Pavlova cake

Pavlova cake

Friday, June 24, 2016

Named after the majestic Russian dancer, this light, airy and indescribably delicious dessert will melt the hearts of even those who don’t have a sweet tooth. The famous Pavlova cake has conquered virtually the whole world and there is nothing unusual about it: a crispy crust, tender and soft meringue inside, airy whipped cream and a lot of fragrant fresh strawberries! How can we stand here?

This famous dessert arose in the first half of the last century after Anna Pavlovna Pavlova’s tour of New Zealand and Australia. At that time, the whole world worshiped Russian ballet, and sweets and perfume were even named after its most striking star. And so, in the end, the cake was created. By the way, no one can now say the exact date and place of birth of Pavlov’s cake, while New Zealanders and Australians still dispute the right of primacy over it.

In essence, the idea of ​​a Pavlova cake is indescribably ordinary, and the composition of this dessert is striking in its simplicity: a meringue base (the crust crunches like a tutu), whipped cream and the freshest fruit. So, at the beginning of the first half of the 20th century, this dessert was usually decorated with slices of kiwi and strawberries. Today, in a traditional Pavlova cake, it is customary to use only strawberries. However, there are a huge number of options for decorating this sweet - in the UK, for example, they put raspberries on top, some people like tropical fruits or seasonal local berries. There are no rules here, you can experiment according to your own taste.

If you like the traditional Pavlova cake recipe and would like to repeat it at home, remember that it must be prepared just before serving. Namely, decorate the meringue base (it can be baked in advance and stored until the right moment for several days) with whipped cream and berries. Otherwise, even in the refrigerator, the cake will leak (berry juice will begin to stand out) and the dessert will lose its former attractiveness.

Ingredients:

Making a dish step by step:

To make this simple, delicious, and easy summer cake, use egg whites, powdered sugar, heavy cream, cornstarch, wine vinegar, and lots of fresh strawberries. We use only heavy cream that is suitable for whipping - with a fat content of at least 32%. Corn starch (it will make the crust crispy, while keeping the meringue soft inside) can be replaced with potato starch, then take 1 tablespoon. Instead of wine vinegar, you can use lemon or lime juice. For decoration, you can also take fresh mint or lemon balm leaves - it will turn out even more attractive.

So, first you need to prepare the base for the cake - meringue. In addition to goods, we will also need suitable dishes and a mixer. Take a bowl, wash it and dry it thoroughly. You can degrease it with lemon juice, and then wipe it well again. Pour in the cool whites and, if desired, add a tiny pinch of salt (but this is not at all necessary). By the way, a question about the temperature of the proteins: some chefs say that warm (room temperature) proteins ultimately give the softest foam. But personally, I prefer working with chilled ones - I didn’t see much of a difference. It must be said that my whites were frozen, and later they simply thawed overnight (that is, in the dark) in the refrigerator. I often cook with egg yolks, so I simply collect the whites in a bag and store them in the freezer. There is no difference between fresh and frozen meringue proteins.

Start beating the egg whites with a mixer at low speed, gradually increasing the speed to medium. We continue to beat at virtually the highest speed for another minute or two. While beating, add sweet powder one tablespoon at a time. Increase the mixer speed to high and beat the meringue, not forgetting about the sugar. If you use a planetary mixer, it will be even easier because your hands are free. Using a hand mixer, beat the egg whites as if drawing a figure eight or an infinity symbol. This is necessary so that the mass is beaten moderately. In general, it will take you about 10-15 minutes to beat the egg whites. At the end, add wine vinegar and sifted starch. We mix them into the meringue carefully and not very intensively, folding them from bottom to top.

Look how the finished meringue for the meringue base looks - it is thick and compacted, but at the same time shaggy, smooth and glossy.

Airy meringue holds its shape perfectly if it is sufficiently whipped.

It's time to dry the meringue so that it becomes crispy on the outside, but remains tender, airy and juicy on the inside. You can create one large cake, 2 much smaller ones (like mine) or completely prepare it in portions in the form of cakes. Place the meringue on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper to the size of the desired circle(s). Later, use a spoon to level the meringue so that the edges of the airy cream are slightly in the middle.

