A light-as-air and simply stunning dessert, the Pavlova with Mascarpone Cream will delight and impress everyone at your table with its crispy shell, pillow-y marshmallow center and smooth, creamy cloud of Mascarpone Whipped Cream! Add some lemon curd and blueberries, this dessert is perfect for any Sunday dinner or celebration!
“If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again.” These words, attributed and popularized in the 19th century, I first heard from my late Dad, the first (and best) philosopher of my life ❤️. I don’t know how old I was, or what exactly I had had difficulty with, but I would hear these words from him over and over during my life. There were many opportunities – learning to play piano or how to drive, taking difficult college classes (Biochemistry, anyone?) or my first job. And there was no one prouder when I succeeded.
I have to admit, it was frustrating to hear these words sometimes, because, when we do something new, we all want to succeed and really don’t want to do all the work again, if our first attempt was not successful. But trying again (and again, if necessary) is how we all learn that hard work and practice are the key to success. Here’s what I’ve learned with the Pavlova: it’s not hard work, but just the simple tricks and timing that make this recipe work out – every.single.time!
Named for the Russian ballerina, Anna Pavlova, this dessert is light and airy, impressive and beautiful. Not only that it is a symphony of textures – crispy on the outside, marshmallow-y and sweet on the inside, and topped with a pillowy, slightly tangy mascarpone whipped cream and your choice of toppings.
When I first saw a stunningly gorgeous Pavlova, I knew I wanted to make one. I looked at various recipes – it seemed easy enough – and then got to work. I don’t know what happened, but it was an epic failure. Totally collapsed, flat as a pancake. It tasted good, but was chewy all the way through. A couple months later, I tried again. Same thing happened – it was flat. Crispy outside, chewy inside. No marshmallow.
Then, several months later, I stumbled across the recipe and instruction on exactly how to make a Pavlova from Recipe Tin Eats, and it changed my Pav-making life! So many useful tips and tricks that I’ve incorporated in my adapted recipe. My Pavlova became perfect! Light as a feather! Marshmallow interior! Crispy exterior! I couldn’t wait to make another one! I followed her instructions for this recipe, and Voila! Perfect again! I had totally and successfully “tried, tried and tried again!”
The traditional Australian or New Zealand Pavlova is topped with fresh fruit – whatever is in season. Newer versions, like this Pavlova with Mascarpone Whipped Cream, can be topped with absolutely anything. In addition to the lemon curd and blueberries I used here, I’ve also used peanut butter and chocolate sauces and some of my favorite Homemade Peanut Butter Cups.
So here’s to hoping you get it down the first try – I incorporated what I learned along the way – Pavlova with Mascarpone Whipped Cream is an impressive, but in the end, deceptively easy, recipe! And, I’m curious, is there a recipe that you’ve struggled with, tried over and over (and over) but just couldn’t get to work? Or a trick you’ve found to make it work?
Enjoy!
If you like Show-stopping desserts like this Pavlova, don’t miss these:
Gorgeous, 3-INGREDIENT! Chocolate Oblivion Truffle Cake
Chocolate Biscuit Cake (is it The Queen’s fave?)
German Apple Cake with Caramel Sauce
Over-the-Top Awesome Peanut Butter Banoffee Pie
PIN this Pavlova with Mascarpone Whipped Cream ->
Tips to Make a Pavlova ->
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Here are some things you will need to make Pavlova:
- Stand Mixer, like this KitchenAid or Hand Mixer
- Parchment Paper – why not buy a year’s worth?
- Sheet Pan – I love my USA Pan Half-Sheets!
- Measuring cups (these are the ones I use) and Measuring Spoons
- Lemon Curd (I’ve never had a bad store-bought jar!) or Make your own, like I did for my Lemon-Blueberry Trifle!
