This Christmas Pavlova wreath is so easy to make and will make a great Christmas day dessert. You can make the meringue pavlova part ahead of time and store it in a cool place. Allowing you to decorate and serve on the day.
As a Christmas meringue dessert, you have so many options for decorating it. I made this Christmas pavlova wreath with lots of fresh berries and an optional raspberry coulis. However, you could also add chocolate shavings, nuts or lots of sprinkles.
Why you’ll love this easy Christmas Pavlova recipe
- This recipe for a pavlova wreath is so easy to make and is so festive.
- You can create the pavlova in any shape you want. I went for a wreath shape but you can easily make it the pavlova star-shaped or even heart-shaped or why not try a Christmas tree?
- The recipe is a perfect get-ahead for a Christmas dessert. You can create the pavlova base a few days before and store it in an airtight container somewhere cool.
Top Questions
Is pavlova a Christmas tradition?
Can you make pavlova the night before?
What is the secret to pavlova?
Why does my pavlova go brown?
What is the difference between a meringue and a pavlova?
How to decorate a Christmas pavlova?
Ingredients
A great reason I absolutely love this recipe is because of how few ingredients it needs to make the base.
In fact, you only need these four ingredients to make the pavlova base;
- egg whites
- caster sugar
- white wine vinegar
- cornflour
How to make Christmas Pavlova Wreath– step by step
Step by step – making the Christmas Pavlova
Line a baking tray with greaseproof paper.
Draw a circle on the paper – about 30cm in diameter.
Put the egg whites in a clean and dried mixing bowl.
Whisk with an electric whisk until the egg whites resemble soft peaks. Gradually add the caster sugar a little at a time.
Mix the white wine vinegar and cornflour in a cup until smooth.
Add the mix into the egg white mix to make it glossy.
Spoon the egg white meringue onto the circle drawn on the greaseproof paper in blobs.
Pull a dessert or serving spoon around the circle to make a shallow trench and link all the blobs of meringue together. (This will be for the cream and toppings to sit in).
Pop into the oven and reduce the temperature to 150ºC / 125ºC Fan / Gas 1 / 100ºF. Bake for 1 hour–1 hour 15 minutes, until the outside is hard but still white.
How to make the soft pavlova cream layer for the Christmas Pavlova
Add the double cream to a bowl.
Add in the vanilla paste (or vanila extract).
Sieve in the icing sugar.
Whisk the mix until you have a thick mixture with stiff peaks. (You can do this with electric whisk.)
Gently spoon the stiff cream into the trench in the meringue.
The Pavlova is now ready for you to decorate.
Christmas Meringue wreath Topping
The best part of this meringue wreath is the topping! I use a mix of red berries and then when I serve it I pour over a raspberry coulis to make it extra juicy. If you don’t want to add the coulis you don’t have to.
Top Tips
It is so worth adding the cornflour to the mix. It gives the finished pavlova a lovely crisp shell and soft meringue middle.
Leave the pavlova in the oven once the cooking time is done (turn it off when the timer goes off). Leaving it in the oven will help it slowly keep cooking and dry out slightly. It will also help to remove the pavlova from the parchment.
Add a range of fruit to give it a lovely mix of flavours.
Serving Suggestions
This meringue wreath is best served on a large plate covered with lots of the cream mix and fresh fruit. If you want to go above and beyond make it even more spectacular with the fruit coulis in the recipe below or add your favourite sprinkles!
Sparklers are also a great addition to the finished Christmas Pavlova.
Equipment
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- Pizza tray or baking tray
- Electric whisk or kitchen mixer with the whisk attachment
- Greaseproof paper or parchment paper
- Tablespoon and teaspoon – measuring spoon set
- Whisk
- Kitchen scales
Storing / Making ahead of time options
You can make this Christmas pavlova recipe up to two weeks in advance of when you need it. For best results, a few days is best. Make the meringue pavlova base and wrap up or place it in an air-tight box for later. Store it somewhere cool and out of sunlight.
