Strawberry Cheesecake Pavlova
An Original Recipe by Lorraine Elliott
Preparation time: 25 minutes
Cooking time: 2.5 hours
Serves: 8
- 200g/7ozs egg whites (about 5-6 egg whites depending on the size of eggs)
- 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 2 tablespoons cornflour
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Pink colouring (I used Wilton Rose)
- 1.5 cups/315g caster or superfine sugar
For Cheesecake Cream
-
1 cup/250ml/8.8flozs cream
-
1 tablespoon caster or superfine sugar
-
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
-
60g/2ozs cream cheese, room temperature
-
Fat pinch of salt
To serve:
- 150g/5ozs fresh strawberries, halved or quartered
- 3 tablespoons pomegranate seeds
Step 1 - Pavlova is best made the day or night before (I do all my pavlova baking after dinner, I'm weird like that). Line a baking tray with parchment and trace a 13cm/5inch circle which seems small but the pavlova will spread around an inch. Preheat oven to 100C/212F. Make sure that your mixer bowl and beaters are very clean (give it another wash with hot water and detergent and dry if need be). Place the egg whites and cream of tartar in the bowl of a mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Start whisking until soft peaks form. Then add the cornflour, vanilla and colouring and then the sugar in a steady stream and whisk until it is very firm and glossy and you can tip the bowl upside down without the meringue moving at all. This is very important as this is a high pavlova. If the meringue does move when you tip the bowl upside down, you won't be able to achieve this shape.
Step 2 - Scoop the meringue onto the parchment within the circle and shape up to form a high circle and use an angled spatula to create the pavlova shape. Don't rush this step. First get the sides smooth and then use the spatula at a slight angle to make the sweep-up motions. Place in the centre of the oven and bake for 2.5 hours. If you want your pavlova harder and more like a meringue, you can bake it for 3 hours (or even conceivably longer) but we love the marshmallowy centre. Cool the pavlova in the turned off oven overnight.
Step 3 - To make cheesecake cream, whip the cream, sugar and vanilla until light and fluffy. Add in the cream cheese and salt and whip until you get a dollopy cream texture-it will only take a few seconds. Carefully transfer the pavlova onto a serving plate and add cream on top. Then add strawberries and pomegranate arils and serve.