Australians and New Zealanders still argue over who invented this cake.

Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova toured Australia and New Zealand in the 1920s. In her honor, they created this famous cake during or after one of her tours.

I guess we’ll never know who really made it first. We can just enjoy the cake 😀

I used mixed berries for this Pavlova. Berries have that sourness and freshness that goes perfectly with sweet meringue. You can use any fruit instead.

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Since you only need egg whites for this cake, you can use the yolks to prepare soft and crumbly jam cookies.

Ingredients

For the crust

• 4 egg whites
• 200 g (1 cup) granulated sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp vinegar (I used apple cider)

For the cream

• 600 ml (2 1/2 cup) heavy cream
• 1 tbsp powdered sugar
• 300 to 400 g ( 2 to 2 1/2 cups) mixed berries

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 140 °C (285 °F).
2. On baking paper, draw a circle 18 cm in diameter.
3. Mix the egg whites until you get a very stiff mixture and little by little add sugar, vanilla and vinegar, and mix until the mixture is firm.
4. Pour the mixture onto the drawn circle, straighten a little and dry for 60 minutes at 140 °C.
5. After 60 minutes, turn off the oven and leave the crust in to dry a bit more.
6. Take it out and leave it for a few hours to dry.
7. Remove it carefully from the baking paper.
8. Beat the heavy cream with one tablespoon of sugar and spread over the baked meringue.
9. Decorate with fruit of your choice and place in the refrigerator to cool well.

What is your favorite fruit to use on the Pavlova cake?