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    Home » Recipes » All Recipes

    Cardamom Fig Pavlova

    Published: Oct 15, 2020

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    Cardamom Fig Pavlova with Rose, Honey, and Pistachios

    An ivory coloured Pavlova meringue round, piled with whipped cream, sliced figs, and pistachios. A drizzle of honey finishes it off. A Cardamom fig pavlova.

    This Cardamom Fig Pavlova is rich with Middle Eastern flavours - cardamom, figs, rose, pistachios, and honey. Easy, yet incredibly decadent!

    One morning last month, I woke up from a productive night of dreaming with 5 fully conceptualized Pavlova recipes worked out in my head. I got up, made a grocery list, donned my mask and bought the stuff I needed.

    I don’t mess around when it comes to Pavlova, LOL. We made 5 Pavlovas in 3 days. Yeah, we ate a LOT of Pavolva that week. It was GLORIOUS. Yum!

    I’ve already posted 2 of the recipes that came from that nocturnal design session - Blueberry Pavlova and my
    Tropical Dragon Fruit Pavlova - and today it’s time for the 3rd: My Cardamom Fig Pavlova!

    Spice isn’t something I tend to add to Pavlovas, for whatever reason. I use cinnamon in my Bananas Foster Pavlova, but that’s about it. So, we were both very much looking forward to seeing how this was going to turn out.

    We love figs - weirdly, I don’t have many fig recipes on the blog. Grilled Halloumi Salad with Peaches and Figs, Brie en Croute with Prosciutto, Honey Pear Sauce, and Figs, and Gluten-Free Fig Newtons is the lot of it, for now. Whoops.

    An ivory coloured meringue round, piled with whipped cream, sliced figs, and pistachios. A drizzle of honey finishes it off.  A Cardamom fig pavlova.

    Cardamom Fig Pavlova

    This year, we haven’t really been able to visit any of our favourite Turkish restaurants - they’re all at the far end of Toronto, and we visit when we’re en route to a concert or event. Remember when that was a thing? 🙂

    As a result, we’ve been slacking off on getting our honey / pistachio / cardamom / etc fix this year. I wouldn’t doubt that all had some part to play in this Pavlova working itself up in my dream!

    The rose water addition surprised me. I’m not a fan of rose flavoured foods in general, but this actually worked really well. It didn’t taste like “eating perfume”, unlike most instances of rose food I’ve tried. It just accents the cardamom, figs, pistachio, and honey in a really beautiful way.

    We’ve made some pretty amazing Pavlovas over the years, but not have felt so bougie and decadent as this one did. I could definitely see this becoming a holiday or NYE tradition..

    Assuming we can find figs around that time, anyway. I think the season is over by then, though.

    Not that we were at ALL bougie, eating our Cardamom Fig Pavlova in our Pjs, on the couch, watching DS9.

    An ivory coloured Pavlova meringue round, piled with whipped cream, sliced figs, and pistachios. It's half eaten, on a glass serving plate.  A Cardamom fig pavlova.

    ANYWAY!

    The Figs

    While this Pavlova has a LOT going on, the figs are kind of the crowning glory of it all. You can use whatever figs you like best, or can get your hands on. Look for ripe, fragrant figs that aren’t mushy.

    You can use fresh, raw figs - as pictured throughout this post - or you can roast them. We’ve done it both ways.

    Sliced figs on top of a bed of whipped cream. Pistachios and honey top it all off.

    How to Roast Figs

    Roasting figs is easy! To do so, line a baking sheet with parchment paper and preheat the oven to 350.

    As the oven is heating, slice up your figs. We’ll usually quarter them, you may want to slice them smaller - if using a bigger variety - or just cut them in half, if using a small variety of figs.

    Arrange them on the lined baking sheet, drizzle with a bit of honey. If you’d like, you can sprinkle a bit of cardamom over the figs as well.

    Roast for 25 minutes.

    An ivory coloured Pavlova meringue round, piled with whipped cream, sliced figs, and pistachios. A drizzle of honey finishes it off.

    A Note on The Sugar

    Super fine / castor sugar is granulated sugar, just ground down much finer than regular granulated sugar. It is NOT powdered / confectioners / icing sugar!

    Castor / Super fine sugar is usually sold near the rest of the sugars, in the baking aisle. It’s usually in small boxes, sometimes resembling milk cartons.