If you are making the pavlova the day before you need it a great idea to make it in the evening and leave it in the oven overnight to cool. This will also help it come off the baking parchment plus it’s a great way to keep it safe in time for a party.
Add the cream and toppings fresh when you need them.
Substitutions and variations
The variations you can do for this Christmas pavlova recipe are huge. You can add your favourite fruits, add the raspberry coulis to make it extra saucy and even add chocolate shavings on top.
You could also make it a strawberry coulis or even a blackberry coulis (if you want to make it a black forest version of the pavlova).
For variations on the creamy layer, you could add some Christmas spices or even some Baileys! A Baileys and chocolate pavlova would be a delicious variation of this Christmas pavlova wreath recipe.
FAQS about making a Christmas pavlova wreath
Is pavlova a Christmas tradition?
A pavlova is definitely becoming more and more of a Christmas tradition. I think this is because it’s so easy to make. Plus you can easily make it in advance which adds a lot of appeals. A Christmas pavlova can be decorated in any way you like too. If you want it covered in strawberries you can. Make it more black forest by adding grated chocolate and blackberries.
Can you make pavlova the night before?
The best thing about pavlova is that you can make it a few days before you need it. Even up to a week before. Just make sure you take the pavlova base, without the cream and toppings, and place it in an airtight box somewhere cool and out of sunlight. The meringue will be absolutely fine and ready to be served when you need it.
What is the secret to pavlova?
The secret to the perfect Christmas pavlova wreath is to have a crisp shell and marshmallow centre. This is best achieved by adding a mix of cornflour to the mix as you whisk up the egg whites. This has a magical reaction with the eggs and sugar to produce such a wonderful dessert.
Why does my pavlova go brown?
The most likely reason your pavlova is going brown is that it has been in the oven for too long or your oven is too hot.
The great thing about making a Christmas pavlova wreath is it cooks on a low temperature for about an hour.
To troubleshoot your meringue or pavlova going brown set your oven a little lower in temperature, place the pavlova lower in the oven and cook for a little less time.
What is the difference between a meringue and a pavlova?
The difference between a meringue and a pavlova is that a pavlova is made of meringues topped with fruits, whereas the meringue is just whipped egg whites mixed with sugar and baked. The Christmas pavlova uses meringues and is then decorated with fruits and sweets. Pavlova is a dessert named after the famous ballerina, Anna Pavlova, it’s a light and delicate dessert just like her dancing.
How to decorate a Christmas pavlova?
You decorate a Christmas pavlova with winterberries and cream. You can use sprinkles, summer fruits or chocolate to decorate a Christmas pavlova. It’s totally up to you!
Other Recipes and Christmas recipes you might like
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Recipe
Christmas Pavlova Wreath – Easy Christmas Meringue Dessert
Ingredients
Pavlova
- 6 (6) egg whites
- 350 g (1 ¾ cups) caster sugar
- 1 tsp (1 tsp) white wine vinegar
- 1 tsp (1 tsp) cornflour
Cream Pavlova Layer
- 600 ml (600 ml) double cream / heavy cream
- 1 tsp (1 tsp) vanilla bean paste
- 50 g (1 ¾ oz) icing sugar / confectioners sugar sifted
Christmas Pavlova Decorations
- 200 g (1 ⅔ cups) raspberries
- 200 g (1 ⅖ cups) strawberries
- 200 g (1 ⅘ cups) redcurrants
- 50 g (1 ¾ oz) blueberries
- 10 (10) cherries
Raspberry Coulis (optional)
- 450 g (3 ¾ cups) raspberries
- 4 tablespoons (4 tablespoons) lemon juice (fresh or bottled)
- 4 tablespoons (4 tablespoons) icing sugar / confectioners sugar
Instructions
How to make the Meringue
- Preheat the oven to 160ºC / 150ºC Fan / Gas 3 / 320ºF.
- Line a baking tray with greaseproof paper.
