Pavlova. It is one of the most elegant desserts, right up there with Crème Brûlée. It’s so beautiful and light, with a crackly exterior and marshmallowy soft interior. Typically, pavlova is a summer dessert but this Pumpkin Pecan Pavlova takes pavlova right through the fall.
What is Pavlova?
The foundation of pavlova is a meringue, and if you have ever worked with meringues you know that this delicate blend of egg whites and sugar can sometimes be very finicky. Weather and humidity play a rather large factor when making meringue. Find out more below.
The meringue base is then layered with custards, curds, jams, pudding, and whipped cream to add punchy flavor to the meringue base. These layers are where the vast majority of the flavor of the pavlova originate.
Lastly a pavlova is topped with fresh fruit and/or nuts to enhance the other flavors and provide a textural balance to the dessert.
If pavlova is so delicious haven’t I heard of one before?
If you’re American, it’s likely that you have no clue what Pavlova is. In fact, I had never even heard of it until I read the book Possum Magic by Mem Fox to my kids as a bedtime story. Possum Magic takes place in Australia, and that and New Zealand is where pavlova originates from.
You’ll also often see pavlova and similar meringue shells in British baking, because as you might have guessed, Australia is “legally” British. (They fall under the Commonwealth of Nations and recognize the Queen of England as their Monarch, but maintain their own parliament.)
Perfecting Pavlova
Things to know that will make your journey to pavlova perfection just a bit easier.
- TIME. Clear your schedule. Pavlova cannot be rushed and does require a lot of time to make properly. Most of that time is hands off, but just be aware that you’re not going to get Pavlova in the same amount of time as a tray of brownies.
- SUGAR. If you can get your hands on it, use caster sugar in place of granulated sugar. It has smaller granules and will dissolve easier in the egg whites. You can also make caster sugar yourself by pulsing granulated sugar in a food processor. However, if you don’t have the time, or don’t want to do this that is fine, use granulated sugar, and just make sure you adequately whip the egg whites until the sugar has dissolved.
- EGGS. Whip those eggs! No seriously, the eggs need to be whipped adequately before you add the sugar. Make sure the eggs are whipped to soft peaks before adding the sugar in batches. Do not add the sugar all at once or it will have a harder time dissolving in the egg whites.
- HEAT. Pavlova seems to bake forever. Baking it is actually more of a drying out process, than baking. It will be in the oven for a long time, at low heat. You’ll then cut the heat, and leave the pavlova in the oven to continue drying out.
- CRACKING. Sometimes pavlova cracks, despite all the best intentions. It’s kind of the nature of the beast. Make sure the sugar is well dissolved in the egg whites, and once the pavlova is in the oven, leave it there. No peaking until that timer dings!
Let me know if you try this Pumpkin Pecan Pavlova, how it turned out, or if you need any help or troubleshooting tips. I’m happy to help!
Pumpkin Pecan Pavlova
Equipment
- Parchment Paper
- Stand mixer
- Cookie sheet
Ingredients
Pavlova
- 6 Large Egg Whites Room temperature
- 1 Tsp White Wine Vinegar
- 1 1/2 Tsp Corn Starch
- 1 1/2 Cups Granulated Sugar
- 2 Tsp Vanilla Extract
- 1/4 Teaspoon Salt
Stovetop Pumpkin Pie Filling
- 1 Can Pumpkin Puree 15 oz
- 1 Can Evaporated Milk 12 oz
- 2 Large Eggs
- ¾ Cup Granulated Sugar
- 1 Tbsp Pumpkin Pie Spice
Whipped Cream
- 1 Cup Heavy Whipping Cream
- 2 Tbsp Maple Syrup
- 1/2 Tsp Maple Flavoring
- ½ Tsp Vanilla
Extras
- 1 Cup Chopped Candied Pecans
Instructions
- Move the racks in your oven to the lowest setting.
- Preheat the oven to 200°F
- On a piece of parchment that fits your cookie sheet, trace a 8 inch circle. Use a 8 inch cake pan as a template.
- Flip the parchment over, place on cookie sheet, and set aside.
- Add six egg whites to the bowl of a stand mixer.
- Using the whisk attachment, whip the egg whites until opaque, and light and fluffy, the soft peak stage.
- While the mixer is running, gradually add the sugar. Whatever you do, do not add all the sugar at once. Add it in at least five batches.
- Continue whipping the whites until they are glossy and achieve stiff peaks.
- In a small bowl, add the white wine vinegar, cornstarch, vanilla, and salt.
- Mix well to combine.
- Once the egg whites and sugar are at stiff peak stage, add the white wine vinegar mixture.
- Whip until well incorporated.
- Dip a finger into the egg white mixture.
- Use the egg whites on your finger to tack down the underside of the parchment paper to the cookie sheet. Do this by making a small dot of meringue in each corner.
- Place the rest of the meringue in the center of the traced circle.
- Use a spatula to move the meringue to the edge of the tracing.
- You should have a low flat cylinder of meringue.
- Make a divot in the center of the meringue. It will look like a very shallow volcano.
- Feel free to use the spatula to create a decorative edge around the meringue. Do this by making lines in the meringue using the tip of the spatula. I like to move from the bottom to the top at an angle.
- Place the meringue in the oven, and bake for 1 hour and 30 minutes.
- Turn off the oven, and crack the oven door.
- Leave the meringue in the oven for another hour to allow it to continue to dry out.
Make Stovetop Pumpkin Pie Filling
- Add all of the ingredients for the pumpkin pie filling to a medium saucepot.
- Whisk to combine.
- Heat over medium heat, stirring constantly, until thickened and leaves ribbons in the pot. It should be the consistency of a very thick pudding.
- Set aside and leave to cool.
Whipped Cream
- Add the cream, maple syrup, maple flavoring and vanilla to a large bowl.
- Use a hand mixer to whip the mixture until soft peaks.
Assembly
- Once the pavlova and pumpkin pie filling are cool, everything is ready to assemble.
- Place the pavlova on a serving platter.
- Top with pumpkin pie filling.
- Top with whipped cream.
- Top with chopped pecans.
- Serve.
