Six Egg White Pavlova

This pavlova has less sugar in it than others and the sugar is folded in not beaten given a rather denser marshmallowy centre and chewier crust. It is my favourite of all the recipes both in terms of ease of preparation and final taste and texture.

Serves 10
Preparation time 20 minutes
Cooking time 1 ½ hours

Ingredients

• 6 egg whites, at room temperature
• ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
• 1 cup plus 2 tbsp caster sugar
• 1 teaspoon cornflour
• 2 teaspoon vinegar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla essence

Method

Preheat the oven to 220°C.  Line a baking tray with baking paper and mark out an 18cm circle.

Place the egg whites and cream of tartar into a clean bowl and beat until they form a dense white foam and stiff peaks but not dry.

Sift the caster sugar and cornflour on top of the egg whites and pour the vinegar and vanilla down the side of the bowl. Use a slow speed to incorporate the ingredients together. Do not beat and do not over-mix. You can fold these in with a holed spoon in place of the beaters.

Spread the mixture onto the prepared tray, spreading the mixture level with a spatula.  The mixture will look very high, this is okay as the pavlova expands when cooking.

Place into the preheated oven on the middle shelf and immediately turn the temperature down to 120°C.

Bake for 1 ½ hours and then turn the oven off and allow the meringue to cool thoroughly before removing.

The centre will crack and drop leaving a perfect hollow for filling with whipped cream and seasonal fruits.

To bake in a tin: Pile the mixture into a well-greased and baking paper lined 23cm springform cake tin.  Bake as above.