Brown Sugar Pavlova

After eating the glorious brown sugar pavlova from MuMu Grill and seeing Not Quite Nigella's success at recreating it, I had to try and make it at home. I wanted the pavlova to be the main attraction so I decorated it simply with some sweetened whipped cream and some strawberries. Sir D also likes his pavlova with less of that gooey, spongy interior so I left it in the oven for a bit longer so that it dried out a bit more.


And although I must admit that it wasn't nearly as good as the pavlova from MuMu Grill, it was greatly enjoyed by Sir D and myself. It turned out superbly crunchy on the outside with a bit of the spongy, airy meringue on the inside, and along with the strawberries and cream made for a fantastic home-made dessert. And for once, my pavlovas didn't collapse when I added the cream and fruit so yay for that!



Brown Sugar Pavlova (makes 2 large-ish individual pavlovas)

Recipe adapted from Not Quite Nigella, who adapted it from Australian Gourmet Traveller March 2009 via the Greedy Gourmand

2 egg whites
75g caster sugar
40g brown sugar
1 tsp white vinegar
1 tsp vanilla extract
pinch of salt
200mL cream
1 tbsp caster sugar, extra
1 punnet strawberries, washed, hulled and sliced (you can really use any fruit you have lying around)

1. Preheat oven to 140ºC. Line a baking sheet with baking paper and draw three 9cm circles on the paper which will be the outline for your pavlovas.

Brown sugar meringue after beating

2. Beat egg whites and the pinch of salt with an electric beater until soft peaks form, then add the caster sugar bit by bit, beating until stiff peaks form and the mixture becomes thick and glossy. Add the brown sugar and beat until the sugar is dissolved, then add the vinegar and vanilla and beat until combined.


3. Spoon meringue mixture into the circles and bake in the oven for 1 hour 15 minutes. Turn off the oven and allow to cool completely inside the oven.


4. Beat the cream with the extra sugar until stiff peaks form. Spread on top of the cooled pavlovas and top with fruit as desired.