Holidays & Occasions Christmas Christmas Recipes Christmas Desserts Snowy Christmas Pavlova 5.0 (1) Add your rating & review This vanilla bean pavlova is a beauty to behold. By Josh Miller Josh Miller Josh Miller is a writer, editor, recipe developer, and food stylist who has been writing about Southern food and working in the publishing industry for the past 20 years. His work has appeared in Southern Living, Food & Wine, Cooking Light, Taste of the South, and Southern Cast Iron magazines. Southern Living's editorial guidelines and Alana Al-Hatlani Alana Al-Hatlani Alana Al-Hatlani is an Assistant Food Editor at Southern Living. Southern Living's editorial guidelines Published on December 8, 2023 Recipe tested by Southern Living Test Kitchen Recipe tested by Southern Living Test Kitchen The Southern Living Test Kitchen has been publishing recipes since 1970, four years after the first issue of Southern Living Magazine appeared on newsstands. The Southern Living Test Kitchen team includes a team of professionals with deep expertise in recipe development, from pastry chefs and grilling experts to nutritionists and dietitians. Together, the team tests and retests, produces, styles, and photographs thousands of recipes each year in the state-of-the-art test kitchen facility located in Birmingham, Alabama. Learn more about the Southern Living Test Kitchen Rate PRINT Share Trending Videos Close this video player Photo: Victor Protasio; Food Stylist: Chelsea Zimmer; Prop Stylist: Christina Brockman Active Time: 1 hr 10 mins Total Time: 6 hrs 10 mins Servings: 12 to 16 Pavlova is one of the most elegant desserts you can make—and shockingly, one of the easiest! Made from a pillowy pile of meringue, it bakes low and slow until crisp on the outside and marshmallowy on the inside. While some folks assume that vanilla desserts are boring, this towering showstopper is anything but! Layered with a thick, vanilla bean-flecked custard and dusted with a soft flurry of powdered sugar, it’s a heavenly holiday dessert that your friends and family won’t soon forget. Why Is It Called Pavlova? This showy dessert was named after the famous 20th century Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova, who was touring Australia and New Zealand and was treated to the dessert by a chef-admirer. Do You Start Pavlova In A Cold Oven? No, you start baking pavlova in a preheated oven, but you do turn the oven off, crack the door, and let it cool to room temperature or overnight to fully and firmly set. Can You Make This Pavlova Ahead? Yes! The meringues can be made a day or two ahead and stored in airtight containers at room temperature. The custard can be made three days ahead and refrigerated in an airtight container with a piece of plastic wrap pressed to the surface to prevent a skin from forming. How Do You Serve This Pavlova? Simply work your way from the top down. One person gets the top layer; two people share the next layer, and so on until you reach the bottom. Ingredients Vanilla Bean Meringues: 9 large egg whites, at room temperature 1/4 tsp. cream of tartar Pinch of kosher salt 2 1/4 cups granulated sugar 2 Tbsp. vanilla bean paste or 1 Tbsp. vanilla extract Ultimate Vanilla Custard: 9 large egg yolks 3/4 cup granulated sugar 1/4 cup cornstarch 1/2 tsp. kosher salt 1 vanilla bean pod 3 cups whole milk 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter, cubed 2 tsp. vanilla extract Whipped Cream: 1 1/4 cups heavy whipping cream 3 3/4 tsp. vanilla bean paste or 2 tsp. vanilla extract 3 3/4 tsp. granulated sugar Powdered sugar, for garnish Directions Prepare Vanilla Bean Meringues: Preheat oven to 250°F with racks in top third and lower third positions. Line 2 rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper; set aside. Beat egg whites, cream of tartar, and salt with a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment on medium-high speed until foamy, about 1 minute. Increase mixer speed to high, and gradually stream in sugar. Beat until stiff peaks form, 8 to 10 minutes. (Mixture should be glossy, and sugar should be completely dissolved.) Beat in vanilla until combined. Using a pencil, trace 1 (9-inch) circle and 1 (5-inch) circle on 1 prepared baking sheet. Trace 1 (7-inch), 1 (3-inch), and 1 (1-inch) circle on remaining baking sheet. Turn both parchment sheets to face pencil side down. Spread or pipe meringue within traced circles in an even layer about 1 inch thick (for the 1-inch circle, pipe or dollop the meringue into a cone shape). Bake in preheated oven until meringues are a pale off-white color and firm to the touch, about 2 hours. Turn off oven; let meringues cool, undisturbed, in oven until completely dry and crisp, at least 3 hours or up to 12 hours. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap, and store at room temperature up to 1 day. While meringues bake and cool, prepare custard: Whisk together egg yolks, sugar, cornstarch, and salt in a medium-size heatproof bowl until smooth. Set aside. Halve vanilla bean pod lengthwise. Using the back of a paring knife, scrape seeds from pod halves into a medium saucepan; add scraped pod halves and milk. Bring to a simmer over medium, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat. Gradually ladle half of hot milk mixture into yolk mixture, whisking constantly. Return egg yolk mixture to remaining milk mixture in saucepan. Cook over medium, whisking constantly, until mixture boils and thickens, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in butter and vanilla extract until combined. Pour through a fine mesh strainer into a large heatproof bowl. Remove and discard vanilla pod halves. Cover custard with plastic wrap pressed directly onto surface. Chill until cold, about 2 hours. Store, with plastic wrap still pressed against surface, in refrigerator up to 3 days. When meringues and custard are fully cool, prepare whipped cream and assemble pavlova: Beat cream, vanilla bean paste, and granulated sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until medium-stiff peaks form, 2 to 3 minutes. Set aside. Place the 9-inch Vanilla Bean Meringue on a platter. Spread evenly with about 1 cup custard. Top with about 1 cup whipped cream. Repeat layering process with 7-inch, 5-inch, and 3-inch meringues; custard; and whipped cream, reducing custard and whipped cream by about 1/4 cup or more per layer as needed. Top with 1-inch meringue cone. Garnish with powdered sugar. Rate It Print