Crispy on the outside, soft and marshmallowy on the inside, and topped with fresh whipped cream and juicy strawberries—these mini pavlovas are the ultimate summer dessert! 🍓✨ Whether you’re hosting a summer gathering or bringing a treat to a potluck, these delicate pavlovas are sure to impress.
One of the best parts? You can make all the components ahead of time! Simply bake the meringues and store them, then just fill with cream, add your favorite fruits, and serve when you’re ready. It’s a no-stress dessert that looks elegant and tastes heavenly.
I prefer making individual mini pavlovas instead of a traditional large one because they’re so much easier to serve. No need to worry about slicing a big pavlova and dealing with the filling spilling everywhere—just grab and enjoy! Plus, they look absolutely adorable on a dessert table.
And did I mention how easy they are to make? A few simple ingredients and a little patience are all you need for a dessert that’s light, airy, and perfect for any summer occasion. ☁️💖
Combine egg yolks, pinch of salt, lemon juice, lemon zest and sugar in a double boiler over barely simmering water. Set the bowl over a pot of barely simmering water. Cook while being constantly stirring with a flexible rubber spatula to avoid scrambling of the eggs, for 10-15 mins total; make sure the internal temperature has reached 175°, at which point your eggs will be fully cooked and safe to eat. In addition, your mixture has to be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. At this point, start adding butter few tablespoons at a time, stirring with a rubber spatula constantly, waiting for each piece to incorporate, before adding the next piece. Strain the mixture into the bowl and cool for 5 minutes. Put plastic wrap directly on top of the filling so that it doesn't form a skin. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
Preheat oven to 250°F. Line a half sheet with parchment paper. Mix 1 cup sugar and 1 TBSP cornstarch in a small bowl.
Place egg whites into a clean bowl of your stand mixer (any leftover grease will prevent the eggs from whipping properly.) Whip until foamy on medium low speed. Add a pinch of salt and cream of tartar and whip to soft peaks on medium speed. Add lemon juice and vanilla and beat for additional 30 seconds.
Increase the speed to high. Slowly start adding sugar/cornstarch mixture in a steady stream while still whipping on high; continue to do so over 2-3 minutes. Stop and scrape up the sides of the bowl. Continue whipping on high for another 3-4 minutes until stiff glossy peaks that hold their shape. It is possible to overbeat the meringue, so once as you get those stiff glossy peaks don't keep beating much longer. Scoop the meringue into a large piping bag.
Prepare two baking sheets by lining them with parchment paper. If desired, draw 8 circles on each parchment paper to guide the shape of your pavlovas. Pipe 8 small (about 3 to 3 1/2 inches or 6 medium meringue circles on your parchment paper. Start by piping a dot in the center, then in continuous motion going around the dot twice to make a bigger circle. Then go around the circle to pipe a rim on top of each circle and make the sides. The goal is to have a rim all around so that the cream can go inside each mini pavlova.
Place your baking sheets into the oven and bake for 1 hour. Turn the oven off and crack the oven door open, leaving meringues in the turned off oven for 1 hour until completely cool. Slow gradual cooling process will prevent any cracks in the meringue.
While Pavlovas are cooling, mix strawberries with 2 tablespoons of sugar in a bowl. Cover and allow to sit at room temperature to macerate for 1-2 hours. If not using right away, refrigerate after the maceration period is complete.
Whip cream, 1 1/2 TBSP sugar and vanilla to medium peaks. Keep refrigerated until ready to serve.
Pavlovas should be assembled right before serving. Feel free to store unfilled pavlovas in an airtight container for a couple of days at room temperature. Right before serving, fill each pavlova with lemon curd filling, or whipped cream and top with strawberries and their juices.
I sometimes change up the recipe to: 1 1/2 tsp corn starch, 2 tsp lemon juice, 2 tsp vanilla, while keeping egg whites at 4 and sugar at 1 cup. I bake them at 225F for 1 hour and 15 minutes, then turn the oven off and without opening the door, let them sit in the hot oven for 30 minutes. This recipe with less corn starch and different baking temp/time creates a crisp exterior and soft marshmallow interior. To this day I can't decide which recipe I prefer and keep making them both!
Ingredients
Directions
Combine egg yolks, pinch of salt, lemon juice, lemon zest and sugar in a double boiler over barely simmering water. Set the bowl over a pot of barely simmering water. Cook while being constantly stirring with a flexible rubber spatula to avoid scrambling of the eggs, for 10-15 mins total; make sure the internal temperature has reached 175°, at which point your eggs will be fully cooked and safe to eat. In addition, your mixture has to be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. At this point, start adding butter few tablespoons at a time, stirring with a rubber spatula constantly, waiting for each piece to incorporate, before adding the next piece. Strain the mixture into the bowl and cool for 5 minutes. Put plastic wrap directly on top of the filling so that it doesn't form a skin. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
Preheat oven to 250°F. Line a half sheet with parchment paper. Mix 1 cup sugar and 1 TBSP cornstarch in a small bowl.
Place egg whites into a clean bowl of your stand mixer (any leftover grease will prevent the eggs from whipping properly.) Whip until foamy on medium low speed. Add a pinch of salt and cream of tartar and whip to soft peaks on medium speed. Add lemon juice and vanilla and beat for additional 30 seconds.
Increase the speed to high. Slowly start adding sugar/cornstarch mixture in a steady stream while still whipping on high; continue to do so over 2-3 minutes. Stop and scrape up the sides of the bowl. Continue whipping on high for another 3-4 minutes until stiff glossy peaks that hold their shape. It is possible to overbeat the meringue, so once as you get those stiff glossy peaks don't keep beating much longer. Scoop the meringue into a large piping bag.
Prepare two baking sheets by lining them with parchment paper. If desired, draw 8 circles on each parchment paper to guide the shape of your pavlovas. Pipe 8 small (about 3 to 3 1/2 inches or 6 medium meringue circles on your parchment paper. Start by piping a dot in the center, then in continuous motion going around the dot twice to make a bigger circle. Then go around the circle to pipe a rim on top of each circle and make the sides. The goal is to have a rim all around so that the cream can go inside each mini pavlova.
Place your baking sheets into the oven and bake for 1 hour. Turn the oven off and crack the oven door open, leaving meringues in the turned off oven for 1 hour until completely cool. Slow gradual cooling process will prevent any cracks in the meringue.
While Pavlovas are cooling, mix strawberries with 2 tablespoons of sugar in a bowl. Cover and allow to sit at room temperature to macerate for 1-2 hours. If not using right away, refrigerate after the maceration period is complete.
Whip cream, 1 1/2 TBSP sugar and vanilla to medium peaks. Keep refrigerated until ready to serve.
Pavlovas should be assembled right before serving. Feel free to store unfilled pavlovas in an airtight container for a couple of days at room temperature. Right before serving, fill each pavlova with lemon curd filling, or whipped cream and top with strawberries and their juices.
I sometimes change up the recipe to: 1 1/2 tsp corn starch, 2 tsp lemon juice, 2 tsp vanilla, while keeping egg whites at 4 and sugar at 1 cup. I bake them at 225F for 1 hour and 15 minutes, then turn the oven off and without opening the door, let them sit in the hot oven for 30 minutes. This recipe with less corn starch and different baking temp/time creates a crisp exterior and soft marshmallow interior. To this day I can't decide which recipe I prefer and keep making them both!
Notes