Recipe Steps
Gather your ingredients – It’s best to gather all your ingredients before starting. You’ll want to separate your eggs when they are cold, if you can, just because you’ll be less likely to end up with bits of yolk in the whites, which could impact your ability to whip them up. Then, let the whites come to room temperature, as they will whip up so much fluffier than cold whites. (A lesson I learned the sad way.😉)
Prepare your baking sheet with parchment – Draw an 8″ (20cm) circle on a sheet of parchment (trace an 8″ cake pan). Place the sheet, pencil-side down, on a baking sheet. This will serve as the outline for your pavlova. Preheat the oven to 340F or 300F for Convection/Fan.
Whip the Pavlova shell – This should take fewer than 10 minutes. Starting with a clean mixing bowl, beginning at Medium Speed, then quickly increasing to Medium-High (about level 8 of 10), whip the whites until you see soft peaks. This stage usually happens a minute or two after they lose their foaminess. Then, a Tablespoon at a time, add in the sugar, and beat until the mixture is thick and glossy, 3-5 minutes. Add in the lemon juice and cornstarch, and mix again 10-15 seconds until incorporated.
Bake the Pavlova – Dollop about 1/4-1/3 of your egg whites over the circle on the baking sheet, then, using an offset spatula or knife, spread it out to cover the circle. It should be 3/4-1″ high. Then scoop the remaining whites over that circle, and shape into a flat-topped dome, similar to the photo below. You’ll want it flat to place the toppings nicely. Pop it into the oven and immediately reduce the oven temperature to 240F (or 210F for Convection oven). Leave in 90 minutes, then turn off oven, and wait for Pav to cool completely, at least 3 hours, or preferably, overnight.
Pavlova Ingredients Whip whites and sugar to soft peaks Add sugar, 1 Tbsp at a time Beat 3-5 minutes to Stiff and Glossy Fill in circle about 2 cm (1-inch) high Create a dome-like cloud
Make the Mascarpone Whipped Cream – No more than an hour before serving, whip up the Mascarpone whipped cream, by combining all the ingredients until smooth. A hand- or stand-mixer is definitely preferable to a whisk here, because you’ll want to be sure the mixture is smooth as can be. Dollop it on the pav shell, then smooth the top, leaving a rim to hold the curd, sauce or fruit.
It’s important to note that the addition of the Mascarpone is important to stabilize the whipped cream. It will keep it from going flat, and if you end up refrigerating the leftovers, the cream will stay whipped nicely until the next day (or even two!).
Top with fruits, candies, nuts, or coconut. Truly, anything you love will be good here. I’ve included photos of two other Pavlovas I’ve made using this recipe. One is topped with Amarena Cherries from a jar, along with a bit of their juice. The other has chocolate sauce, peanut butter, and pieces of my Homemade Peanut Butter Cups, along with some roasted peanuts.
Baked Top with Mascarpone Cream Add lemon curd
Other Pavlovas I’ve Made Using this Recipe:
Pavlova with Mascarpone Cream and Amarena Cherries Pavlova with Mascarpone whipped cream, chocolate sauce, peanut butter, and chocolate peanut butter cups
Pavlova with Mascarpone Cream
Pavlova is an impressive and sweet dessert made from egg whites – with a soft Marshmallowy interior and a crispy meringue exterior. Topped with a mascarpone whipped cream and your choice of other toppings. I used lemon curd and fresh blueberries and garnished with some chopped mint leaves. But I’ve also topped it with peanut butter sauce and chocolate sauce along with some of my homemade peanut butter cups. So so good! Your pav, your choice!
Recipe Tin Eats offers many good tips and tricks that I incorporated into the directions, The Boy Who Bakes gave me trick of using lemon juice instead of vinegar, which I incorporated here.
Be sure to top the shell no more than an hour before serving. It’s best eaten the same day, because you’ll need to cover and refrigerate any leftovers. Once refrigerated, the shell loses its crispiness. It’s no less tasty, though!
Nutrition information is for the pavlova shell and mascarpone whipped cream only.
