Once you’ve nailed a pavlova you are absolutely golden for creating incredible wow-factor desserts for all kinds of occasions… and without an endless amount of faff. Said occasions, especially when hosting, can come with enough of that.
Food should be as enjoyable to make as it is to eat, after all! And so I love a stress free dessert. Pavlova is a real crowd pleaser, so get a pavlova recipe nailed and you’ll never be stuck for a pudding ever again.
Coffee Cream Pavlova Recipe
[lwptoc]
My coffee cream pavlova recipe comes with a fail-safe meringue that you can sculpt high for that wow-factor. It is then filled with a delicious coffee cream and finished with a rich cherry compote. The flavours work fantastically for all seasons, and the coffee and cherry flavours work well to compliment the meringue whilst not making the dessert over-sweet.
Ingredients
Serves 8.
For the meringue:
- 6 large egg whites
- 300g caster sugar
- 1 tbsp corn flour
- 2 tsp vinegar
For the coffee cream:
- 350ml double cream
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1 espresso shot
For the cherry compote:
- 2 handfuls of fresh cherries (keep a few aside with their stalks on for garnish)
- 2 tbsp cherry jam
- 2 tbsp water
Method
Meringue:
Let’s start with the meringue (and below is some tips on making a fantastic meringue). Pre heat your oven to 110c. Into a bowl add the egg whites and whisk until soft peaks form. Now add the caster sugar one tablespoon at a time and allow it to mix in really well before adding the next spoonful. Once all the sugar is added keep whisking until there is no graininess in the meringue (rub some between your fingers – it should be smooth). When done, in a separate bowl mix together the corn flour and vinegar and then add this to the meringue mix and whisk for 30 seconds until combined.
This process should take about 10 minutes, after which you will have a beautifully glossy and marshmallowy meringue.
Add greaseproof paper to a baking tray and mark out an 8 inch circle. Spoon on the meringue and using a palate knife (or a regular knife will do) have fun shaping your meringue to your desired style. Aim to keep the meringue nice and high, and flatten out the top.
Once happy with your design, place in the oven and bake for 90 minutes. Then, once cooked, turn the oven off and leave to cool for a few hours.
Coffee Cream:
Now we’ll make the coffee cream. Be sure to clean and dry your whisk throughly before using it again!
In a bowl add the cream, cinnamon and vanilla extract. Whisk until it is firming up and then add the espresso. Keep whisking until you have a lovely soft whip.
Cherry Compote:
Cut your fresh cherries into small(ish) pieces. In a pan on low-medium heat add the cherries and water and allow them to soften and the water to reduce a little. Then add the cherry jam and cook together until you have a nice sticky looking sauce that is neither too watery or too thick – you want it to run off the spoon a little.
Assembly:
The best bit! Use a knife to score out the centre of your meringue on top and carefully knock if through. This will give you a nice cavity for the coffee cream.
Spoon in the coffee cream and then top with the cherry compote. Finish with a crowning garnish of the fresh cherries.
Serve immediately after assembling to ensure the meringue stays crisp.
Recipe Overview
Coffee Cream Pavlova with Cherry Compote
Equipment
- 3 Bowls
- 1 Electric whisk
- 1 Baking tray with greaseproof paper
- 1 Frying Pan
Ingredients
For the Meringue
- 6 large egg whites
- 300 g caster sugar
- 1 tbsp corn flour
- 2 tsp vinegar
For the Coffee Cream
- 350 ml double cream
- 0.5 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 shot espresso
For the Cherry Compote
- 2 handfuls of fresh cherries, chopped
- 2 tbsp cherry jam
- 2 tbsp water
Instructions
For the Meringue
- Pre heat your oven to 110c.
- Into a bowl add the egg whites and whisk until soft peaks form. Now add the caster sugar one tablespoon at a time and allow it to mix in really well before adding the next spoonful. Once all the sugar is added keep whisking until there is no graininess.
- In a separate bowl mix together the corn flour and vinegar and then add this to the meringue mix and whisk for 30 seconds until combined. This process should take about 10 minutes total.
- Add greaseproof paper to a baking tray and mark out an 8 inch circle. Spoon on the meringue and using a palate knife (or a regular knife will do) and shape your meringue to your desired style. Aim to keep the meringue nice and high, and flatten out the top.
- Bake in the oven for 90 minutes. Once cooked, turn the oven off and leave to cool in there for a few hours.
For the Coffee Cream
- In a bowl add the cream, cinnamon and vanilla extract. Whisk until it is firming up and then add the espresso. Keep whisking until you have a lovely soft whip.
For the Cherry Compote
- Cut your fresh cherries into small pieces. In a pan on low-medium heat add the cherries and water and allow them to soften and the water to reduce a little. Then add the cherry jam and cook together until you have a nice sticky looking sauce that runs off the spoon.
Assembly
- Use a knife to score out the centre of your meringue on top and carefully knock if through. This will give you a nice cavity for the coffee cream.
- Spoon in the coffee cream and then top with the cherry compote. Finish with a crowning garnish of the fresh cherries.
- Serve immediately after assembling to ensure the meringue stays crisp.
Tips for great meringue
Being only a few ingredients meringue is, in theory, very easy. But there are technical pitfalls which can ruin your meringue. So here are a few tips to help:
- Add your sugar slowly: dumping it in all at once knocks the air out of the egg whites and can also make the sugar harder to dissolve.
- Use a metal bowl: who knew it could get this scientific but plastic bowls can actually make the protein molecules cling to the side and stop your meringue from forming well! Metal bowls are ideal – and copper bowls are the best.
- Whisk on a low setting: be patient and use the low setting to prevent the egg proteins from getting over-worked and breaking down.
- Do not open your oven door! Sudden changes in temperature can make your meringue collapse. Avoid peeking – leave that door closed.
- Leave to cool in the oven: same reason as above – let the temperature of the cooked meringue slowly change.
Adding coffee flavour
Coffee is such a wonderful addition to desserts and adds deep flavour and richness. Instant coffee is a really easy way to add coffee flavour to desserts, but I do love the sophisticated flavour that comes with using really good quality coffee. Depending on the coffee bean and roast you can get different flavours: aim for ones with notes of sweet and aromatic flavours like notes of toffee, vanilla and cinnamon. This will really add dimension to your coffee cream pavlova.
There is a fantastic range of coffee capsules (and just about anything for a coffee lover) on CoffeeFriend.co.uk and I used the Caprissimo Belgique espresso pods from for this recipe. They work perfectly with my Nespreso Krups machine. The coffee is a medium-light roast with notes of dark chocolate, caramel and toffee. Basically perfect for this coffee cream pavlova!
Assemble just before serving
Your meringue will come out of the oven beautifully crisp on the outside, and deliciously marshmallowy on the inside. We want that lovely contrast in texture to be enjoyed by everyone eating it. Therefore, for best results with your coffee cream pavlova, only add the coffee cream and cherry compote close to serving rather than hours beforehand. Assembling too early will cause moisture to get into the meringue and taint the texture.
More recipes
If you like the sound of this coffee cream pavlova then you might also love giving these desserts a try:
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