For me, there are three highlights on Christmas Day. The morning hugs, the Christmas cracker paper hats, and the dessert. And if you're looking for a dessert that wows, then this Christmas Wreath Pavlova is just perfect.
If you love Christmas desserts as much as I do, then you can't miss these Peppermint Crisp Caramel Trifle or these cute Vanilla Reindeer Cupcakes!
Why This Christmas Pavlova Recipe Works
- Recipe name: Christmas Wreath Pavlova
- Ready in: 7hrs (includes cooling time)
- Serves: 12 people
- Main ingredients: Egg whites, sugar, vinegar, mixed berries, cream
- Perfect for: Christmas lunch or Christmas Eve dinner party.
- Why I love it: This is a show-stopper dessert and will definitely have the crowd gasping when you serve it!
- Calories: 261kcal
This easy Christmas dessert recipe is for two layers of pavlova baked until crisp, sandwiched together with a layer of whipped cream and raspberry coulis, and then topped with fresh summer berries. And, for an extra Christmasy feel, I love freezing the berries before adding them so that they look snowy and frozen!
If you love baking during the holiday season, I have so many recipes for you to try! See my collection of Easy Christmas Baking Recipes and make sure you don't skip the Condensed Milk Chocolate Truffles or the Christmas Butter Cookies.
Jump to:
- Why This Christmas Pavlova Recipe Works
- Key Ingredients
- Variations
- How to Make an Easter Pavlova
- How to Make Raspberry Coulis
- How to Assemble a Christmas Wreath Pavlova
- Oven Settings for the Perfect Meringues
- Storage
- Top Tips
- Christmas Wreath Pavlova FAQs
- More Easy Christmas Baking Recipes
- Happy Baking, With Love, Kitty
- 📖 Recipe
Key Ingredients
- Castor sugar - Use superfine sugar to make this meringue rather than granulated sugar.
- Egg whites - Separate the egg whites from the egg yolks when the eggs are at room temperature. Ensure that there are no traces of yolks in the whites.
- White vinegar - An acid is added to the egg and sugar mixture to help stabilise the meringue and hold its volume. I used white wine vinegar, but lemon juice will work as well.
- Heavy cream - Use whipping cream for this recipe.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Variations
If you're struggling to find fresh berries, you can use frozen berries in this recipe instead. Use mixed frozen berries, raspberries, blackberries, strawberries, or even a bag of blueberries. Decorate the top of the wreath with pomegranate seeds and rosemary sprigs for an extra Christmasy look.
For more pavlova flavour inspiration, take a look at this recipe for Mini Mango Pavlovas or this recipe for an Easter Pavlova, which has swirls of melted chocolate baked through the meringue.
How to Make an Easter Pavlova
- Step 1: Set the oven temperature to 100°C (210°F) fan-forced and line two baking trays with parchment paper. Draw two circles onto each sheet of parchment paper using a 20cm (8 inches) cake tin as a guide. Draw two smaller 8cm (3 inches) circles into the bigger circles. Place the egg whites into a bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Beat at a slow speed until lots of bubbles have formed.
- Step 2: Increase the mixer speed to medium-high and whisk until the egg whites are white, frothy, and soft peaks have formed. Add the vinegar.
- Step 3: With the mixer running at high speed, add the caster sugar one tablespoon at a time. Waiting about 45 seconds between each addition. Once all the sugar has been added, continue whipping the meringue for an additional 10 minutes at high speed.
- Step 4: At this stage, your meringue should have more than doubled in size, and stiff glossy peaks should have formed. Spoon a third of the mixture into a piping bag. Pipe a flat layer of meringue onto one of the prepared trays following the guide of the drawn circles. This will form the base of the wreath.
- Step 5: To create the top of the wreath, use two dessert spoons to form quenelles and position them on the prepared tray to form a circle, using the drawn circle as a guide. Continue with the remaining meringue.
- Step 6: Bake the meringues in a preheated oven for about 1 hour. The meringues are done when they easily lift off the baking paper. Turn the oven off and allow the bases to cool in the oven overnight.
How to Make Raspberry Coulis
- Step 1: In a small saucepan set over medium-high heat, add the fresh raspberries, caster sugar, and lemon juice. Allow the fruit to soften and the sugar to melt.
- Step 2: As the compote cooks, the raspberries will release their water content, which will evaporate, and the filling will thicken. Once the purée has thickened, remove the filling from the stovetop and pour it into a small bowl. Allow the mashed raspberry purée to cool to room temperature.
