Christmas Pavlova Wreath Recipe • Curious Cuisiniere (2024)

This Christmas pavlova wreath is pretty enough to take its place on a dessert table any time of year. A popular dessert in Australia and New Zealand, this meringue wreath is topped with whipped cream and fresh berries, kiwi, and passionfruit.

For those in the Southern Hemisphere, the Christmas season falls in the middle of summer rather than in winter. So instead of cozy meals by the fire, many people are instead firing up the barbecue.

In Australia, cooking on the grill is a big part of socializing in general, and can also feature as part of making the Christmas meal. Instead of a roast turkey, many people opt for cold cuts and salad, along with things like grilled shrimp.

Dessert, however, may involve the oven, though typically not for something served hot.

Instead, a pavlova is a common feature on the Christmas table. It’s a hugely popular favorite in both Australia and New Zealand and works perfectly for warm weather.

As a wreath like this, it has a definite festive feel as well.

What is pavlova?

The mixture for pavlova is essentially a meringue made with egg white and sugar, whipped together.

However unlike meringues, instead of cooking to dry it the whole way through, it is cooked for a shorter time so the inside remains soft.

The result is a crisp shell and a slightly chewy, marshmallow-like middle.

In most cases, it is shaped as one, relatively tall, cake-like round. But it can be made into smaller,thinner rounds to make a layered dessert. Or in different shapes, such as a wreath like this.

You can decorate this dessert in various ways, but the classic way is topped with whipped cream and fruit.

Where is pavlova from?

Pavlova is named after the Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova, but after that, the origins become less clear.

She toured Australia and New Zealand in 1926 during the height of her career. Both countries lay claim to the dessert being created to honor her visit.

In reality, though, it seems that probably neither are correct.

A pair of researchers investigated the origins in recent years with interesting results. They shared some of this in a Good Food article which includes that they found a number of dishes that have a lot of similarity that were created earlier in Germany and also in the US by German immigrants.

Origins aside, though, the pavlova dessert has been firmly adopted in both Australia and New Zealand cuisine, though with slight variations.

Australians favor topping it with passion fruit (a favorite fruit there, hence it being used in themango and passion fruit Australian Eton mess).

In New Zealand, meanwhile, cream and kiwi fruit are more popular.

Tips for a perfect pavlova

The basic mixture for this dessert is pretty simple, just egg whites and sugar.

Then, there are a couple additions: vanilla, an acid (typically vinegar or cream of tartar) and cornstarch. The cornstarch helps the texture, particularly to get that fluffy inside. The acid helps to hold the pavlova’s shape and keeps it from collapsing. Vanilla is purely for flavor.

When you make your pavlova batter, first, make sure you don’t have any traces of yolk in the egg whites before you beat them or they won’t whip up properly.

Then, whip them so that they form stiff peaks before you add the sugar. (Stiff peaks hold their shape when the beaters are removed and the mixture won’t shift or jiggle in the bowl.)

After forming stiff peaks with your egg whites, add the sugar gradually, a little at a time, then add the other ingredients.

To make the wreath shape, you can draw a circle on the underside of the parchment paper to help guide you. Alternatively, fold the paper slightly in half both ways to form a cross shape in the middle, to help guide you in forming the ring.

Make sure you leave enough of a hole in the middle of the ring, as the batter will expand slightly as it bakes.

How to bake a Christmas pavlova wreath

The key to cooking a pavlova is low and slow.

If your oven tends to run hot, cook it even lower than the temperature listed in the instructions here (anywhere in the 250-300F/120 – 150C range is good).

The wreath shape will cook slightly faster than a round since there is more surface area and less thickness at any one spot, so either be aware the middle will be a little more chewy or cook on the lower end of the time range.

Then, let it cool gradually by leaving in the oven after you turn it off. You can find more tips in the mini pavlova article.

This Christmas pavlova wreath is a relatively easy dessert that everyone is sure to love.

It’s great in that you can prepare the base ahead with only a few last minute steps to finish it off, for an elegant, beautiful and delicious end to any meal, at Holiday time or any other time of year.