Christmas Tree Pavlova
Looking for something different to serve this holiday season? This Christmas Tree Pavlova is fun to make, tasty, and visually impressive!
... and how I thought that was that, and I’d be done with making Pavlovas for a while? That we’d had WAY more Pavlova (5 in 3 days!) than is at all healthy, and that would satiate us for a while?
... and how before I’d even posted all 5 of those recipes, I had an idea (EYEdea?) for a gross “Bloody Eyeball” Halloween themed Pavlova, and posted THAT?
For real, I think we’re good until at least the end of the year at this point, but don’t be surprised if I end up posting one / a few Valentine’s Day Pavlovas in the new year!
(Update: Not only have I posted a Heart Shaped Valentine Pavlova, I also have an Easter Egg Pavlova now! Woo!)
Anyway!
This Pavlova is a bit bigger than my normal Pavlova recipe - 50% bigger. While my other Pavlovas could technically serve 2 very ambitious Pavlova fans, this one... you’re probably going to actually want at least a few more people for.
Tips for Pavlova Success
Pavlovas are super easy to make, if you keep a few basic things in mind. Here are a few tips to help you successfully make a Pavlova:
Crack them right away when you take them out of the fridge, then cover the bowl and let it sit for a bit to warm to room temp. 10-15 minutes should be plenty of time, you don’t want to leave them out all day, as salmonella is a THING.
Honestly, if you have a good stand mixer - I LOVE my Kitchenaid! - you should be good to go, right out of the fridge. If you’re using a hand mixer... I’d let them warm up.
Any yolk at all - even a speck - will prevent your whites from whipping up as they’re supposed to.
If you do get yolk in the whites, and can’t get it out... start from scratch. Seriously. You can make a nice omelette from those whites, but you won’t be able to get a Pavlova out of them.
For the same reason yolks will mess you up, you also have to be careful to not let fat, oil, grease, etc touch your meringue.
Make sure your mixer and bowl are clean, and use a parchment lined baking sheet - do NOT grease it!
Also, when flavouring the meringue, be sure you’re not using an oil based flavour.
Over beating the egg whites can lead to a weeping meringue, and/or affect the texture. Get them to stiff peaks and that’s it!
Once the pavlovas are in the oven, shut the door *and leave it shut* until you’re ready to use it. At the very least leave it in there for a few hours, for the sake of structural integrity.
I’ll usually leave it in there right up until I’m ready to assemble and serve it, as it’s nice and protected in there. Pavlovas are delicate and fragile and really, Murphy’s Law is a thing.
Pavlovas crack - especially when you mound them up with whipped cream and fruit - and that’s just a fact of life. Embrace it.
Don’t mourn “perfection” lost, realize that it’s literally collapsing under the weight of its own awesomeness.
This is doubly true when you’ve got FIVE LAYERS of Pavlova awesomeness on the go!
Once you start whipping the cream for your Pavlova, the timer is started. Before even make the whipped cream, have your fruit good and ready to go, and be ready to serve it right away.
Whipped cream breaks down over time - unless you stabilize it with some gelatin. That’s neither here nor there, in this case, as Pavlovas need to be eaten pretty soon after assembling.
So, have everything ready to go when you make the whipped cream, serve it right away, and don’t leave anything behind - it really doesn’t hold up as leftovers.
Can this Pavlova serve 10 people (some say 12!)? Sure, when you’re listening to the same people who think that a serving size of dip is 2 Tbsp.
TWO TABLESPOONS!!!
Personally, I think this makes 6 good sized servings... 4 if you’re ambitious.
How to Make a Christmas Tree Pavlova
Get Ready
- Preheat your oven to 250 degrees. Fit your electric mixer with the whisk attachment.
- Cut 2 sheets of parchment paper to fit your baking sheets. Draw circles of the following sizes on them (1 of each):
Pan 1: 8"/20 cm, 5" / 12.5 cm, 2"/ 5 cm.
Pan 2: 6.5" / 16.5 cm, 3.5" / 9 cm
I like to use the nonstick mat that came with my adjustable rolling pin set. While it doesn’t have all of these specific measurements, it served as a guide, and I was able to guesstimate by drawing between lines.
