Brown Sugar & Blackberry Pavlova

Brown Sugar & Blackberry Pavlova is deeply delicious. Let me count the ways I love thee brown sugar. Get your fluffy toffee taste sensation right here, crisp meringue, crowned with waves of softly whipped cream and blackberry fruity loveliness. I challenge you not to be blown away.

Now a Brown Sugar Pavlova is a dessert of dreams, it is deeply delicious and a recipe that has made it into my top 5 of all time. Bake it and weep.

reasons to love Brown Sugar Pavlova

• insanely delicious
• incredibly easy
• cupboard ingredients
• big crowd pleaser
• make ahead
• show stopper

Ingredients

• 4 egg whites
• 250 grams (8.5 oz) dark brown sugar
• 400 ml double cream (heavy)
• 300 grams (10.5 oz) blackberries
• blackberry coulis (optional) I make my own if I can but shop bought is perfect

method

• Preheat oven to 150℃ or 300F
• Separate egg whites carefully into a large mixing bowl (see tips below) it's the most taxing bit of the recipe but it's kinda like THE most important bit to get right. Not even the titchiest bit of yolk can get in those whites, Susan pay attention.
• whisk until really frothy with an electric whisk or free standing mixer.

• Now the fun bit, add the brown sugar a tablespoon at a time as you whisk. Brown sugar is a clumpy beast so I use my clean fingers to scatter it in there, a generous pinch at a time.

• Keep whisking until all the brown sugar is in there and it is thick, glossy and smooth. It needs to be super stiff, so much so that it just won't take any shizz from nobody, least of all gravity.
• Line a large flat baking tray with baking paper. I use a 8" cake tin to draw around onto the baking paper for a cute template otherwise I might end up with a rhombus.

• Dollop the fabulous mixture onto the lined flat baking tray.

• Use a flat spatula to spread out into a circle shape and raise up the outer edge like a crown, so that the middle is lower than those edges.

• Turn the oven down to 140 C. Bake for about an hour. It will kinda go craggy, split a little around the outside and maybe drop in the middle somewhat, but it does not diminish it's beauty once crowned with toppings, in fact I rather think it adds to it's kerb appeal, think Daniel Craig rather than Timothee Chalamet.

• Let cool completely and then carefully remove the baking paper and place on your serving dish. Fill with softly whipped cream. Watch your cream doesn't overwhip and lose it's floppiness. Something that escapes me sometimes very annoyingly, as the dolloping of softly whipped cream onto a pavlova is a truly beautiful thing to witness.

• Top with blackberries and pour over your coulis, if using, when you are ready to serve. If you do it before you are ready to plate it up then the coulis will bleed a little into the cream. The alternative is to serve it in a jug on the table for people to help themselves. Make ahead city right there. Love it.

• slice with a large serving spatula and serve to squeals followed by silence....

How to store pavlova

Pavlova is make ahead which makes it perfect for entertaining. I store it unwrapped overnight in the fridge. It needs cold and dry air, any hint of condensation and it's sayonara to crisp edges. However having eaten pavlova for breakfast the morning after many times, I feel very well placed to say it does nothing to diminish the heavenly pavlova experience. I wouldn't store it for any longer than 24hrs before serving but leftovers last well for 48hrs.

can you freeze pavlova?

Yep indeedy. Freeze it uncovered in the freezer for a couple of hours then wrap in clingfilm or similar followed by silver foil to protect from freezer burn. Then put inside a container to protect it from knocks in the freezer. I acknowledge that it will take up a loada space in there.

To thaw it unwrap it completely and let it come to room temperature on a wire rack before loading it with your toppings.

top tips

• How to separate eggs
• Make sure all your equipment is grease free, grease is your enemy today, it will stop the whites from whipping up.
• Egg whites should be at room temperature
• use your clean fingers to break up any brown sugar clumps, I find it easier to use my fingers to scatter in large pinches (tbsp) at a time.
• If the mixture still has grains of sugar in the mixture, (it'll feel gritty if you rub a smidge between your fingers) keep whipping Susan.
• Draw out a circle template using a 8" cake tin onto your baking paper
• make sure you whip those egg whites and sugar until they are super stiff baby.
• Use a long thin metal spatula sometimes called an icing spatula to spread and form your pavlova crown, using one of these really helps. It's great for icing cakes...obviously.
• Use a oven thermometer to know the accurate temperature of your oven, they really can vary a lot, who knew?

More Pavlova recipes to love

• Strawberry Pavlova
• Chocolate & Raspberry Pavlova
• Christmas Wreath Pavlova
• Mini Egg Pavlova