Food & Cooking Recipes Dessert & Treats Recipes Pavlova Wreath 5.0 (5) It's the ultimate holiday dessert—and easier to pull off than you may think. Prep Time: 40 mins Cook Time: 1 hr 10 mins Total Time: 2 hrs 50 mins Servings: 10 Jump to recipe Dessert doesn’t get any more festive or elegant than this pavlova wreath. Mounds of meringue—crispy on the outside yet chewy and tender within—are dolloped with a tangy, pillowy cream then topped with tons of jewel-like fruit. We add sparkly, sugar-encrusted cranberries for even more dazzle and finish it with mint leaves for a pop of green. The process of making the pavlova is easier than you might think, and we’ve incorporated a couple helpful ingredients, cornstarch and white vinegar, to ensure it stays crisp and dry. You can even make this showstopping dessert ahead of time, then finish it with the cream and fruit just before serving. As fun to eat as it is to look at, this pavlova wreath is truly the fluff of dreams. 11 Pavlova Dessert Recipes for an Easy Meringue Masterpiece Credit: Julia Gartland 3 Tips for a Light, Crisp Pavlova Separate the eggs carefully: You'll need six egg whites for this recipe. When separating them, crack each one into a small bowl before adding to your mixing bowl. That way, if a bit of broken yolk makes its way in, it won't ruin the whole batch. Incorporate the sugar gradually: Once you've whipped the egg whites to stiff peaks, you can begin adding the sugar. Do this bit by bit—about a tablespoon at a time—to give the sugar a chance to dissolve; this will make for the best volume and smoothest finished texture. Cool gently: After the meringue has finished baking, turn off the oven and let it sit in there for at least an hour. This gives it a chance to cool down extremely gently and can help prevent it from cracking. What Is Skyr? We use skyr, a thick and tangy Icelandic dairy product, to form the base of the cream topping for this pavlova wreath. It's full of protein and probiotics and is a delicious, rich-tasting alternative to Greek yogurt. Directions Heat oven; prepare parchment: Preheat oven to 250°F. Trace a 10-inch-diameter circle on a piece of parchment with a pencil. Trace a 5 1/2-inch-diameter circle in center of larger circle. Place on a baking sheet, tracing-side down. Make meringue: Whisk egg whites on medium-high speed until soft peaks form. Gradually add 1 1/2 cups sugar, beating until stiff peaks form. Beat in vinegar, cornstarch, and vanilla. Pipe onto prepared parchment: Transfer mixture to a large piping bag fitted with a large plain tip (such as Ateco #808). Pipe 10 evenly spaced mounds (each about 2 1/4 inches in diameter and 2 inches high) onto parchment in a circle, using traced ring as a guide. With the back of a spoon, create a hollow in each mound. To help keep the parchment in place while you form the pavlova, pipe a dab of meringue under each of the four corners, then gently press parchment onto baking sheet. Bake pavlova; let cool gently in oven: Bake until ring easily lifts off parchment, about 1 hour, 10 minutes. Turn off heat; let stand in oven 1 hour. Make sugared cranberries: Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, bring 1/2 cup sugar and 1/2 cup water to a boil. Add cranberries; return to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer 2 minutes. Let cool in liquid. Drain cranberries and transfer to a wire rack; let dry 30 minutes. Roll 3 tablespoons of individual berries in sugar to coat. Whisk yogurt mixture; decorate pavlova: To serve, whisk skyr with heavy cream and remaining 1 tablespoon sugar until silky; divide among hollows in pavlovas. Garnish with sugared and unsugared cranberries, pomegranate arils, currants, and mint. How to Serve Pavlova Wreath This pavlova wreath should be decorated just before serving to keep the cream and fruit from softening the meringue. When ready to serve, treat this light-as-air delicacy like a cake, slicing off one pavlova per guest. 5 More Festive Dessert Recipes to Try Triple-Chocolate Peppermint Trifle Mrs. Maus's Fruitcake Rum Balls Cranberry Upside-Down Cake Easy Pistachio-Cranberry Nougat Updated by Esther Reynolds Esther Reynolds Esther Reynolds is an experienced recipe developer, recipe tester, food editor, and writer with over a decade of experience in the food and media industries.