- Place parchment paper in your pans, marked side down. You should be able to see the markings through the paper.
Set aside.
- Remove eggs from fridge, separate out the whites, and allow to warm to room temp (about 5 minutes).
Make Your Meringue
- 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 vinegar, cornstarch, vanilla, and food colouring over meringue, gently fold in till combined.
- Divide meringue amount your drawn circles - smoothing meringue out to the edges of the guides. Aim to have each round about the same height. If they're not perfectly even or all the way out to the circle, don't worry!
- Put the baking sheets into your oven, bake for 55 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!
Prepare Your Fruit
Wash, peel, slice, and scoop as your choices of fruit dictate.
- For the star on top, we had planned to use a slice of starfruit... but then couldn’t locate one! So, I sliced up a mango, and cut one of the slices in the shape of a star.
I went freestyle with it, as I didn’t happen to have any star shaped cookie cutters... and was feeling too lazy to print off a template to go from. If you’re looking for a more perfect star, you could definitely use a cookie cutter or template.
To Serve
- Just before serving, whip the heavy cream. I like my pavlovas a little sweeter, so I add about 2 Tbsp of sugar – add as much or as little as you want.
Purists may not want to sweeten the cream at all!
- Once heavy cream is whipped to the desired thickness, add any desired flavourings, if applicable, as well as the green food colouring. Mix until well combined.
- Place largest meringue on serving plate, top with some whipped cream, and then fruit.
- Add the next largest meringue, and gently top with whipped cream and fruit.
- Repeat with the remaining meringues and whipped cream, ending with a peak of whipped cream.
Add your "Christmas tree topper" - a slice of starfruit, a star cut from a piece of mango, or whatever else you'd like - and serve immediately!
Also, 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.
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
Cardamom Fig Pavlova
Chocolate Raspberry Pavlova
Matcha Green Tea Pavlova
Pavlova Charcuterie Board
Tropical Dragonfruit Pavlova
Seasonal Pavlovas
Easter Egg Pavlova
Halloween Pavlova with Bloody Eyeballs
Heart Shaped Valentine's Pavlova
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 subscribe to my free monthly email newsletter, so you never miss out on any of my nonsense.
Well, the published nonsense, anyway!
Anyway, on to that recipe!
Christmas Tree Pavlova
Equipment
Ingredients
Mini Pavlovas
- 6 Large Egg Whites
- Pinch Salt
- 1 ½ cup Super Fine / Castor Sugar *
- 3 tsp Vinegar
- 1 ½ tsp Cornstarch
- 1 ½ tsp Vanilla Extract Or other non-oil flavouring
- Green Food colouring
Whipped Cream
- 2 ½ cup Heavy Cream
- 2 Tbsp Granulated Sugar optional
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract Or other flavouring
- Green food colouring
Serving
- Fruit of choice.
Instructions
- Get ready: Preheat your oven to 250 degrees. Fit your electric mixer with the whisk attachment.
- Cut 2 sheets of parchment paper to fit your baking sheets. Draw circles of the following sizes on them (1 of each):Pan 1: 8"/20 cm, 5" / 12.5 cm, 2"/ 5 cm.Pan 2: 6.5" / 16.5 cm, 3.5" / 9 cmPlace parchment paper in your pans, marked side down. You should be able to see the markings through the paper.Set aside.
- 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 vinegar, cornstarch, vanilla, and food colouring over meringue, gently fold in till combined.
- Divide meringue amount your drawn circles - smoothing meringue out to the edges of the guides.Aim to have each round about the same height. If they're not perfectly even or all the way out to the circle, don't worry!
- Put the baking sheets into your oven, bake for 55 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!
- Just before serving, whip the heavy cream.I like my pavlovas a little sweeter, so I add about 2 Tbsp 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 any desired flavourings, if applicable, as well as the green food colouring. Mix until well combined.
- Place largest meringue on serving plate, top with some whipped cream, and then fruit.Add the next largest meringue, and gently top with whipped cream and fruit.Repeat with the remaining meringues and whipped cream, ending with a peak of whipped cream.
- Add your "Christmas tree topper" - a slice of starfruit, a star cut from a piece of mango, or whatever else you'd like - and serve immediately!
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