By Chelsea Sugar
Page views: 1320965This easy pavlova recipe takes only 20 minutes to prepare (the rest is baking time). Bake this and you'll be the dessert hero! The many 5 star reviews speak for themselves.
153 reviews
6 egg whites (at room temperature)
2 cups Chelsea Caster Sugar (450g)
1 tsp vanilla essence
1 tsp white vinegar
2 tsp Edmonds Fielder's Cornflour
300ml Meadow Fresh Original Cream, whipped
Fruit, to decorate
Preheat oven to 110ºC bake (not fan bake). Line a baking tray with baking paper.
In a large metal, ceramic or glass bowl (not plastic), beat the egg whites until soft peaks form.
Continue beating while adding the Chelsea Caster Sugar a quarter of a cup at a time. The mixture should get glossier and thicker with each addition and this should take at least 10 minutes. Beat in the vanilla, vinegar and Edmonds Fielder's Cornflour.
Spoon mixture out onto the prepared tray into a dinner plate sized mound.
Bake for approximately 1 1/2 hours, until dry and crisp and it lifts easily off the baking paper. Turn the oven off and leave the pavlova for at least an hour before removing from the oven. Finish cooling on a wire rack, then transfer to an airtight container.
When ready to serve, place on a serving plate, swirl the top with the whipped Meadow Fresh Original Cream and decorate with sliced or chopped fruit of your choice.
Older eggs work better as the white breaks down easier.
Wipe the bowl beforehand with lemon juice to remove any greasy residue before beating the egg whites (grease affects the ability for the egg whites to form peaks).
Chelsea Caster Sugar is needed as the fine crystal size traps and holds air - more air is trapped because there are more crystals.
I use this recipe for pav every time and it never fails. I do reduce the sugar by half a cup as first time used 2 cups and was too sweet. I make this pavlova once a week, my family love it.
A successful pav is something to behold! I've followed the same recipe for years, but thought I'd give this one a go... and it was a success! I was a bit worried about the "not fan-bake" line, because that is what I have and I don't understand why not. It had me googling whether pavs could be made in a fan bake and I couldn't find anything that said they couldn't. Anyway, at least it worked and the family was happy.
BTW, I never understand reviewers that don't follow the recipe and then moan that it didn't work. Pavlova by it's very nature is a sweet dessert.
Amazing pavlova recipe I am 70years and this was my first attempt perfect evertime
Everyone loves it.
Amazing pavlova recipe I am 70years and this was my first attempt perfect evertime
Everyone loves it.
I made this for Christmas 2021. First time ever making a pavlova and was not disappointed! Didn't look like a store one but tasted better, I always use Chelsea recipes. Doesn't steer me wrong
Made this Pavlova today. Following the recipe to the letter! It has weeped hugely and I have no idea why! Only my 4th Pavlova Ever! So disappointed! And eggs are too costly to waste of Pavlova that are awful.
good basic recipe ,love someone saying its awful and Edmonds one better ! actually they are both identical ! same number eggs ,same amount of sugar ! only difference is the extra half teaspoon of vinegar and cornflower !!!!
This was the worst worst recipe ever I hate it hate it I found a good one on Edmond it worked so well deff not here
Less sugar and more cooking time required. Baked for the recommended cooking time and the result was a very sticky, undercooked pav.
Absolutely amazing recipe! My first ever go at making the famous pavlova and this recipe and instructions were absolutely perfect! Thank you so much!
This recipe has really helped me with my baking! Try it, but don't use too much butter, I found that the recipe tells me to add to much.
I think it was a bit undercooked. It was quite gooey and mushy on the inside, but the outside was crunchy. Please let me know if this is normal!
This recipe is perfect!
I've followed this recipe many times but add a spoon of cream of tartar.
A special tip is to also make sure your kitchen is nice and cool before making. I always make this in the evening/night time, (day before i need it) and leave it in the oven overnight. I also like to set the oven to 180 and turn it down to 150 when I am about to spoon it onto the baking paper. Honestly the best recipe, thankyou :)
This worked great the first time, but ever since I am getting a totally cracked top and sides that end up collapsing. Good marshmallow on the inside though. What am I doing wrong to get such as thin crust that is breaking up?
