Zak’s Fruit Pavlova

Ingredients

125g  Egg Whites
250g caster sugar
2tsp cornflour
250ml double cream
2tbsp icing sugar
Fresh fruit of your choice

Method

1. Preheat your oven to 140C/120C fan/Gas 2
2. Make sure your bowl and whisks are super clean before you start to prevent the egg whites from not whipping up as well. A little tip is to get some vinegar onto a paper towel and just wipe the sides of your bowl and whisk.
3. Start by whipping up your egg whites using either an electric mixer or whisk. After a few minutes, small bubbles will appear so you want to add in your cornflour to help stabilize the meringue. Continue to whisk until soft peaks form.
4. Once soft peaks form, gradually add in your caster sugar a teaspoon at a time until you have used up all the sugar. It’s really important that you take your time here and do this gradually. The meringue is done once stiff peaks form and the sugar has dissolved.
5. Now that you have your meringue, pop it onto a lined baking tray. Using a pallet knife smooth it out into a circular shape, and make sure you make a hole in the middle! I liked to get creative and used my pallet knife to create strips going up the pavlova, but you guys can go for a more rustic look whatever you prefer.
6.  Bake for one hour, the meringue should be crisp on the outside and marshmallow-like in the middle. Allow the pavlova to cool in the oven to prevent cracks.
7. Whilst your pavlova is cooling down, add your icing sugar to your cream and whip until soft peaks form.
8.  Start to assemble your pavlova! Place as little or as much cream as you would like in the hole of your pavlova and top of with your favourite fruit. I used strawberries, raspberries, blackberries and blueberries but you can use whatever you would like.