The deposited pieces must be baked in a previously preheated oven at 140-150 degrees for 4-5 minutes, after which the temperature drops to 110 degrees and the meringue is cooked for approximately another 25-30 minutes. But still rely on the features of your own oven! Do not open the oven during baking (the temperature difference has a detrimental effect on the appearance of the meringue), otherwise the following problem may occur: my meringue sank in the center. The finished baked goods did not suffer in taste, but gave me a couple of minutes of aesthetic torment. Let the puffed pieces cool completely, but for now let’s make the cream and berries for our Pavlova cake.

In the traditional version of the Pavlova cake, the freshest strawberries are used, so that’s what we’ll take – fortunately, it’s just the season. Wash the berries, remove the stems, dry them completely (!) and cut into large slices. If you have small strawberries, leave them completely.

Next, beat the chilled heavy cream with a mixer at medium speed. You can whip the cream with a whisk - it’s even safer. Don't overdo it, otherwise you'll end up with butter and whey. Personally, I don’t add sweet powder to the cream, because ours is already quite sweet. You can also add 1-2 tablespoons of sweet powder before whipping. We need to get a fairly dense, yet tender and airy buttercream.

Assembling a Pavlova cake. Place the crispy meringue base on a flat dish.

Spread whipped cream on top in an even layer (half the entire amount if you are making 2 cakes, like I did).

The most enjoyable part of making remains - decorating the cake with a substantial amount of the freshest strawberries (put as many as your heart desires)!

Well, what’s it like here without the greenish stop? The freshest leaves of fragrant lemon balm or mint will be absolutely incredible. And if you wish, you can sprinkle the finished dessert with sweet powder. We assemble the second cake in the same way.

The Pavlova cake is served immediately after production. It is unsurpassed when cut into portioned pieces, it comes out indescribably tender, moderately sweet, fragrant... in general, wonderful! Try this truly summer dessert.

Pavlova cake

The traditional recipe for Pavlova cake came to us from afar. Almost 100 years ago, the majestic Russian dancer Anna Pavlova went on a tour of Australia and New Zealand. For this occasion, local confectioners developed a white cake with a narrow, crispy crust and a soft, airy center, which personified the amazing strength of character and at once the tenderness of the dancer. To this day, Australians and New Zealanders argue for the right to call Pavlov's cake their state dish, and not so long ago the Americans also joined them. I propose not to think about which of them is right, but to figure out how to prepare this delicious dessert. :)

The essential ingredients of Pavlova are egg whites, sugar, fruits or berries; optionally, whipped cream or curd is added to them.

Protein shortcakes for Pavlova cake

As you can easily tell from the composition, the base of this cake is meringue, in other words, whites whipped with sugar. The main thing here is not to get confused in concepts. The most common version of baked meringue in Russia is often called meringue and for some reason this term is used for all desserts with a similar composition.

The meringue is dry and crispy through and through. Pavlova should not be considered a meringue cake; it does not have to be dry. If you prepare the meringue strictly according to the recipe, the middle remains soft, similar to a soufflé. This is facilitated by the baking method and the addition of starch.

Look at the very first Pavlova that I once prepared. The cut clearly shows that the cake is not completely dry.

Returning to the fact that not every meringue can be considered meringue, I’ll give another example. Remember my article with a step-by-step recipe for homemade marshmallows . In addition to fruit or berry puree, it contains protein and sweet syrup, in other words, meringue. But it wouldn’t occur to anyone to call this dessert meringue, would it? :)

Secrets of making meringue (meringue) at home

- separate the whites from the yolks in advance (preferably a day in advance) and bring to room temperature, so when whipping, you can introduce more air into them and, accordingly, increase the volume of the cakes; getting the smallest particle of yolk into the whites will reduce all efforts to nothing;

- the bowl and whisk must be wiped dry and degreased by wiping with vinegar or lemon juice; if fat and water get in, the whites may not whip or increase in volume as necessary, the same principle applies to the humidity level in the kitchen, it should be the lowest;

- sugar must be added evenly and it must certainly dissolve completely (you can check by rubbing the meringue between your fingers), the less sugar you use, the faster and better the whites will whip.

Possible errors

- the cake is caramel, not snow-white - the oven temperature was very high;

- the crust cracked during baking and syrup came out - the sugar did not completely dissolve;

- there is a large cavity between the inside and the crust - the whites were underbeaten or overbeaten;

- after baking, the donkey shortbread is the result of a sharp temperature difference, Pavlova must be cooled evenly;

— for the best result, you need to bake the cake on the convection mode, thanks to it you can get a product with a crispy crust and a tender, not overdried middle, the top-bottom mode can also be used, but I never do that.

