Ingredients:
For the meringue:
- 6 egg whites
- 350 grams/ 12 oz of caster sugar (I used golden, which made the pavolva a toffee colour, but if you want the classic white pavolova then use white caster sugar)
- 2 teaspoons of white wine viniger
- 2 LEVEL teaspoons of cornflour
Lemon Cream:
- One tub of double cream
- A jar of lemon Curd
Candied Lemon:
- The zest of one lemon
- 100 grams/ 3 and half oz of caster sugar
- 100 milliters of water
To serve:
- Chocolate Mini Eggs
Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 160C/325F/Gas 3. Place a sheet of baking paper on a tray and draw a large circle in the middle (I used my bowl as a template!). This circle will be a guide to when you place your mixture of the tray.
2. Separate the eggs and add the egg whites to a mixing bowl. Beat the egg whites on maximum speed until stiff. Then add a teaspoon of sugar at a time, still beating on full speed. Keep doing this until all the sugar is add and the mixture is glossy, stiff enough to stay in peaks and shiny. (If you have a willing victim, tip the bowl over their head after adding the sugar, if its been beaten enough, the mixture should stay, if not... well lots of shampoo and apologies!)
3. Mix the viniger and cornflour in a cup, once combined tip into the sugar and egg mix and beat slowly until combined.
4. Using a metal spoon, so it won't knock the air out, add half the mixture onto the baking sheet, keep the mixture in the circle. Spread the mixture until smooth and even, then add the rest of the mixture to a piping bag that is fitted with a rose nozzle. Pipe 10 little nests around the edge of the pavlova, making sure they have a hole in the middle so you can fill with cream and eggs later.
5. Place on the middle shelf of the oven, once in the oven reduce the temperature to 150C/300F/Gas 2. Cook for an hour and half or two hours, check after one hour. Once the time is up, switch the oven off, but keep the pavlova in the oven. You can take it out once the oven has gone cold.
6. Whilst the Pavlova is in the oven, make the candied lemon. Peel the skin off the lemon with a peeler, then cut into VERY VERY fine strips. Place the sugar and the water in a pan and heat until boil, stirring occasionally. Then add the lemon strips and boil for 2-3 minutes or until syrupy. Then take out and strain and the mix with sugar, leave to cool for a few hours.
7. You can also make the lemon curd cream. Whisk cream until stiff, then add half the lemon curd and fold gently in until all mixed together. Taste it, if you want to add more lemon curd do (I added pretty much the whole jar!)
8. Now to assemble the pavlova, fill a piping bag with a rose nozzle with the lemon cream and pipe the cream into the holes in the little pavlova crowns around the side, then uses the rest of the cream to fill the middle. Take your mini eggs and add one to the top of the cream on the nests outside, then add the rest to the center, then take your candied lemon zest and sprinkle in the middle. Step back and admire how much of a domestic goddess/ god you are!
Serve this with teas and coffees after you Sunday lamb and take in the OOO's and AHHH's and "Oh you are so clever!" and think to yourself "who needs a degree when you make this?" (well I did anyway....!)
I am not sure of where I am going next! Just a little warning, my blog posts might not be a frequent as my AS exams are (sadly) on the way, so I will be mainly revising, crying and comfort eating! As I said before, Eighty Bakes now has a Facebook page where you will find updates and little tips and info! Click here to like the page! Thank you for reading and have chocolate filled Easter! X