I beat it for 10 minutes slowly adding the sugar in and the whole thing fell apart into a goopey mess. Disastrous. I recommend just eyeing it and seeing what looks best rather than following the recipe strictly.
Agree with other reviewers, way too sweet and inside was undercooked despite following recipe to a t.
Only Pavlova ever to fail. Wasn't crunchy on the outside. Will go back to Edmonds Cookbook 4 egg whites fail safe recipe.
Disaster again! Did everything right. Nice thick mixture but when it had cooked and cooled it was sunken inside and undercooked.
Great recipe. Make sure u use size 8 nz eggs. My girls lay big eggs 80g+ nextime i will only use 5 eggs as my v.old K-mixer bowl almost 2small.
I use surplus egg yolks for lemon curd (or freeze for latter use)
I did 3 attempts, same recipe list ( except 1.5 cups caster sugar) just played with cooking times and temperature. Attempt 1: 150 degrees, 1.5 hours = best result, perfectly cooked and slightly tanned thin crisp, inside was full to the crisp, it did split a little but nothing cream couldn't cover. Attempt 2: 110 degrees, 1.5 hours = sickening sweet, white thick meringue and undercooked, inside flopped and didn't rise as high as 1st try. Attempt 3: 130 degrees, 2 hours = tanned thick meringue, inside rose high then dropped half way leaving a big hollow hole. Next time will probably go with 1st attempt cooking time and temperature.
A very simple recipe with outstanding results. I have only made two pavlovas in my life because I don't usually like them. The first pav was good and everyone loved it, but I lowered the temperature by 10C for the second attempt, which resulted in a beautiful soft marshmallow. The response from diners was amazing. "The best pav they had ever eaten".
First time making pav with my daughter and it wasn't good. Cut the sugar by half and it was still super sweet. But oven temp too low because the pav was still sticky even after letting it cool completely down in the oven. Won't be using this recipe again unfortunately.
CHELSEA SUGAR: Hi there, thanks for your feedback. Sugar is a key ingredient in pavlova recipes - if you reduced it by half, this is most likely the reason why it didn't work properly / was sticky.
Brilliant pav!
Good recipe but too sweet for me, will take the recommendation of 1.5 cups of sugar next time and it should be perfect.
Good recipe. My pavlova turned out great. The cooking times suggested are a bit off though. Ended up cooking for 2 hours at 110 Celsius (not fan forced) and resting in a cooling oven for just over 2 hours. This method provided a good result.
Fabulous recipe, have been making Pavs for 20 yrs, this works so well, extra beating ,extra time in oven all help but best served once creamed & with fruit after over night in the fridge..simply superb
Great recipe. I agree too sweet but each to their own taste. See below the reason pav leaked sugar was you didn’t follow instruction very important to add sugar slowly over 10 minutes thanks Chelsea your recipes are great
This turned out a treat. Had nice crunch on the outside, marshmallow texture and a little bit of chewiness. First time I've tried this recipe and pleasantly surprised with the results. I also reduced the sugar by half a cup only after reading reviews of others.
i was cooking at school making this with some of my friends and it turned out awesome it was so good so yum.
I've used the recipe over a dozen times now and its perfect, I use around 1.5C sugar and its fantastic everytime! Make sure the oven door is not opened once the pav is in! Awesome stuff Chelsea.
I’ve been making pavlovas for years and thought them pretty amazing but lost my recipe so tried this one. It is the best ever! Everything a pavlova should be, crunchy on the outside, marshmallow inside and a little but of chewy. I was very proud it. It will be my go-to recipe from now on.
I'm sorry to say this was the worst pav I've ever made - too much sugar. I went strictly by the recipe, but it was soggy inside, liquid sugar seeped out around the pav and was too sweet to eat. A waste of 6 eggs and electricity.
I’ve lived away from kiwi land for maybe 15 years and finally made my first pav. This is divine. It worked perfectly and was a real treat. Great recipe. I taste tested it after adding 1 cup of sugar and ended up only using 1 + 1/4 cup. Loved it still. So good to be a kiwi!
Turned out awesome only problem with it was that it was too sweet next time I will use less sugar.