- Prep Time: 15 min
- Cook Time: 90 min + cooling
- Total Time: 1 hr, 45 min
- Yield: 10 servings 1x
- Category: Desserts
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: International
Ingredients
For the Pavlova:
- 5 oz. (150 ml) egg whites – 4-5 lg egg whites – See Note 1
- 1 cup (225g) superfine sugar (caster sugar) – Regular granulated sugar (198g) is optional, but not preferred (See Note 2)
- 1 Tbsp (8g) cornstarch, sifted
- Pinch of salt
- 1 tsp (5ml) lemon juice (white vinegar is good substitute)
For the Mascarpone Whipped Cream:
- 1 cup (237ml) Heavy Whipping Cream (any whipping cream will do)
- 2 Tbsp (25g) granulated sugar (superfine works well here, too)
- 5 oz (150g) Mascarpone Cheese, removed from fridge 15 mins ahead
- 1 tsp (5ml) Natural Vanilla Extract
- (optional) 1/2 tsp lemon zest
For Toppings:
Lemon Blueberry Pavlova:
- 8–10 oz. Lemon Curd
- 1/2 cup Fresh Blueberries
- a few mint leaves, chopped
Other choices:
- fresh fruit
- jam
- candies
- nuts
- chocolate sauce
- caramel sauce
- peanut butter sauce
- toasted coconut
- anything you love!
Instructions
Prepare a Pan to Bake Pavlova:
- Onto a sheet of parchment paper, trace the bottom of an 8” (20cm) cake pan, or draw an 8” circle. Turn the sheet upside down (pencil marks down) on a sheet pan. The pavlova will bake to be larger than the circle by up to 1 1/2 – 2 inches in width.
Make the Pavlova:
- With cold eggs, separate the whites from the yolks. Measure 5 oz (150ml) of whites, or 4-5 large eggs’ worth of whites. Let warm to room temperature – this will take about 30 mins.
- Preheat oven to 300F/150C if convection, 340F/170C for standard.
- In a large bowl of a stand mixer or a large bowl with a hand mixer, place the room temperature egg whites. Beat at Medium-High (stand mixer) or High (hand mixer) until soft peaks form. This typically takes a minute or two after eggs no longer appear foamy during beating.
- Add the superfine sugar, 1 T at a time, beating as you go. Toss in the pinch of salt. After all of the sugar and the salt is incorporated, continue beating an additional 3-5 mins, until the mixture has stiff peaks, is quite thick, and glossy.
- Add the cornstarch and the lemon juice and beat an additional 10-15 seconds, it doesn’t need to be fully incorporated.
- Carefully scoop half of the egg white mixture onto the circle and using an offset spatula or large spoon, gently coax it into the circle shape, being careful not to “smash” it. Then pile the rest of the egg white mixture on top, making it vaguely (at least) dome-shaped. Flatten the top a bit. You just don’t want the sides to be straight up, because this will increase the possibility of collapse. The “dome” should be around 2- 2 1/2” (5cm) high.
- Carefully place the baking tray into the oven, and GENTLY close the door. Do your best to keep the kitchen activity low during cooking, or you could risk the dreaded collapse of the pavlova. Immediately reduce oven heat to 210F/100C for convection, or 240F/115C for standard. Let the pavlova bake 90 minutes. DO NOT open the oven to peek, it will be fine. DO NOT decide to jump or dance in front of your oven – again, for fear of collapse.
- After 90 minutes, turn the oven OFF, still keeping the door closed. Leave the pavlova in the oven at least 3 hours and up to overnight. It’s best if it cools slowly. This should avoid any major cracks in the shell.
- Gently coax it off of the paper and onto a serving plate. Top with Whipped Mascarpone Cream and any other toppings you wish!
Make the Mascarpone Whipped Cream:
- Place the cream, sugar and vanilla into a bowl. Beat at Medium-high speed until it has soft peaks. It should be thick and smooth with no stiff peaks.
- Add the mascarpone cheese and lemon zest (if using) and continue to beat until incorporated, but still just thick and smooth, without soft peaks only. If it gets too thick, just smooth it out with a little extra cream.
