Strawberry Kiwi Pavlova
With Valentine’s day around the corner, these sweet pavlova desserts are perfect to enjoy with that special someone in your life, or any time of the year.
More special occasion or Valentine’s day dessert recipes you may enjoy are Mixed Berry Pie, Vanilla Bean Panna Cotta, Red Velvet pancakes with Cream Cheese Drizzle and Valentine’s Day Cake Balls. Or view a full list of Valentine’s Day recipe ideas.
Use any combination of fresh fruit on top, mixed berries are a great choice. You can make the shells ahead of time and store them in an air tight container, or even freeze them.
Meringues can be tricky to make, the key to success when making meringues is to start with clean, metal mixing bowls and whisks. They should be free of all traces of grease. Egg whites should be room temperature and they say it’s best to avoid making these on a rainy day. I played around with a few different meringue recipes to get the perfect shell. So many, in fact that I forgot where I found this recipe to give the proper credit. These meringues have a tint of brown due to the dark vanilla extract I used, but if you use white vanilla extract, yours should come out looking like a soft billowy cloud.
Strawberry Kiwi Pavlovas
Ingredients
- 4 large egg whites, room temperature
- 2 tsp cornstarch
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 pint fresh strawberries, sliced
- 3 kiwis, sliced
- 1-1/2 cups fat free whipped cream
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Cover a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Draw 6 (4-inch) circles on paper, I used a plastic lid as my guide. Turn paper over; secure with masking tape.
- Beat egg whites, cornstarch, and salt at high speed of a mixer until foamy.
- Slowly add sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating until thick and glossy.
- Add vanilla, beating well.
- Divide egg white mixture evenly among the 6 drawn circles. Shape meringues into nests with 1-inch sides using the back of a spoon. Place meringues in oven.
- Immediately reduce oven temperature to 300°; bake 1 hour.
- Turn oven off; cool meringues in closed oven at least 4 hours or until completely dry. (Meringues are done when the surface is dry and meringues can be removed from paper without sticking to fingers.) Carefully remove meringue nests from paper.
- Assemble the pavlovas by topping with 1/4 cup whipped cream in each nest, then arrange fresh fruit on top.
- The meringue shells can be kept frozen for up to two months. Remove them from freezer before you assemble the pavlovas, no reheating required.
Last Step:
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This looks fantastic! I have some friends coming over for dessert and one of them doesn't do gluten- are these gluten free? (kinda new to the whole thing!)
Hi Gina! I tried out this recipe 2 times today, the first time I used powdered sugar instead of granulated so I threw it out and made another batch using granulated sugar, and it did turn out thick and glossy but not as thick as yours looked, even after I put it in the oven for an hour, and waited 4 hours with the oven off, after I removed the tray from the oven they could not be lifted off without cracking, every single one crumbled and were really really hard, the crumbs did still taste good! But why did mine not work out? I followed the instructions perfectly.. Thank you
Gina, This is a great recipe. My husband has Celiac and loves desserts and he would love,love, love this one! In fact, his birthday is soon so this will be his birthday 'cake'.
Gorgeous dessert! This looks so delicious, strawberries and kiwis go so well together! 🙂
I would imagine so!
If you make these with Splenda are they less points?
This looks like a great dessert. But there is a difference between a meringue and a pavlova. This is a meringue recipe. A pavlova should have a soft centre and contains some kind of acid such as lemon juice or vinegar.
That's interesting! My vanilla was dark wich is why these didn't come out white.
I grew up eating these in Milwaukee. We call them Shaum Torte. Most people haven't heard of them unless they're from Europe or Wisconsin. I make these once a month as a treat, just like my family used to do 🙂 The ones they make at the bakeries back home (WI) are beautiful and white! I don't know how they do it.
I have made these twice, the second time for a large group. They were quite a hit! My family can't get enough of these!
Oh and the first time I made these, it was a very stormy day and it did make a difference. I didn't notice till I had made them a second time, but the centers were kinda chewy on the batch I made when it was raining. Either way though, they were amazing!!
Thanks for the awesome recipe!
Made these tonight with Splenda, they were fantastic. Topped with macerated strawberries and blueberries with lite cool whip. Will for sure make again. Thank you for the recipe.
Thanks for noticing that, I just adjusted.
I used my calculator and it says 6 points?
Oh my … made these today and they're heavenly! Also very large! I've never had meringue that melted in my mouth like this. Absolutely fantastic. Thank you!
Wish I did that! : )
Yummy! I made this yesterday for a family valentine party. Tinted the meringue pink and made them heart shaped….big hit Thanks! My mother-in-law asked where I bought them
I am sooo making this for Vanentines! My kids are going to be in LOVE!
another YUM! I love the sound of that dressing, must try
Fun to make and fun to eat! I took mine from the oven after 1 hour of cooling. PERFECT!
Thank You!
This dish looks delicious . This prepare very easy.
I might have to give these babies a whirl. I have some fresh fruit in the fridge that needs some love.
I'm new to you site. Love your recipes. Can't weight to try this one.
wait!
That looks gorgeous and I cannot wait to make it too. Thanks for posting all your fantastic recipes.
Dana, it's there you probably overlooked it.
Thanks Katie, sure as long as you link back. No photos though, they are all copyright.