Pavlova

My Sister kindly asked me to make a Pavlova cake for our Easter dinner.

The cake was named after a famous Russian ballet dancer, Anna Pavlova when she was visiting Australia and New Zealand in the 1920s. They still don't know for sure which country can take the credit for the original recipe which contains a meringue base, creamy topping and berries / fruits.

For this version I chose sea-buckthorn gelee and cape gooseberries that give the cake a nice springly colouring.

PAVLOVA CAKE

Meringue:

4 egg white
hint of salt
200 g sugar
2 teaspoons of white balsamic vinegar
+ some butter

+ 150 g sea-buckthorn berry gelee

Topping:

250 ml cream
250 g quark
2 teaspoons vanilla sugar
2 tablespoons sugar

+ cape gooseberries

Preheat the oven to 125 C. Line an oven tray with a baking paper and make a circle (about 25cm diameter) brushing with melted butter.

Use an electronic mixer to whisk together egg whites and salt adding sugar little by little. Whisk at least for 8-10 minutes until the texture is thick and all the sugar is dissolved. Add white balsamic vinegar and whisk still a moment.

Spoon meringue on buttered circle on the baking paper. Form higher peaks on the edges to create a nest. Bake in the centre of the oven for 1,5 hours. Let the base cool.

 

For the toppin whisk the cream until it's hard. Add the quark and both sugars still whisking.

Start spreading the gelee in the centre of the base leaving the borders without. Add the topping with a spoon on top of the gelee and decorate with berries.

Keep the pavlova in a cool place until served (best served in 1-3 hours, otherwise the base gets too moist)