Cake molding

Truly whipped meringue holds its shape unsurpassedly and is easy to lay out the way you need it. You can create several even or slightly careless cake layers, pipe them figuratively with a pastry bag, or form one cake with a recess for the inside, as in the photo in the recipe text. You can also create Pavlova in portions. Portioned cakes with lemon curd inside will be a good dessert for Easter, because they resemble a chicken egg in cross-section.

Cream for Pavlova

The most common option is to fill and/or decorate the Pavlova with sugar-free whipped cream and sour berries or fruits to compensate for the excessive sweetness of the meringue.

If you need a more complex taste, you can add curd , it is usually made from passion fruit, but in our conditions citrus is also suitable.

The point of the inside is to enrich the taste of the cake without disturbing the harmony of textures, because any heavy cream will not work.

Storage and serving

Naturally, it is better to eat a cake with this texture right away and not store it, but if properly prepared, it can spend a number of days in the refrigerator if desired, I inspected it. The only thing is: what he sees will no longer be very marketable.

To serve beautiful pieces to your guests, you need to cut the pavlova with a very sharp knife, then the crust will not really remember the core.

If you are afraid of not being able to cope, and serving is of great importance, it is easier to prepare portioned cakes.

What to cook with leftover egg yolks?

The most trivial option is Kurd for the inside. I have a recipe for lemon curd in the article “Immaculate Lemon Cake” and in a separate article . Others prepare according to the same principle.

Also pay attention to British cream or crème anglaise - a traditional sweet sauce for baked goods and desserts. I served it with hazelnut-orange crumble .

And the cherry on the cake is the favorite traditional French cookies of my blog readers - Palets Breton . If you haven’t tried it yet, be sure to improve!

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And on my Instagram , I usually remind subscribers about old recipes, update the latest ones, and hold culinary competitions and giveaways.

Pavlova cake

Traditional Pavlova cake recipe. Protein shortcakes with a crispy crust and a tender soufflé center, whipped cream and berries.

Pavlova cake: step-by-step recipe for making sweets with photos

From the 1st culinary show, I found out about an unusual dessert with a very fascinating name - “Pavlova”. The manufacturing process seemed very complicated to me, but it looked like a masterpiece of confectionery art: snow-white meringue and cream, colorful fruits... I wanted to try it straight from the TV screen. Later I came across a book with a picture of this cake on the cover, it was so beautiful that I decided: it’s time to act! As it turns out, it’s not difficult to prepare, but this dessert is very capricious.

• Kitchen appliances and utensils: mixer (blender or kitchen machine), bowls, teaspoon and tablespoon, baking tray and baking parchment.

Products you need

Decoration:

• Fruits
• Berries
• Fruit or chocolate syrup
• Sweet powder
• Mint leaves.

Individuality of product selection

Classic fruits and berries for decorating a cake in its homeland are strawberries, kiwi and passion fruit. But getting the freshest strawberries in winter is very problematic, and passion fruit is a completely exotic fruit for us. Therefore, we select these ingredients based on the season, our own preferences and availability. You can eat kumquats, mangoes, raspberries, currants, cherries, blueberries, lemon seeds, grapes, bananas, oranges, and peach. The cake comes out very tasty and wonderful even with canned fruit.

History of the cake

The cake got its name thanks to the famous Russian dancer Anna Pavlova, who shone on big global stages at the beginning of the twentieth century, and the history of the creation of the dessert has been the subject of debate between the inhabitants of Australia and New Zealand for a long time. According to the dancer's biographer, the cake originated in 1926 in Wellington and was specially prepared by the restaurant's chef for Pavlova, who was touring the world at that time.

According to the Australian version, the first recipe for meringue with fruit was posted in 1926, and in 1935, the “airy, like the dancer herself” dessert was created by chef Bert Sachet , whose relatives later tried to justify that there was a mistake in this date.

The Pavlova dessert and its origin story inspired New Zealand doctor Helena Leach to conduct a large-scale study, which resulted in a book about the culinary masterpiece and a library of 300 cookbooks containing 667 cake recipes. Later research found probable sources for the recipe in German cooking, from where it could have traveled to America and evolved into its final version.