- Top the Pavlova with the whipped mascarpone cream and any fruit, sauces or candies, and serve right away! (See Note 3)
Notes
1. Best to separate egg yolks from the whites when cold – they are more likely to separate easily and fully. Then let the whites get to room temperature to get the best ability to whip them up.
2. To make caster, or superfine, sugar from regular, granulated sugar, whiz it up in a spice grinder or blender for 5-8 seconds, a half cup at a time. 1 cup caster sugar weighs 220-225g.
3. Serve your Pavlova immediately after topping, to avoid any collapse. It will last picture-perfect for 20-30 mins, if you are lucky!
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/10 recipe
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Thanks so much, Neil! Hope you get the chance to try it!
Very nice Pavlova with Mascarpone Cream, it is best I ve ever seen
★★★★★
Thanks so much!
Pavlova is one of my favourite desserts – why don’t I make it more often?? Yours looks wonderful – I think you’ve just inspired me to bake one myself 🙂
Hey! That’s my goal! Thanks so much for letting me know! And I hope you love it!
Kelly – Yes, it’s similar in flavor, but the texture is more meringue-meets-marshmallow! Even lighter than Angel Food, if you can believe it! I hope you get the chance to make it, it’s one of my all-time favorites!
My family loves angel food cake and this Pavlova seems like maybe it’s similar in flavor? I definitely will have to make this for them and see what they think!!
Kelly – Yes, it’s similar in flavor, but the texture is more meringue-meets-marshmallow! Even lighter than Angel Food, if you can believe it! I hope you get the chance to make it, it’s one of my all-time favorites!
I will have anything with mascarpone whip! But this pavlova, even more so. I absolutely love blueberrries.
You’re so kind, thanks! I agree, I could eat mascarpone cream all by itself! I actually had some left from my recipe testing and so I added a bit of lemon curd and graham cracker pieces, a sprinkle of salt, and froze it – easy no-churn ice cream! It was delicious!
Gosh I haven’t made a pavlova in ages Laura. And when I have, I’ve always just filled it with whipped cream and topped it with strawberries. I love this alternate version with lemon curd, blueberries and Mascarpone whipped cream. This looks stunningly delicous. I can’t wait to try it!
★★★★★
Thanks so much, Neil! Hope you get the chance to try it! I do love a simple Pavlova with whipped cream and berries, too! Really, you can’t go wrong with a Pav!
Ahh, I never say no to a Pavlova! Such a classic Australian dessert and yours is so beautifully presented, it just makes me want to have a huge bite. I love the inclusion of lemon curd and mascarpone cream, what a clever and delicious twist! Yum!
Thanks so much, Katerina! And, I have to say, some of the most gorgeous Pavlovas I’ve seen are from Australia! Naturally! Thanks for your kind words, too!
I think most Americans have yet to discover this beautiful dessert and I don’t know why. I’ve always wanted to try my hand at making one but now living in humid Florida, I’ve been told that the humidity and affect the outcome. I should still give it a try as yours sounds wonderful.
I, too, have read that humidity might affect it. I think that is one reason to make it, then leave it in the oven all night to cool. But, living in FL, you may have the advantage of the warm weather helping the eggs whip up better. It was pretty cold here (including in. my house) when I made this one, and I did notice it didn’t whip up as high as one I made in the summertime. Good luck!
Your pavlova looks absolutely gorgeous and reading your post gave me the courage to go ahead and try it in my kitchen someday soon 🙂
And yes, I do agree with the philosophy of trying again and again for something that we truly want to achieve or attain.
So glad you will try it! It takes some care and patience, but is indeed not as difficult as one might think. Good luck!
Hah – I tell Robbie the same thing on a daily basis. “Just try again, buddy – you’ll get it.” He doesn’t always love to hear that, but he’ll understand when he’s older! In the meantime, I’m glad you figured out the pavlova. This looks amazing – especially when combined with blueberries and lemon curd. For me, macarons are the recipe that has been a thorn in my side for years.
