Pavlova Wreath

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This easy Pavlova Wreath is the perfect dessert for Christmas and the Holidays. Combining a cloudy pavlova base, mascarpone whipped cream, raspberry coulis and fresh berries, this festive dessert is sure to impress your friends and family!

Prep Time1 30

Cook Time1

Resting Time3

Total Time5 30

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: australian

Servings:

Calories: 353kcal

Author: Sylvie

Ingredients

Pavlova Wreath

5 large Egg Whites from fresh eggs (approx 150 grams)
300 gr Caster Sugar or superfine granulated sugar
6 gr (1 1/2 teaspoon Cream of Tartar or white vinegar
15 gr Cornstarch

Mascarpone Whipped Cream

120 ml Heavy / Thickened Cream min 30% fat content
30 gr Powdered Sugar or icing sugar
1 teaspoon Vanilla Paste
120 gr Mascarpone

Raspberry Coulis

120 gr Raspberries fresh or frozen, thawed and drained
15 ml Lemon Juice
40 gr Caster Sugar

To assemble

300 to 400 gr Fresh Berries (or seasonal fruits) I used a mix of strawberries, raspberries, blueberries and cherries
Fresh Mint Leaves to taste

Instructions

Pavlova Wreath

Preheat your oven on 100 degrees Celsius / 215 degrees Fahrenheit. On a piece of baking paper / parchment paper, draw a large circle that is about 20 cm (8 inch) wide. Flip the paper over (so you don't pipe over the pen mark) and place over a flat baking sheet.
Place your egg whites in the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Whip on medium speed for 3 to 5 minutes or until the eggs have doubled in volume and turned white (just before they reach soft peaks).
While the mixer is working on medium low speed, add the sugar one tablespoon at a time, waiting 10 to 15 seconds between each addition to make sure the sugar is well incorporated. Continue until all the sugar has been added. Stop to scrap the edges of the bowl if required.
Increase to medium high / high speed and whip for another 3 to 5 minutes or until you reach stiff peaks. The meringue should be very glossy and stiff. The sugar should have fully dissolves (see note 1).
Add the cornstarch and cream of tartar. Whip for about a minute on medium low speed to incorporate the dry ingredients.

Piping the wreath

Transfer the meringue into a large piping bag fitted with a 1.5 cm open star tip and get the prepared baking sheet with the circle drawn (see note 2).
Pipe 4 large mounds of meringue on top of the drawn circle in circular motion, going North (top edge of the circle), South (bottom edge of the circle), East (right side of the circle) and West (Left side of the circle). Each mound should be about 5 cm (2 inch) tall and 8 cm (3 inch) wide.
Fill in the space between each mound by piping four more mounds. If there is space left between the mounds, use any leftover meringue to fill them in. You should get a wreath shape made out of 8 individual mounds (see note 3).
Using the back of a spoon (or small offset spatula), lightly smooth out of the of the wreath to get a flat surface and connect each individual mound.
Place on the lowest rack of your oven and bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour. The pavlova should feel hard and completely dry to the touch all around. If the pavlova starts turning yellow, it means your oven temperature is too high.
Turn off the oven and leave the pavlova to cool down inside the oven for about 2 hours, or until it reaches room temperature.

Mascarpone Whipped Cream

In a large mixing bowl (or bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment), combine the cold heavy cream, powdered sugar and vanilla paste. Whip on medium speed for about 5 minutes or until you reach soft peaks.
Add the cold mascarpone. Continue to whip on medium to medium high speed for a couple of minutes or until you reach stiff peaks. Stop as soon as the cream looks stable to avoid over-whipping which would result in a grainy whipped cream.
If not using straight away, cover with plastic wrap touching the surface of the cream and store in the fridge.

Raspberry Coulis

Combine the raspberries (see note 4), sugar and lemon juice inside a small saucepan. Place on the stove over low to medium heat and cook without letting it boil for 10 to 15 minutes - or until the raspberries have turned into a thick compote.
Blend the compote with an immersion blender until completely smooth. Pour through a thin-mesh sieve and discard any raspberry seeds.
If not using straight away, transfer into a jar or container and keep in the fridge.

To assemble

Wash all your fruits, pat them dry and cut them to size if required. I cut the strawberries and raspberries in half, kept the blueberries whole as well as the cherries with their stem for colour and volume.
Place the baked and fully cool pavlova wreath shell on a cake turntable or cake stand.
Place small dollops of the whipped cream over the pavlova and gently spread it with the back of a spoon or spatula to fully cover the top of the wreath.
Generously drizzle the raspberry coulis over the whipped cream, letting it drip over the sides of the wreath.
Starting with the largest pieces of fruits (strawberries then raspberries), gently press the fruits into the cream and coulis to evenly cover the wreath. With the smaller fruits (cherries and blueberries), fill in any holes or areas that might not look full enough.
Finish with a few leaves of fresh mint.
Serve straight away (see note 5).

Notes

to check the sugar has completely dissolved, rub a little bit of the meringue between your fingers. You shouldn't feel any grains of sugar. If you can still feel the sugar, continue to whip for a little bit longer. Make sure to stop as soon as you reach stiff peaks and the sugar has dissolved to avoid over-whipping the meringue.
you can use small dollops of sticky meringue as glue between the baking paper and baking tray to make sure it does not move. I used a perforated baking tray to create an even air flow under the pavlova.
If you do not want to use a pastry bag to pipe the meringue, you can simply use a large spoon and dollop the meringue around the drawn circle. You can also make a thinner wreath with more than 8 mounds (10, 12, 14,...) if preferred.
If using fresh raspberries, you may need to add a few drops of water at the start to prevent the fruits from burning.
Pavlova is best served straight away as any humidity will weaken the meringue shell and eventually turn it sticky and soft. That being said, it should be absolutely fine for a few hours in the fridge if you want to make it just before you start your dinner.

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