparation . The vanilla paste is alcohol-free and made from real bourbon vanilla extract from Madagascar, with vanilla seeds added to give your dish an attractive appearance.