It looks like marshmallow rather than glossy smooth peaks. Honestly the methods for making pavlova are so contradictory. I followed the Chelsea sugar recipe and added the sugar slowly to make sure it was dissolved and not grainy but that has stuffed the whites! I think it all depends on your beater and how many egg whites you use. It was nearly jumping out of my mixer like foam! According to Matt Preston advice I found, adding it too slowly can cause this. oh well it is for my daughters surprise party this weekend and I shall go buy one if it looks that bad. I haven't opened the door as yet but will need to soon as I'm off to work in a few hours
gayle6,
Dec 13, 4:50pm
Very annoying! I tried a new pav recipe from Dish magazine and it was a flop. Went back to the one from the Fielders Cornflour book, probably 40 years old, and all good. However, good to know you can easily buy a ready made if all else fails!
arielbooks,
Dec 13, 5:53pm
I usually whizz the sugar in the food processor to make small crystals first, takes less beating
sarahb5,
Dec 13, 8:28pm
I’ve given up on the stress of trying to make the perfect pav - I just can’t do it but Cowells can so since everyone at my house likes that one that’s what we use. I get plenty of other stuff right Christmas so not worth stressing about
valentino,
Dec 13, 9:08pm
Would you still be interested in making your own Pavlova.
If so then perhaps we can start from the beginning like firstly and forget about the recipes (you have used), what sort of beater are you using, how many eggs and what size eggs you using. From there we can make things go better for you.
Cheers and smile, it is Christmas.
harrislucinda,
Dec 13, 10:12pm
how fresh are the eggs ? and how stiff was the egg whites before putting sugar in How many eggs to the amount of sugar i have 4 egg whites to 10 oz of sugar
I have always just used the recipe from the Edmonds cook book and mine turn out fine.
wendalls,
Dec 14, 5:32am
I used 6 eggs and 2 cups of castor sugar. Used my Breville basic stand mixer. I probably don't have time to do another By Saturday and in secret. Don't think the eggs were very fresh actually. I can't remember how stiff whites were but some recipes you add sugar all in one go don't you? Maybe I should Ve done the icing sugar one. actually maybe I'll turn it into eton mess and make a birthday cake to go with it. sugar overload.
marcs,
Dec 14, 6:58am
I just dump it all in and beat for 20 minutes on high speed in my kitchen aid. You have to make sure everything is clean so I wash the bowl and the whip and let it dry before starting.
valentino,
Dec 14, 1:38pm
Spot on for a fail safe Pav no matter what and using the following recipe is the easiest one for the best result. There are heaps of recipes with various sugars but this has the best success rate and the nicest to taste, gives a yummy marshmallow filling within a nice crusty outer.
Pavlova – Icing Sugar Recipe ( otherwise known as the TM Icing Sugar Pavlova Recipe)
Beat the FIRST FOUR Ingredients together while boiling the jug. Add the Boiled Water. Beat until thick and smooth (approx 15 mins). Pile onto a baking Paper lined oven tray (pile thickly NOT widely). Cook for 2 minutes at 200 degrees C, then turn down and cook a further 1 1/2 hours at 100 degrees C. (Leave in oven overnight to cool)"
Yep, everything needs to be clean, dry and fresh. To Whip until you can turn the bowl upside down and there is no movement at all.
I quite often as an extra thing to do is cut a Circular piece of cardboard about 50 mm wide into a ring about the size of a springform tin and placed on a piece of baking paper on an oven tray then plonk the pav within then just lift the cardboard ring out and bake. I do this if I'm wanting something with a bit of side to it.
Cheers.
valentino,
Dec 14, 1:49pm
Just a had a wee giggle sort of to myself, well actually a huge smirk across my face but in the above post, I noted the use of a cardboard ring, Hmmm now imagining trying it with a ring of a stiff pastry and just leave it all and bake it, will need to think of temp and time perhaps but something slightly different to think about, Hmmm, still thinking but the thought has started, maybe a pre-cooked partially pastry part, oh well silly me again I suppose.
Cheers and HO Ho HOOO.
sarahb5,
Dec 14, 3:44pm
If you're wanting something to use as a mould then you could use a loose bottom cake tin without the bottom couldn't you?
valentino,
Dec 14, 5:03pm
Springform tins are okay but prefer slightly not as wide, but then that is my choice but the thought is there. Also once you stop beating and do the plonking, the pav mixture starts to warm a bit, will start to spread so doing it how I do it allows for this slight increase in that spread.
Cheers
kiwitrish,
Dec 14, 5:48pm
I never knew that you could over whip a pav. You learn something every day.
harrislucinda,
Dec 14, 7:56pm
yes after the sugar has melted the mixture drys so the big cooks say
maximus44,
Dec 15, 10:04pm
I use a recipe from an old Woman's Weekly recipe book - I have made many over the years and it never fails. Everything gets put in and beaten until thick then cooked for 10 mins @ 150 then 45 mins @ 100. I leave it in the oven overnight if possible. Never fails - crisp on the outside and marshmallow on the inside.
marcs,
Dec 17, 4:38am
This is the recipe I use but I modified it to using 1 1/2 cups of castor sugar rather than icing sugar.
gloriousgirl01,
Dec 20, 5:10pm
don't like to brag but I make the best pav so I'm told have got to make 4 this year :) hehe 4egg whites beaten to stiff add 2 Tbs cold water then tip all 1 1/2 c normal sugar beat all up add 1TBS vanilla 1TBS vinegar 2 TBS cornflour now lay down the baking paper on tray nows the trick for a fat mashmellow inside chrispy out side i pile all my pav up ends up around 15 cms high about size of a small bread plate bake at 130 for 1 hr turn oven off leave till its cooled right down the pav speads out to the size of a dinner plate perfect i also double with no problems but make to size of dinner plate before cooking and best tip of all is eggs that have not been in fridge at all if possible im lucky i have choocks so know mine havent all the best give my recipe a try its easy and i have never had any problems
annie.nz,
Dec 24, 1:23pm
If you are using a mixer, beat on slow to med till stiff peak stage (you should be able to invert the bowl without the beaten whites sliding out). Add vinegar if using. Then crank up to high, set a timer, start adding the sugar, aiming to get it all in by about 7 mins. After about 8 mins the sugar should be all dissolved. You risk overbeating after 8-10 mins using a Kenwood type mixture.
hidecote01,
Dec 25, 1:31pm
What is over beating the pav and what does it look like and taste like?
wendalls,
Dec 27, 1:10am
Over beating meant it got all fluffy like marshmallow clouds and was nearly jumping out of the mixer! So it was hard to arrange on the cooking tray and didn't look smooth and glossy. I had to sort of throw it at the tray. However it ended up tasting fine, although the outside was not chewy and it was a bit collapsed. The kids ate it another night since I had bought another pav, expecting the worst.
Thanks Annie.nz, I think that sounds about right. Only I feel my mixer doesn't cope on medium for long as it seems to strain once it gets near stiff. Maybe next year I'll get it right.
huca1,
Dec 27, 1:24am
looks lovely
that's the one you bought right?
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