    If you aren’t able to find actual super fine sugar, you can process regular granulated sugar in your food processor until fine. Measure AFTER you process!

    Personally, I don’t buy super fine sugar anymore. I did before I had a food processor, but I don’t find it worth the up charge. It’s SO easy to make!

    Pavlova Tips

    - Eggs are easiest to crack when cold, and easiest to whip when they’re at room temperature. Plan around this knowledge!

    - Be EXTREMELY careful to not get any egg yolk into the whites, or the eggs will not whip up. Even beyond cracking the eggs,, be very careful to use a very clean bowl and mixer - grease is your enemy here.

    - Add your sugar SLOWLY, as you’re beating the egg whites. You don’t want to overwhelm the structure of the egg whites as you’re building that structure!

    - Once your Pavlova is in the oven, don’t even open the oven door until several hours after you turn the oven off. Patience is a virtue!

    - Wait until right before you plan to serve the Pavlova to whip the cream turn the meringue into a full Pavlova. Once you put the whipped cream on, you’ll want to serve it immediately.

    On a related note: Pavlova doesn’t last well as leftovers, so be sure to eat all of it in one sitting. It won’t be difficult!

    - If your meringue is not cracked by the time you take it out of the oven, it likely crack at some other point, and will almost certainly crack when you start garnishing. Don't worry, this is totally normal for a Pavlova, no one will notice or care!

    An ivory coloured meringue round, piled with whipped cream, sliced figs, and pistachios. A drizzle of honey finishes it off.

    More Pavlova Recipes

    Do you love Pavlovas like we do? Awesome! I have several more super tasty Pavlova recipes for you...

    Bananas Foster Pavlova
    Basic Pavlova Recipe
    Blueberry Pavlova
    Chocolate Raspberry Pavlova
    Matcha Green Tea Pavlova
    Pavlova Charcuterie Board
    Tropical Dragonfruit Pavlova

    Seasonal Pavlovas

    Christmas Tree Pavlova
    Easter Egg Pavlova
    Halloween Pavlova with Bloody Eyeballs
    Heart Shaped Valentine's Pavlova

    Beyond Flour, Beyond Flour 2

    As an aside, if you're interested in gluten-free cooking and baking, you should definitely check out my gluten-free cookbooks: Beyond Flour: A Fresh Approach to Gluten Free Cooking & Baking, and the sequel... Beyond Flour 2. You can order them right here on my website, through Amazon, or through any major bookseller.

    Share the Love!

    Before you chow down, be sure to take some pics of your handiwork! If you Instagram it, be sure to tag me - @CelebrationGenerationCA - or post it to My Facebook Page - so I can cheer you on!

    Also, be sure to follow me on Pinterest, and subscribe to my free monthly email newsletter, so you never miss out on any of my nonsense.

    Well, the published nonsense, anyway!

    An ivory coloured meringue round, piled with whipped cream, sliced figs, and pistachios. A drizzle of honey finishes it off.

    Now, on to that Cardamom Fig Pavlova Recipe!

    An ivory coloured Pavlova meringue round, piled with whipped cream, sliced figs, and pistachios. A drizzle of honey finishes it off.
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe Save Recipe Saved!
    5 from 5 votes

    Cardamom Fig Pavlova

    This Cardamom Fig Pavlova is rich with Middle Eastern flavours - cardamom, figs, rose, pistachios, and honey. Easy, yet incredibly decadent!
    Prep Time25 mins
    Cook Time1 hr 20 mins
    Cooling Time3 hrs
    Total Time4 hrs 45 mins
    Course: Dessert
    Cuisine: Australian, Gluten-free
    Servings: 6 People
    Calories: 436kcal
    Author: Marie Porter

    Equipment

    Parchment Paper
    Baking Sheet
    Stand Mixer

    Ingredients

    • 4 Large Egg Whites
    • Pinch Salt
    • 1 cup Super Fine / Castor Sugar *
    • ½-1 teaspoon Cardamom
    • 2 teaspoon Vinegar
    • 1 teaspoon Cornstarch
    • 1 teaspoon Rose water
    • 1 ¼ cup Heavy Cream
    • 1-2 tablespoon Granulated Sugar optional
    • ¼ teaspoon Cardamom
    • ¼ teaspoon Rose water
    • 6 Fresh Figs Optionally roasted.
    • ½ cup Pistachios, shelled
    • 2 tablespoon Honey

