In Australia, Christmas and Pavlova's go hand-in-hand. To make it even more Christmassy, you can make a Homemade Pavlova Christmas Wreath with seasonal fruit and homemade whipped cream. This will impress you and your guests and I guarantee you will come back for seconds and thirds 😉
Pavlova is surprisingly easy to make and store. It takes only a couple of ingredients that you probably already have in your house. It may look fancy, but it is a recipe you will make again and again because there are so many different toppings you can use!
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Homemade pavlova Christmas wreath ingredients
Egg whites. The base of the meringue pavlova are the egg whites which will be whipped into soft peaks.
Caster sugar. Caster sugar is finer in texture than white sugar so is best to use for these delicate recipes. If you only have white sugar, this will still work fine.
Lemon juice. This helps balance out all the sweetness from the caster sugar.
Extract. I usually use vanilla extract in my Christmas wreath pavlova, but you could use any version to get something that tastes just a little different!
How to make Christmas wreath pavlova
- Eggs
Separate egg whites from yolks. You can use an egg white separator to do this, or using the two halves of the shell, move the yolk back and forth over a bowl until the whites are all gone. This is easiest done when the eggs are still cold, but you want to wait until they're room temperature before beating.
Beat whites with a stand mixer or hand mixer until soft peaks form. Add one tablespoon of sugar at a time and continue beating until the foam is stiff and thick. You should be able to flip the bowl upside down and the mixture doesn’t fall out. Beat in lemon juice and extract. - Wreath
On a lined baking tray, dollop mixture in a wreath shape (they can overlap a little bit). You could also use a piping bag and just swirl the mixture around in a circle until it is all gone.
- Bake pavlova base
Bake for 20 minutes @150C then reduce to 120C for another 45 minutes. Leave the pavlova in the oven and turn off. Allow the pavlova to cool by leaving the door to the oven slightly open. This prevents it from collapsing in on itself.
- Cream
Add cream, icing sugar and vanilla extract to a large bowl that has been cooled in the freezer. Using a mixer, mix on high speed until peaks form and you can flip the bowl over without the mixture falling out.
- Decorate
Top the wreath with the cream, fruit and any extras you want.
Frequently Asked Questions
I've found that Australian's refer to pavlova and meringue as the same thing. Traditionally they aren't. Pavlova's usually have a delicate crispy exterior with pillowy soft marshmallow inside, while meringue is dry and crisp all the way through.
This recipe uses the traditional french meringue method of beating egg whites and sugar and will finish with a hybrid between a meringue and pavlova with the hardened outside and slightly softer inside (not quite marshmallowy soft as I found it doesn't hold up as well in the wreath shape).
Yes. Pavlova can be made the day before. I would suggest preparing the pavlova and the cream separately and assembling on the day to prevent the top of the pavlova from becoming soggy. After it's been cooked, it'll last in the fridge for up to a week with only minimal deflating.
The pavlova base recipe does not have cream in the base. I add whipped cream on top, but you can make pavlova without cream and top with just fruit, or a sprinkle or icing sugar.
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Recipe
Homemade Pavlova Christmas Wreath Recipe
Ingredients
Pavlova Base
- 4 Egg whites
- ¾ cup Caster sugar
- 1 teaspoon Lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
Whipped Cream
- 2 cups Thickened cream See note 1
- 2 tablespoon Icing sugar
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
- Fruit for topping
Instructions
Pavlova Base
- Separate egg whites from yolks and beat whites until soft peaks form. Add one tablespoon of sugar at a time and continue beating until the foam is stiff and thick. Beat in lemon juice and extract.
- On a lined baking tray, dollop mixture in a wreath shape (they can overlap a little bit).
- Bake for 20 minutes @150C then reduce to 120C for another 45 minutes. Leave the pavlova in the oven and turn off. Allow the pavlova to cool by leaving the door to the oven slightly open.
Whipped Cream
- Add cream, icing sugar and vanilla extract to a large bowl that has been cooled in the freezer. Using a hand mixer or stand mixer, mix on high speed until peaks form and you can flip the bowl over without the mixture falling out.
- Top the wreath with the cream, fruit and any extras you want.
Notes
You want to use cream that is suitable for whipping. Don't use non-fat or skim cream as these don't provide as fluffy a texture. You want to use pure cream, thickened cream or heavy cream. Check the label to see if it can be whipped.
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