Sugared Fruit Christmas Pavlova

This sugared fruit pavlova is the perfect centrepiece on your holiday table. It's made with meringue that's crunchy and melt-in-your-mouth on the outside with a fluffy marshmallow texture on the inside. It's topped with whipped cream and beautiful sugared fruits.

Why you'll love this recipe

• Crunchy, melt-in-your mouth outer shell. The exterior is a true meringue shell that adds some texture to the cake.
• Fluffy marshmallow center. The middle of the cake is soft and chewy and so satisfying to eat.
• Airy whipped cream filling. The whipped cream gives pavlovas the texture of fluffy clouds!
• Tart and juicy fresh fruits. The fresh fruits complement this sweet dessert and and it's they also look great as easy decorations.

Ingredient notes

• Egg whites - Room-temperature egg whites whip up faster. Keep the egg yolks for another recipe.
• Cream of tartar - This is an acidic powder that helps the egg whites whip up faster into a more stable meringue.
• Granulated sugar
• Cornstarch - The key ingredient that differentiates pavlovas from meringues. It stabilizes the outer shell and helps form the soft interior of the pavlova.
• Vanilla extract
• Fresh fruits - Fruits that are firm and dry with a thick skin work best when making sugared fruits. Cranberries, grapes, and cherries work well! Note that I included a sugared mandarin orange on my pavlova but it did NOT work well. The orange was too juicy and the skin was too thin so the sugar coating never set.
• Whipping cream or heavy cream - You can use whipping cream for a lighter cream or heavy cream for a thicker and richer cream filling.

Tips for making the best sugared fruit pavlova

• Whip the meringue to stiff peaks. The meringue is at the correct consistency when it stands up on its own in little pointed peaks when you pull the mixer out of it. The tip of each peak should curl over slightly like an elf hat. If it doesn't do this, keep mixing and check again!
• Gently fold the cornstarch and vanilla extract in. You don't want to deflate the air out of the meringue you just whipped so we're sprinkling the cornstarch and vanilla in and folding it in just a few times until they're distributed.
• Bake the pavlova "low and slow". Use a low oven temperature and bake it for a long time. This is the key to the light cream-coloured pavlova with a soft pillowy center.
• Let the pavlova cool in the oven. You don't even need to open the oven door. I like to let it cool completely in the oven for at least an hour or two or even overnight. There's a reason why meringues are sometimes called "forgotten cookies" because they're "forgotten" in the oven overnight. Cooling the pavlova slowly prevents it from cracking too much from the sudden shock of cold air.
• Let the simple syrup coating on the fruits dry. You need the simple syrup coating on the fruits to dry and becomes sticky for the sugar coating to stick.
• Assemble the pavlova right be serving. Pavlovas are delicate because they're mostly made of sugar. Sugar absorbs moisture from any ingredient touching it (like the whipped cream) and it can even pull moisture from the air. The moment you assemble the pavlova, the sugar begins breaking down so it's best to serve it right away or at least on the same day it's made.

More pavlova recipes to try

• Mango Passionfruit Pavlova
• Blackberry Pavlovas
• Blood Orange Pavlovas
• Christmas Pavlova Wreath

Recipe