Easter Pavlova with lemon custard and cream

This is a great dessert to make for Easter. It’s quick to make and it uses things that you’re likely to have at home.

I like to decorate the pavlova with mini meringues and chocolate eggs, but feel free to use your imagination:)

For the Meringue

3 egg whites (save the egg yolks!)

1/2 tsp vinegar or lemon juice

90 grams caster sugar

60 grams of icing sugar

Turn the oven on 150 degrees /130 fan.

Make sure the bowl you’re using is clean and dry. And sign of oil or water and you will not be able to make a stiff meringue mixture. Start with mixing the egg whites using an electric whisk or stand mixer with whisk attachment.

Once the egg whites start to foam then add the vinegar/ lemon juice and about 2 tbsp of the caster sugar.

Keep adding the sugar a little at the time white until you’ve used it all up. Mix until you’ve got stiff peaks. You should be able turn the bowl upside down without the meringue moving.

Sieve the icing sugar and gently fold it in the meringue. Remember to be gently, otherwise the morgue will loose too much air.

Spoon the meringue onto a baking tray that you’ve lined with baking parchment, but save a small amount for the mini meringues. Spread it out and make a circle of required size, I usually make about 20 cm.

Add the leftover mixture to a piping bag and pipe out little meringues onto the baking sheet in the shape of a fried egg. You’ll use these to decorate the pavlova (there is of course no need to do this if you find it’s too complicated)

Bake in the oven for 1 hour. Then turn off the oven and leave the meringue(s) for another 30 min.

While the meringue is in the oven you can make the lemon custard.

Here’s what you need:

150 ml of lemon juice (the juice from 2-3 lemons)

3 egg yolks

120 grams of caster sugar

50 ml water

20 grams of cornflour

35 grams of butter

Mix egg yolks, sugar and cornflour in a bowl by hand.

Add the lemon juice and water to a sauce pan. Add the egg and sugar mixture and run on medium heat. Bring to boil and keep stirring the whole time until the custard thickens. Remove from heat and add the butter. Mix until combine and the custard is nice and shiny.

Pour into a bowl and cover with cling film. Make sure to press the cling film onto the custard for a smooth texture. Leave to cool in the fridge.

Once your meringue has completely cooled down then whisk 250 ml of cream using an electric whisk. I prefer to use single cream but you can use double cream if you prefer. Keep whisking until a lightly whipped texture.

Place your meringue onto a nice serving dish/ cake stand.

Add the lemon custard and spread it out over the meringue. If you’re decorating with mini meringues then save a little bit of the lemon custard to use for “egg yolks”. If so simply add a little bit of the lemon custard to the centre of your mini meringue. Et voilà! Now it will look like a fried egg.

Then spread out the cream on top and then decorate your pavlova with mini chocolate eggs, your mini meringue fried eggs and maybe some lemon verbena or edible flowers if you have any growing in the garden.

Here’s just a different way to decorate your Pavlova, in case you don’t like that Easter-look:)