Otherwise easy recipe that me and my son made together he was soo impatient waiting for it to cook and cool though
Delicious. Done it 10+ times and it never fails (unless I forget to turn the oven off) - definitely recommend!
For those of you who have had trouble with the temperature and cooking time, try setting the oven to 150oC and fan bake for 50 minutes (until straw-coloured on top), then turn off the heat and leave pavlova in the oven until it is cold. Also PLEASE NOTE my recipe leaves out the cornflour because the finished result has a thick marshmallowy centre anyway. I have been making this recipe for 30 years and have never had a fail.
Does anyone from the company reads these reviews? I cut the sugar in half and it's still way too sweet.
Chelsea Sugar:
Hi Susan, yes we do read the reviews on our recipes. Thank you for sharing your feedback with us.
First time making a pav, I didn’t have time to let it rest in the oven after baking and it still turned out perfect, this is definitely my go to recipe now, not even worried about trying another!
This was a brilliant recipe! I had never made a pavlova before and had heard they were tricky. This recipe was really easy, my pavlova turned out brilliantly and tasted amazing. It was one of the best pavlova's that I have ever had. Excellent recipe!!
My go to recipe. Pavs aren't the easiest to make. Have made this 3 times now and everytime it's amazing. Thank you. Read all the instructions people. Wipe bowl with lemon juice to remove all the grease, cook for APPROX 1 1/2 hrs. If it doesn't easily lift off the baking paper cook for longer obviously. Everyone's oven is different so read ALL the instructions.
A perfectly uncooked pav....oven temp way too cool, it needs to be 150. Really disappointed as the pav in taste and appearance is perfect , just an underdone inside.
I'm a 10 year old and I love baking, I added things to the cake like strawberry flavouring and silver sprinkles to twist it up a bit. It tastes so so so good and i will definitely make it again sometime.
Perfect recipe, after hearing for years how hard they are to make, my first one turned out great and this recipe hasn’t failed me yet.
Only the second time I have made a pav, and this recipe was great. Nice large pavlova.. I was concerned about the amount of sugar and it not completely dissolving. There was still a 'grainy' feel of sugar after much beating but it turned out really well. Nice crust and soft in the middle.
I'd lost my one from years ago. This was the closest to it and works a treat every time!!!
'older', room temperature eggs are for sure the best - and I take my time with the sugar additions. As in WAAAAYYY longer, with smaller additions than mentioned here.
Absolute disaster, runny in the middle broke on removing from the oven, waste of 6 eggs. Cooking temp too low, too much sugar!
So far so good. It's in the oven looking like a real pavlova.
I have never made a successful pavlova yet, I am 66 and still trying!
I’m a kiwi overseas visiting friends and yes a pavlova in each country ... France Prague and Greeece. Works every time
I lived in NZ for 10 years. I now live back here in the States. I have made this for my mother and she loved it. I am now getting ready to make some for my friends. Can't wait to see their faces!
Great recipe as i had an ex mother-in-law known for her pavlova. It has been over 10 yrs since I made one, so wanted to see if I still could. I love Chelsea recipes, they are the only ones besides the oldest cooking books I use and Edmonds too as I know they only really use Chelsea too.
This is the best pav I ever made! Turned out perfect, lives up to it's name. I won't search any further for another recipe. I like that this recipe calls for 6 eggs as opposed to 4 as I like making it for a group of 8-10.
Thank you!!
I followed the recipe to a tee.
But the cooking time is way out.
1 1/2 hrs at 110 ° C in a non fan bake oven.Still uncooked.So I turned it up to 150° for another hour.Needless to say.Not a good result.
Always makes an amazing pavlova, don't quite know the trick to make it tall though mine are always a bit flatter but still taste just as good! a trick I found out if you're having trouble with the egg whites clean the bowl you use very thoroughly so no grease is present because the grease can make it more difficult for the eggs to form peaks
My go-to recipe. Just made two but the second one, instead of vanilla, I used lemon essence and a dollop of yellow food colouring. Kitchen smells divine and scraping the bowl afterwards was the best!! :D
Amazing recipe. Tasted great. Will recommend this recipe to people who aren't very good at making pavs (like me :) )
This was the first time I've made a pavlova and although it didn't quite turn out correctly (my error - think I didn't mix all the sugar in properly as it seeped syrup while baking), it was saveable and was absolutely delicious.