★★★★★
Glad the “try,, try again” sentiment is still around in parenting! It’s so true, annoying as it might be to hear. And macarons? I totally get. it! I imagine it’s just a matter of practice. My daughter actually makes some wonderful macarons, but she was able to make near-perfect ones from the get-go! Pretty sure that gene is not from me, ha! Good luck with yours, David!
What is t ? Tablespoon or tea spoon.
Too long essay about nothing. No wonder when you finally get to the recipe section you have no energy to write full abbreviations or full words, e.g. tbsp or tsp or cups, haha
Thanks for your feedback. A “t” refers to teaspoon. A “T” refers to Tablespoon.
Such a stunning dessert! That needs to be on a magazine cover girl! Pinning and Happy New Year!!!
Kim, you are so kind! Thank you! And thanks for the pin! Happy New Year to you, too!
Simply gorgeous Laura, and I bet just as delicious! Perfect for a special occasion!
Thanks, Mary Ann! Once you’ve made it and tasted it, you’ll be forever dreaming of the next time you can make a Pav! It is that good! Thank you for visiting!
I have always been too nervous to attempt making a pavlova, but this looks amazing Laura and I definitely want to give it a try…thank you for sharing this great recipe.
Happy New Year Laura….looking forward to all the new recipes you will be sharing 🙂
Thanks, Ashika! I hope you get the chance to try it! It is pretty easy once you know the “rules” of it! Thanks for all of your kind words!
Your pavlova is beautiful!! You’ve inspired me to try my own. I think my Dad was a philosopher just like yours – I have heard his words throughout my life as well, usually telling me to just “go with the flow” haha! Happy New Year my dear friend!
Thanks so much, Katherine! It’s amazing how much these phrases from our parents or teachers impact us throughout our lives! Happy New Year to you, too! ?
What a beautiful dessert! Pavlova is one of my mom’s favorites so next time I see her I think I’ll have to make this one :). Happy New Year, Laura!
Thanks, Kelsie! Hope you get the chance – it’s a lovely Pavlova! Hope your New Year is great, too, my friend!
I love that advice about just putting your head down and keep on trying. It pretty much described my philosophy to a T! I’ve never tried my hand at pavlova, but it looks like you nailed it on this one! And as much as I enjoy fruit with pavlova, I must admit that your version with chocolate and peanuts sounds decadent!
Thanks, David! I know we’ve all heard this advice, so, as you probably know, sometimes it’s easier said than done. Glad you like Pavlova! I think fruit works well in the summertime, but more decadent versions are lovely during the winter holidays – and, cooler weather helps prevent the dreaded “collapse”. Thanks for visiting!
Just gorgeous! I love what you did with it for its presentation. When I taught kids cooking, sometimes we’d have an egg course, and with the egg whites I’d have them make a pavlova. Topped with whipped cream and fruits, they felt like queens with the final product!!! Happy New Year!
Thanks, Mimi! I imagine they did feel like queens, judging from how I love this dessert so much! Hope your New Year is Grand!
As beautiful as Ms. Pavlova 🙂 Every way 🙂
Thank you so much! I find the Pavlova fascinating, much the way ballet is. Hoping to improve with each practice – such a fitting namesake for the dessert. Hope your New Year is as kind and generous as you, my friend!?
Like Australasia, we most often top our pavlovas with fresh fruit or a fruit glaze. A very popular dish at midsummer. With that said, I’ve not tasted a mascarpone pavlova such as yours but I’m intrigued. I’ll be passing this on to my MIL who is the family pavlova queen. I get to taste with no mess. Oh, and yes I know the “If at first, you don’t succeed, try, try again.” as my late father also pounded that into my head as a youngster and it’s served me well.
Ron, it’s interesting to know that Pavlova is such an International favorite. I feel like most Americans have yet to discover its charms. And, you’re lucky to have a Pavlova Queen in your family. I’m planning to keep perfecting mine, as many these days are so refined and beautiful! And obviously, your and my fathers obviously came from similar generations. I keep forgetting (!) to say these words to my own children!