This Kiwi and Passion Fruit Pavlova Tastes Like a Vacation Down Under

The first time I made a pavlova, a majestic dessert of meringue, whipped cream, and fresh fruit, I was in high school. A friend was hosting a potluck, and I, a novice baker at the time, decided to try my hand at the elegant confection. I used my parent’s old, rickety stand mixer to whisk up a meringue, piled it onto a baking sheet, then sat cross-legged on the floor in front of the oven and watched it like a hawk. It baked beautifully. Ecstatic, I opened the door the minute I thought it was done, and the meringue cracked and collapsed immediately. It may not have been the most beautiful meringue, but topped with heaps of whipped cream and fresh fruit, it was still delicious—and a hit at the potluck. 

What Is Pavlova? 

As is the case with many beloved recipes, the origins of pavlova are hotly debated. Both Australia and New Zealand claim to be the birthplace of pavlova, and the dessert is a Christmas classic in both countries. According to Alan Davidson, the author of The Oxford Companion to Food, the pavlova was reportedly named after a Russian ballerina named Anna Pavlova when Herbert Sachse, an Australian chef at the Esplanade hotel in Perth, whipped up the confection in 1935. The hotel manager Harry Nairn described it “as light as pavlova,” and the name stuck. Though Sachse is often credited with inventing the pavlova, the history is much murkier.

Annabelle Utrecht, one of the authors of Beat Until Stiff: The Secret History of the Pavlova and a Social History of Meringue Desserts, tells the BBC that “large meringue constructions incorporating cream and fruit elements” were common in aristocratic kitchens in Europe during the 18th century. When people began leaving Europe for other places like North America, Australia, and New Zealand during the Napoleonic wars in the 1800s, the “pavlova-like desserts went with them.”

Utrecht, who co-authored the book with Dr. Andrew Paul Wood, dove into recipes from the 1800s, and found many with remarkable similarities with the pavlova today. The schaum torte (“foam cake” in German), for example, consists of meringue, whipped cream or ice cream, and fresh fruit, and arrived in Australia with German immigrants prior to World War Two. It’s likely that these pavlova-esque desserts made their way to both Australia and New Zealand around the same time. 

The Britannica encyclopedia’s entry for pavlova notes, “The question of which country first celebrated [the pavlova] is vexed, but Helen Leach of the University of Otago delivered a paper at Tasting Australia in 2007 showing that a recipe for pavlova appeared in New Zealand as early as 1929.” Today, pavlova is a popular dessert eaten around the world. Regardless of who came up with pavlova first, most people would likely agree that meringue, whipped cream, and fruit is a timeless and delicious combination—and a wonderful way to showcase seasonal fruit.

How to Make a Pavlova

A pavlova may sound intimidating, but if you break it apart into its three components, the dessert is really quite approachable: It’s just a giant meringue topped with whipped cream and fruit. The most challenging and time-consuming part is making the meringue, a whipped foam of egg whites, sugar, and sometimes an acid like vinegar, lemon juice, or cream of tartar. The secret to making a meringue that’s crisp yet sturdy is to whip room temperature egg whites slower for longer, add the sugar gradually, and to let the meringues cool completely in the oven.

As I touched on my recipe for meringue cookies, it may be tempting to crank the mixer and whip your egg whites on high speed to quicken the process. Whisking the egg whites on a lower speed for longer, however, produces a more stable foam that’s less likely to deflate and also ensures the sugar dissolves properly, preventing your meringue from weeping. You’ll notice there’s a touch of cornstarch in the meringue below; the ingredient helps absorb excess moisture in the meringue, which further reduces the risk of it weeping after it’s baked. 

Once your meringue is in the oven, patience is key: Don’t make the same mistake I did by opening the oven too quickly! My years of professional pastry experience have taught me that the best thing you can do to prevent your meringue from cracking and collapsing is to turn the oven off, then let them cool down with the oven door closed. (You can read more about the science of meringue in my French meringue cookie recipe.)

While the meringue is cooling, you can prepare your toppings: the whipped cream and whatever fruit your heart desires. Though I usually reach for ripe summer berries, our Birmingham, Alabama-based test kitchen colleague Craig Ruff recently inspired me to go with a bright, punchy combination of kiwis and passion fruit. According to Dr. Wood, passion fruit is the classic fruit used in the Australian rendition of the dessert, and kiwi is typically used in New Zealand. Craig’s recipe below is, diplomatically, a nod to both versions. The sweetness and crunch of the meringue and the delicate whipped cream balances the tartness of the kiwi and passion fruit, resulting in a satisfying dessert that ticks all the boxes. I also love the contrast between the firm kiwi slices and the syrupy macerated passion fruit, which drips down the sides of the pavlova. It’s the pavlova I plan on making all summer long.

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