- Draw a circle on the paper – about 30cm in diameter.
- Put the 6 egg whites in a clean and dry mixing bowl.
- Whisk with an electric whisk until the egg whites resemble soft peaks.
- Gradually add 350g of caster sugar a little at a time. Make sure the whisk is on a medium to high speed until the mix starts to go stiff and glossy.
- Mix 1 tablespoon of white wine vinegar and 1 tablespoon of cornflour in a cup until smooth.
- Add the mix into the egg white mix to make it glossy.
- Spoon the egg white meringue onto the circle drawn on the greaseproof paper in blobs.
- Pull a dessert or serving spoon around the circle to make a shallow trench and link all the blobs of meringue together. (This will be for the cream and toppings to sit in).
- Pop into the oven and reduce the temperature to 140ºC / 120ºC Fan / Gas 1 / 100ºF. Bake for 1 hour–1 hour 15 minutes, until the outside is crisp but still white.
- Turn off the oven and leave the cooked pavlova inside the oven at least an hour or overnight to cool and dry.
How to make pavlova cream layer
- Add 600ml double cream (heavy cream) to a bowl.
- Add in 1 teaspoon vanilla paste (or vanila extract).
- Sieve in 50g icing sugar.
- Whisk the mix until you have a thick mixture with stiff peaks. (You can do this with electric whisk.)
- Gently spoon the stiff cream into the trench in the meringue.
- The Pavlova is now ready for you to decorate.
- Top with your favourite berries including strawberries, raspberries, cherries, blackberries and redcurrants. Add in a few springs of mint to add some greenery to the pavlova wreath. It also adds a wonderful smell.
- Serve and enjoy. If you want extra juiciness you can add a drizzle of raspberry coulis below.
Raspberry Coulis (Optional Extra)
- Blend the 400g raspberries with 4 tablespoons of lemon juice and 4 tablespoons of icing sugar.
- Pour the mixture into a sieve – make sure you have a jug underneath to catch all the gorgeous juice. Push the blitzed fruit through and discard the seeds.
- Drizzle over the pavlova as you serve and enjoy.
- Keep in an air tight container in the fridge for up to 2 days.
Notes
Nutrition
Please note that the nutrition information provided above is approximate and meant as a guideline only.
That is such a beautiful pavlova and would be the perfect centre piece on the festive table. One of my favourite desserts its hard to beat the combination of cream fruit and meringue
I agree. I love that it is made in advance too. Less stress on Christmas day the better I think.
How pretty is that Pavlova?! What a beautiful Christmas dessert and so gorgeously ‘dressed’. It would definitely stop the show on any Christmas table xx
Thanks for sharing #CookBlogShare
thank you so much Kate, I’m so glad you like it x
Such a perfect pavlova to celebrate the festive season. It’s absolutely beautiful .
Thank you Janice.
Beautiful! We usually have a pavlova on our Christmas dessert table but I never thought of making it in a wreath. It looks so pretty and festive, such a great centrepiece.
Aww yay I’m glad I can inspire. Making it a wreath also makes it so much easier to cut and serve!
Pavlovas are always so stunning. Absolutely love the variety in textures as you bite into a good one too – this will be our Christmas centerpiece for dessert!
I love the idea of a Christmas pavlova – so beautiful and festive! I love the step-by-step instructions in the recipe, so will definitely be making it for the holidays this year!
I’m glad that the step by step method is useful. Let me know it goes.
What a gorgeous dessert! This is such a great addition to our holiday table! Thanks for sharing!
I’m so glad to hear it. It makes such a great centre piece.
This pavlova is absolutely stunning. I think it’s time for me to try and make one. I hope it turns out just as beautiful.
Thank you! That is so kind.
Stunning Christmas Dessert, this recipe makes it look so simple with your step-by-step method. The decoration is beautiful too. What a treat for the festive tea table.
I’m so glad you like it! IT definitely is a beautiful centrepiece.