Make a Delightful Christmas Pavlova

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Need a unique Christmas Dessert this holiday season? Try this GORGEOUS, and surprisingly easy, Christmas Pavlova. It’s one dessert no one is expecting on the table. Yet it’s a refreshing and delightful end to your holiday celebrations.

Crispy chewy meringue shells form the wreath base. Then they’re filled with tangy lime curd, you can use lemon too! Topped with whipped cream, fresh berries and a sprinkle of edible glitter and this Christmas Dessert is ready to shine.

Dessert Week on the GBBO

Lovely Christmas Dessert with berries and cream.

Yes, it was dessert week on the Great British Baking Show and that means the Bake-Along is, well baking along!

Our choices for Dessert Week were:

Signature Bake: Pavlova Dessert
Technical Bake: Sticky Toffee Pudding
Showstopper Bake: Imprime Dessert

Can you guess what we chose?? Obviously, the Pavlova because, PAVLOVA. I like to say I don’t care for meringue BUT this bake proved me wrong.

Christmas Pavlova, with cream and berries.

The trick to a good pavlova OR any dessert made with meringue is the filling CAN’T be too sweet. It HAS to have a sharp tang to it to cut the sweetness of the meringue.

Close up of a christmas pavlova dessert.

So I added a TANGY lime curd, you can do lemon if you like, it will still be tangy enough. And I made a small amount of lime curd, no need to load the Christmas Pavlova down, just a spoonful in each portion.

And then I topped it with just whipped cream with only a hint of sweetness to it with a little lime zest thrown in to amp up the tangy element. You can skip the lime zest too!

Christmas Dessert with berries and glitter.

What Kitchen Tools I need to Make this Christmas Pavlova?

a quarter sheetpan
parchment paper, I love the sheets and linked them in the recipe card
a KitchenAid mixer or other stand mixer
whisk
wooden spoon
saucepan
offset spatula
edible glitter-I used edible glitter that came in my Fancy Sprinkles Subscription Box

FAQs about the meringue Pavlova shell

Do I beat the egg whites on high?

no, try to stay at medium to medium-high to avoid overbeating the egg whites

Can I pour the sugar in all at once?

no, you must add the sugar one spoonful at a time so it can dissolve

How do I know my egg whites are whipped enough?

in this recipe you whip them to two different stages before you add sugar you whip to soft peaks which means when you pull the whisk out it forms a soft point that slumps over, THEN while adding the sugar you will whip to glossy stiff peaks that stay up when you pull the whisk out

Do I really need to leave the oven shut after the pavlova is done baking?

YES! this can help it keep from cracking while it cools

Can I wait to fill the meringue shell?

You can bake the meringue in the morning, cool it, set it somewhere to rest out of the way, and then fill it for an evening dessert

Yield: 10 servings

Christmas Pavlova

This lovely Christmas Wreath Pavlova is sure to add a delightful dessert element to any holiday dinner table. Crispy fresh meringue, lime (or lemon!) curd, whipped cream, and berries on top make this a dessert everyone will oohhhh and ahhh over!

Prep Time 45 minutes

Cook Time 1 hour

Additional Time 1 hour 30 minutes

Total Time 3 hours 15 minutes

Ingredients

pavlova

6 egg whites
1 1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp vinegar
1 tsp corn starch
1 tsp vanilla extract

Lime Curd

3/4 cup sugar
1 TBSP corn starch
1/2 cup lime juice
3 egg yolks
7 1/2 Tablespoons of butter, cut in cubes

Whipped Cream

1 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
2 TBSP sugar
zest of one lime (optional)

Toppings

1/2 cup pomegranate arils
fresh raspberries
edible glitter (Optional)
mint leaves

Instructions

preheat the oven to 250˚
trace a 10 or 11-inch circle on a sheet of parchment paper, trace a 5-6 inch circle inside of it
turn the paper over and place it on a large baking tray
in the bowl of a stand mixer beat the egg whites on medium-high until they form soft peaks, don't overbeat them
slowly add the sugar one Tablespoon at a time to the egg whites beating well between each addition
when the sugar has been added sprinkle the corn starch over the egg whites and beat again, then add the vinegar and vanilla
put in a large piping bag fitted with a one-inch nozzle OR with a one-inch hole cut in the end
holding the bag vertically place the tip right close the pan and pipe out a plop of meringue between the two lines you drew on the paper, go around the circle making 10 even plops, the sides should touch
then go back around and fill in each plop so it's nice and plump
once it looks how you want it to look use a spoon to gently hollow out each plop
place in the oven and bake for 60 minutes, when it's done turn the oven off and let it rest undisturbed for 60-90 minutes
meanwhile, make the lime curd whisk the sugar and corn starch together in a saucepan
add the lime juice and whisk to combine, then turn the heat on medium-low
gently whisk in the egg yolks and the butter
when the butter has melted switch to a wooden spoon
stir constantly until the curd is thick when it coats the back of a spoon and doesn't backfill that's when you know it's done
take it off the heat and sieve it
pour it into a jar put a lid on it and refrigerate it until cooled and you're ready to use it
To Assemble: whip the cream and the sugar together adding lime zest if desired until the whipped cream is holding peaks, don't overbeat it
place pavlova on a large serving platter, I used a pizza pan!
pipe whipped cream over the top
add arils and berries as desired
garnish with edible glitter and mint leaves if desired