    Instructions

    • Get ready: Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
      Line a baking (cookie) sheet with parchment paper, and set aside.
      Fit your electric mixer with the whisk attachment.
    • Remove eggs from fridge, separate out the whites, and allow to warm to room temp (about 5 minutes).
    • In your mixer bowl, beat egg whites together with salt until glossy peaks form.
    • Slowly add in the sugar, and continue whipping until stiff peaks form. Turn off mixer, remove bowl.
    • Sprinkle cardamom, vinegar, cornstarch, and rose water over meringue, gently fold in till combined.
    • Heap meringue onto the center of your baking sheet.
      A tall mound of shiny white meringue on a parchment lined baking sheet.
    • Use a spatula to spread the meringue out to approximately an 8-9″ circle.
      If you want to get really fancy, put the meringue into a pastry bag and pipe it out as a mass of swirls that form your 8″ circle! It’s really up to you!
      A circle of swirled, shiny white meringue on a parchment lined baking sheet.
    • Put the baking sheet into your oven, and turn the temperature down to 250 degrees. Bake for 1 hour and 20 minutes.
    • Once your timer goes off, turn the oven off and let the meringue cool in the oven for several hours. The baking of the meringue can be done the day before, if needed!
      A baked Pavlova base - an ivory coloured baked meringue, on a glass serving dish.
    • Just before serving, whip the heavy cream.
      I like my pavlovas a little sweeter, so I add about 2 tablespoon of sugar – add as much or as little as you want. Purists may not want to sweeten the cream at all! I also like to add a little flavoring, again – optional
    • Once heavy cream is whipped to the desired thickness, add the cardamom and rose water, mix until well incorporated.
    • Mound the whipped cream on your pavlova, and top with quartered figs and pistachios.
    • Drizzle with honey and serve immediately!
      An ivory coloured meringue round, piled with whipped cream, sliced figs, and pistachios. A drizzle of honey finishes it off.

    Notes

    * Super fine / castor sugar is granulated sugar with a much finer grain size than regular granulated sugar. It is NOT powdered / icing sugar! Super fine sugar is usually sold near the sugar in the baking aisle, in small boxes – sometimes resembling milk cartons.
    If you aren’t able to find actual super fine sugar, you can process regular granulated sugar in your food processor until fine. Measure AFTER you process!

    Nutrition

    Calories: 436kcal | Carbohydrates: 56g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 23g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Cholesterol: 68mg | Sodium: 53mg | Potassium: 291mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 50g | Vitamin A: 842IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 60mg | Iron: 1mg

    An ivory coloured Pavlova meringue round, piled with whipped cream, sliced figs, and pistachios. A drizzle of honey finishes it off.

    Related posts:

    A Pavlova Dessert Charcuterie board: A bowl of whipped cream and two little bowls of sauce - lemon curd and chocolate sauce - are surrounded by mini pavlova meringues and a selection of fresh fruits. Pavlova Grazing Board A double layered chocolate pavlova on a brown plate. Two layers of chocolate meringue are sandwiches with layers of chocolate whipped cream and raspberries, drizzled with chocolate sauce. Chocolate Raspberry Pavlova A pavlova made to look like an actual heart - with blue and red whipped cream, raspberries, and blueberries. It is shown next to a paper diagram of a human heart. Heart Shaped Pavlova A close up view of an Easter pavlova. Easter Pavlova
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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Wanda

      October 19, 2020 at 4:39 pm

      5 stars
      I love pavlova and the ingredients in yours have me totally drooling. Middle Eastern flavours are currently one of my favourite things and I will have to try this recipe!

      Reply
      • Vanessa

        October 20, 2020 at 11:53 pm

        5 stars
        I love this twist on pavlova. Such great flavours!

        Reply
    2. Bernice Hill

      October 20, 2020 at 9:47 pm

      5 stars
      I love this post!! I dream about food too and sometimes I wake up with a new recipe idea too.
      That's a lot of pavlovas...kudos to you for tackling them all. I think this one is my favourite of the ones you mentioned. No shame in eating pavlova in one setting! LOL Been there, done that.

      Reply
    3. Elaine

      October 21, 2020 at 12:33 pm

      5 stars
      Roasted figs on pavlova! And with cardamom, this is a spectacular flavour combination. Thanks for the detailed, helpful instructions.

      Reply

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