My husband worked in NZ several years ago, and we have returned three times......
this is one of his favorites....
he loves it, and it's fairly E-Z to put together........
it will be an " often " treat...............
Okay so pavlova turned out beautifully except - it's stuck to the baking paper!!! Yikes need to start all over again. I've read that you should put vegetable oil on your tray before putting paper down! Wish I knew that before.
It would be helpful if Chelsea would include this helpful info in their recipe!
First Pav I've ever made. Thought id never go there as i heard many horror stories and thought leave pav's to the grandma's of the world! Well i ain't no grandma and now have to make all pav's from now on! Awesome recipe for the newbies! The crust was thick ..YUM.. and that lil bit of chew.. Love the recipe.
CHELSEA: Well done Kath. Don't forget to try our new Golden Pavlova pretty sure it will be your new favourite. Happy Baking.
I am not the baker in the family and first time making this I got given the ultimate compliment that it tastes like Grandmas. Pretty stoked about that. Absolutely amazing recipe!
great recipe
I am a young mumma who is always having a bit of a battle in the kitchen. I just made this pavlova, maybe an hour or so ago, for my son's 3rd birthday party tomorrow. I tell ya, I have never seen a more perfect pavlova. I have been tooting my own horn ever since it came out of the oven. Everyone's jaws hit the floor at how wonderful it has turned out. Thank you thank you thank you!!! This recipe is a keeper. I will definitely be jotting this one down in the book of successful recipes I have tried. Cheers! Look no further! The perfect pav is this one right up in here :D
It's perfect. I have used other recipes in the past but this turned out great.. thank you for sharing..
A winner it's perfect
Made this 3 times now, and never failed, just keeps getting better, finding I am having to leave it in the oven to cool to avoid cracking.
Other than that awesome. Now my go to recipe when we want a fancy dessert to take to friends.
Hi - my question is my oven creates a moist heat which is great for cakes, etc. but not so good for meringues. Any suggestions for this. Mum was a great pav maker in her f&p oven, but these euro ovens don't seem to vent to the outside. I have tried a lemon meringue pie, but it wept!
CHELSEA: Hi there, unfortunately we're not sure how you can tweak your oven to make this work. Perhaps you might have to borrow a friend's oven for this one? Meringue can also weep due to other factors - over or undercooking, not using a fine enough sugar, using eggs that are too fresh etc, so make sure you have ruled out these things first. Good luck!
My old mums recipe is almost the same. 4 egg whites, 1 cup caster sugar, 1 tsp vanilla, 1 tsp vinegar, 3 tsp cornflour. Beat eggs for 10 min then slowly add sugar, slow beater down then add v/essence, vinegar, cornflour. All the same as your recipe. Set oven at 150, cook for 45 min, turn off and leave overnight to cool.
I have been making pavlovas for years (similar to this recipe) BUT I ALWAYS cook it on the plate I am serving it on - no problem with trying to get it off baking paper. When you think about it, pottery/china is fired at 1000 degrees or more so it is not going to break in a low oven temperature!!
CHELSEA: great tip!
Great pav! Came out perfectly! But had to cook for 2 hours and 15mins and cool in the oven. Perfect if you have plenty of time. Everybody loved it!
Loved the recipe except I put everything into the bowl at the same time and beat on high for 12mins.
Perfect pavlova!!!!!
Easy as and came out perfect
Malt vinegar is not gluten free, to make it gluten free you could use white instead
Why do my Pav's slowly form syrup beads on the surface?
This is one seriously good pavlova!!! i have never been able to make a perfect pav but i made this one on Christmas day i it was supreme, no one had tasted one so good!!! thanks heaps=)
I chose this recipe for my first attempt at a pav... Just perfect! This is a keeper
1 of 1,000 prizes of 2 x 2018 Chelsea Recipe Calendars
One for you and one to gift!
Full competition details and T&Cs at chelsea.co.nz/2018calendar
Join The Chelsea Baking Club and get all the latest recipes, tips and tricks in the Baking Club newsletter. Plus create your own recipe book and upload and show off your own amazing creations.
or
Reviews
Average Rating