Strawberries & Cream Pavlova

A few weeks ago, I made a pavlova for my mum's birthday. I wasn't planning doing a blog post on it, but after posting some photos on my Instagram and Twitter, loads of you asked for one! So, I apologise in advance for the quality of the photos as I only had the ones from Instagram, but here it is as requested!

For the meringue

• 4 egg whites
• 250g caster sugar
• 1 tsp white wine vinegar
• 1 tsp cornflour
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

1. Heat oven to 150C/130C fan/gas 2. Using a pencil, mark out the circumference of a dinner plate on baking parchment. Whisk the egg whites with a hand mixer until they form stiff peaks, then whisk in the sugar, 1 tbsp at a time, until the meringue looks glossy. Whisk in the vinegar, cornflour and vanilla.
2. Spread the meringue inside the circle, creating a crater by making the sides a little higher than the middle. Bake for 1 hr, then turn off the heat and let the Pavlova cool completely inside the oven.

The main thing to remember when making meringue is to keep it on a low heat for a long time, to keep it as white as possible. I actually ended up turning my oven down and leaving it in for slightly longer, but do whatever you feel is right for your oven (keep checking it!)

I used the meringue recipe from BBC Good Food but I decided to make up my own topping. I went for a classic combination; strawberries and cream. I was worried it might be a bit boring but it turned out amazingly and the simplicity was what made it so fantastic.

For the topping

• 300/350ml whipping cream/double cream (I used whipping cream)
• A BIG punnet of strawberries

1. Whisk the cream with a hand whisk until it forms peaks, then spread over the centre of the meringue evenly.
2. Chop the strawberries into halves/quarters and arrange them on top of the cream. (Some strawberries were harmed in the making of this pavlova, i.e. I ate them)

And it really is that simple! I think some people have the misconception that Pavlova is really difficult but it's actually one of the easiest things you can make. My family were really impressed with it and I didn't have the heart to tell them how simple it was!

If you decide to have a go at making this pavlova, I'd love to see your pictures! Tweet them to me (@joiedejodie) or tag me on Instagram (@jodievoss)!

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