These mini pink pavlova nests with strawberries and rhubarb are a beautiful dessert – one that’s naturally gluten free and perfect for any occasion. Billowy meringue nests are crisp on the outside and melt-in-your-mouth marshmallowy on the inside. You’ll want to top them with generous dollops of vanilla whipped cream and fresh strawberry rhubarb sauce.
It’s a dessert that’s full of contrasts in flavors and textures, but in this case opposites really do attract, and you’ll fall in love at first bite.
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Ingredients for Mini Pink Pavlova
- Cornstarch: the cornstarch in the recipe is for absorbing extra moisture in the meringue, and keeping it from weeping in humid conditions.
- White vinegar: White vinegar (or sub for lemon juice) helps stabilize the meringue.
- Egg whites: Use the egg whites from actual eggs and not a box of egg whites.
- Granulated white sugar: We’ll use granulated white sugar for the pavlova meringues
- Dragon fruit powder: This is the powder that turns the pavlova pink.
- Heavy whipping cream: It’s easy to whip cream when it’s cold. If I have time, sometimes I’ll even pop the bowl I’m using into the fridge for 30 minutes, too, but that is optional.
- Powdered sugar: We’re using powdered sugar for the heavy whipping cream because granulated sugar wouldn’t have time to dissolve and no one wants a gritty whipped cream!
- Vanilla bean paste: For this dessert, I love having the vanilla bean flecks in my cream. But you can use vanilla extract as well.
- Vanilla extract: We’ll use this with our fruit sauce.
- Fresh strawberries: For the sauce you could swap for frozen, but you do need some fresh strawberries for final touches on your mini pavlova nests.
- Fresh or frozen rhubarb: Having fresh rhubarb in the kitchen is always a treat, but outside of rhubarb season, I use frozen rhubarb for this recipe.
How to Make Strawberry Rhubarb Pavlova Nests (Video)
FAQS
Do I need a stand mixer to make pavlova?
No, you don’t. Although I do still recommend having some sort of electrical assistance, a handheld electric beater for example, because you’ll need to whip the egg whites into stiff peaks.
Uh-oh. My pavlova shell is hard! Did I ruin it?
While classic pavlova is known for a crisp outer shell that hides a melt-in-your-mouth marshmallow interior, if you accidentally over bake your meringues, don’t be discouraged. In fact, I don’t like to think of it as over baking. Quite simply, the longer you bake your pavlova, the crispier it will be. Traditionalists out there might take offense, but I kind of like a crisp, candy-like shell. It’s crunchy and sort of sticks to your teeth like honeycomb candy. (And I love honeycomb candy). A shorter baking time and a taller, thicker meringue will yield soft chewy results.
Uh-oh! Why is my pavlova cracking?
Two big reasons cause cracking:
- First, overwhipping your egg whites once you add sugar.
- Second, opening your oven up too early to peek during baking process or even taking the pavlova nests out of the oven too soon after turning it off (It can cause the egg whites to deflate, hence the cracks.)
If you end up with a few cracks, don’t despair. In many cases, you can mask them with your toppings. You might even adopt a “keep calm and crack on” mentality. It’ll look more rustic, but if you ask me, that’s part of the appeal.
Can I make pavlova in advance?
Pavlova is usually best eaten after the meringue has cooled completely, but while it is still fresh. But really, it depends on the humidity of your environment. When it’s dry out, I’ve successfully made pavlova meringue several days in advance. When it’s humid out, pavlova will not stay crisp. No matter the climate, once you assemble your mini pavlovas, it’s best to eat them as soon as possible.
More Great Tips for Pulling Off the Perfect Pavlova
- Room temperature eggs will reach greater volumes than cold eggs. I recommend taking your eggs out of the refrigerator 30 minutes to 1 hour before using them for this recipe.
- Use fresh eggs and not boxed egg whites for optimal results.
- No peeking! Because you cook pavlovas at such a low heat, opening the door to check on them can have a big impact on the oven temperature and the way they bake.
- You’ll know your pavlova nests are done when they are dry to the touch and start to peel away from the parchment paper easily without sticking.
Quick Tip
- Recrisp meringues that go soft at 200F for 10 minutes!
How to Store a Pavlova
On a dry, MN winter day, I made meringue at 4 o’clock in the afternoon, and we ate assembled pavlova at 8 p.m. By 10 o’clock, when I was storing the leftover meringue cups, they were getting soft. I’ve also made meringue cups that were less marshmallow-y and more crisp in the winter, and those will stay hard for days in a dry environment.
Pavlovas (and meringues in general) can be tricky when it comes to storing them. They are easily affected by humidity and moisture, so you want to keep them as dry as possible. It’s best to serve pavlova as soon as you can after cooking it, although I also have a few tips that can help it last up to two days:
- Let them cool completely in the oven once you turn them off. Leave them in the oven with the door cracked until it is completely cool.
- Make your pavlova nests on a dry day vs a humid one.
- Place them in their own airtight container. Do NOT store them in the same bag as other baked goods or decorations.
- Store leftover meringues in a cool, dark, dry place. Do NOT store meringues in the fridge or freezer.
Looking for more great strawberry desserts?
Try my Strawberry Coffee Cake or this luscious Strawberry Swirl Ice Cream.
📖 Recipe
Mini Pavlova Nests with Strawberry and Rhubarb
Ingredients
For the Strawberry Rhubarb Sauce
- 3 cups 340g chopped rhubarb, fresh or frozen
- 1½ cups 175g quartered strawberries
- ½ cup 110g sugar
- ¼ cup water
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 teaspoon cardamom
Vanilla Whipped Cream
- 1 ½ cups thickened cream / heavy cream any whipping cream
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
For the Pink Pavlova Nests
- 4 egg whites
- 1 cup granulated white sugar
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch sifted
- 1 teaspoon white vinegar
- 1 tablespoon dragon fruit powder
For Assembly
- 1 cup sliced strawberries
- Optional: a few sprigs of mint
Instructions
Strawberry Rhubarb Sauce
- Put everything into a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Then reduce heat and cook down into a sauce, stirring occasionally, for approximately ten minutes or until the fruit is soft. Roughly mash and remove from heat.
Vanilla Whipped Cream
- Beat the vanilla bean whipped cream ingredients in a large bowl on high until soft peaks form.
Mini Pavlova Nests and Assembly
- Preheat the oven to 325 F.
- Using a stand mixer with the whisk attachment or a hand-held electric beater, whisk the egg whites until they reach the soft peak stage. Then add the sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, continuing to whisk at full speed until the whites are glossy. Blend the vinegar, the cornstarch, and the dragon fruit powder together and whisk into the whites with the last spoonful of sugar.
- Spoon the meringue into 8 circles, approximately the same size. Make an indentation in the middle of the meringue nest by pressing and turning the back of the spoon, lifting it back up and smoothing the edges of the nest as necessary.
- Place your mini pavs into the oven and TURN THE OVEN DOWN to 225F. Bake for 1 hour 30 minutes or until you can touch the meringue nests without your finger sticking to it. As with all baking recipes, exact times may vary.
- Turn the oven off and leave the meringues to cool for 4 hours up to overnight.
- Transfer the meringue nests to a platter. Add a dollop or two of whipped cream, swirling the back of the spoon through the whipped cream to create some space for the sauce. Spoon strawberry rhubarb sauce over the top of the whipped cream. Finally, add a small handful of freshly sliced strawberries. Garnish with a sprig of mint if desired.