How to make Pavlova cake at home

Thanks to the airy meringue, this unique cake is very similar to Pavlova’s light skirt, in which she fluttered around the stage, enchanting the audience. It is the meringue with a crispy crust and tender center that is the distinctive feature of this dessert. So, to prepare the Pavlova cake, follow the step-by-step recipe with photos.

1. First you need to turn on the oven, and while it is heating up, let's start separating the whites from the yolks. This must be done very carefully so that not a single drop of yolk gets into the whites, otherwise they won’t break. They must be placed in a completely clean and dry container.
   
2. In a separate container, mix starch and sugar.
   
3. We begin to beat the whites at low speed. When foam appears, add the mixture of sugar and starch little by little, increasing the beating speed. After each spoon, beat the meringue for 2 minutes.
   
4. At the end you should add wine vinegar (or lemon juice), which will make our proteins elastic. The meringue should be thick and not drip when scooped onto a spoon.
   
5. There comes a moment that the children will certainly enjoy.
   
   You need to take parchment, draw a circle of the desired diameter on it (for example, 20 cm) and place it on a baking sheet. Within this circle, you need to lay out the meringue, using a spoon to make a depression in the center, not very large, so that the whites do not crack during baking.
   But if you don’t want to bother with drawing, you can do it without additional lines.
6. Bake the meringue at 110 degrees for an hour. Do not open the oven during baking! When the shortcakes are ready, open the oven door and wait for them to cool.
   

Recipe for cream pavlova cake

Anna Pavlova cake is most often made with whipped cream, as in the traditional recipe, but you can use any other cream that you like. Usually the cream for the cake is made almost unsweetened so that the dessert does not turn out too cloying.

The recipe for butter cream is indescribably simple: beat the cream with sweet powder and, if desired, vanilla. It’s important not to overdo it, so as not to get grains of butter instead of cream.

There can be many options for creams: with mascarpone and ricotta, snow-white chocolate, lemon, custard. An extreme option can be created using the remaining yolks.

How to perfectly decorate and serve a cake

Let's start with the fact that the appearance of the Anna Pavlova dessert will depend on the shape that you give to the merengue; you can verify this if you look for recipes with photos. For example, it can be baked in the shape of a wide ring with an empty middle, you can create individual shortcakes and assemble a multi-tiered cake. A good option is one large cake and a second much smaller one. The Pavlova dessert, according to the traditional recipe, is made as follows: place cream in the center of the cake, decorate the cake with fruits, berries, fruit or chocolate sauce, and mint leaves on top.

Tips and tricks for making pavlova cake

For making meringue, it is better to take small sugar or replace it with sweet powder, this way the whites will whip better. Lemon juice can be replaced with a pinch of citric acid or vinegar. It is not recommended to replace corn starch with potato starch.

If moisture penetrates from the meringue, they are not cooked enough, and syrupy drops indicate that the meringue is overbaked.

If you bake the shortcakes in the evening, leave them in the oven overnight (that is, in the dark) and decorate them in the morning. Cooled meringues can be stored in the refrigerator if placed in an airtight container.

A very unusual idea - chocolate Pavlova: add cocoa powder when whipping the meringue.

Video recipe for Pavlova cake

As already mentioned, there are many variations of Pavlova. A very exciting and convenient option is small airy cakes. The combination of snow-white chocolate, whipped cream and new berries is an indescribable pleasure. Watch the video to see how you can prepare them.

Cake “Anna Pavlova”

Crispy meringue melting in your mouth combined with butter cream and the light sourness of new berries is the perfect dessert for a summer evening tea party. It is better to consume this cake immediately after making it. You can decorate the cake with any other berries, as well as fruits.

Ingredients for “Anna Pavlova Cake”:

For the meringue

• Egg white – 4 pcs.
• Lemon juice - 1 tsp.
• Sweet powder (or small sugar) - 200 g
• Starch (corn) - 1 tbsp. l.

For cream

• Cream (33-35%) – 250 ml
• Sweet powder (optional) - 1 tsp.

For decoration

Production time: 160 minutes

Number of servings: 6

Nutritional and energy value:

Recipe for “Anna Pavlova Cake”:

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November 3, 2019 nadinhike #

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