How to Assemble a Christmas Wreath Pavlova
- Step 1: Add the cream, icing sugar, and vanilla extract to a bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Beat at medium-high speed until the cream thickens. Add the cream to a piping bag and use it immediately.
- Step 2: Place the bottom meringue base of the Christmas wreath onto a serving plate. Pipe circles of whipped cream onto the base, covering the entire surface.
- Step 3: Pipe dots of the cooled raspberry coulis in between the dollops of whipped cream.
- Step 4: Place the top half of the wreath on top of the piped bottom half. Dust with icing sugar, and top with a variety of fresh berries and sprigs of fresh mint. Serve immediately alongside the extra coulis. Enjoy!
Oven Settings for the Perfect Meringues
To set your oven properly for meringues, an oven thermometer is necessary. The reason for this is that some ovens, when set, operate at higher or lower temperatures than indicated on the dial. Meringues are temperature-sensitive, so the oven settings must be accurate.
My ideal temperature settings are 100°C in a fan-forced oven. When using these settings, the meringue bases needed for the layered meringue cake bake perfectly. When the meringue bases have finished baking, switch off the oven and allow them to dry out further in the oven as it cools. If you aren't ready to try out a pavlova yet, find your meringue-making skills with these Mini Meringues or these Lemon Meringue Kisses first!
What a perfect dessert to make for Christmas! It was beautiful and so yummy,
- Julia
Storage
The pavlova shells should be made the day before serving and kept in the oven, cooling overnight before decorating. Once the raspberry coulis and whipped cream have been added, it is best to eat this dessert as soon as possible.
Store undecorated pavlovas in an airtight container at room temperature for up to two days, the top ring will begin to defalted with time. I do not recommend freezing this dessert.
Top Tips
- Do not let the whipped meringues sit for too long before piping them. Otherwise, the texture will change, and you risk losing all your hard work.
- Separate the egg whites from the egg yolks carefully. I find that eggs are easier to separate when they are at room temperature. If you get traces of egg yolks in your whites, the whites will not whip properly.
- Ensure that the mixing bowl and whisk are thoroughly cleaned and free from any traces of fat. To be safe, cut a lemon in half and use it to rub the inside of the bowl and along the whisk.
- Start whipping the egg whites slowly, once there are little bubbles throughout the whites, you can increase the speed of the electric mixer.
- If you aren't sure if your whites are properly whipped, remove the whisk attachment and swirl it through the mixture, and then lift it. A stiff peak should form on the whisk, indicating that the mixture has been whipped sufficiently.
Christmas Wreath Pavlova FAQs
Room-temperature eggs are easier to separate, so make sure to use room-temperature eggs when making this dessert.
Yes, you can substitute lemon instead of vinegar. Both acids help stabilise the egg whites.
Yes, you can; however, the meringue needs to cool in the oven for a minimum of 5 hours, so be sure to make the pavlova early in the morning if you are planning to serve it for lunch.
More Easy Christmas Baking Recipes
This dessert is sure to wow your Christmas guests; it is beautiful, easy to make, and a light (ish) dessert to serve after a heavy Christmas lunch or dinner. If you think it's a little too technical, try out these easy Spiced Red Wine Poached Pears or this low-fuss Black Forest Trifle instead.
Happy Baking, With Love, Kitty
If you love this recipe, please leave a comment and a star review below! If you've found a new love for meringues, you can't miss this recipe for chunky Chocolate & Hazelnut Meringues.
📖 Recipe
Christmas Wreath Pavlova
Equipment
- 2x large oven trays
- disposable piping bags
Ingredients
Pavlova
- 225 g egg whites
- 450 g castor sugar
- 2 tsp white vinegar
Raspberry Coulis
- 300 g raspberries
- 40 g castor sugar
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
Whipped Cream
- 250 ml whipping cream
- 3 tablespoon icing sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- Mixed berries, for decorating
- Fresh mint, for decorating
Instructions
Pavlova
- Set the oven temperature to 100°C (210°F) fan-forced and line two baking trays with parchment paper. Draw two circles onto each sheet of parchment paper using a 20cm (8 inches) cake tin as a guide. Draw two smaller 8cm (3 inches) circles into the bigger circles.
- Place the egg whites into a bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Beat at a slow speed until lots of bubbles have formed.
- Increase the mixer speed to medium-high and whisk until the egg whites are white, frothy, and soft peaks have formed. Add the vinegar while the mixer is running.
- With the mixer running at high speed, add the caster sugar one tablespoon at a time. Waiting about 45 seconds between each addition.
- Once all the sugar has been added, continue whipping the meringue for an additional 10 minutes at high speed. At this stage, your meringue should have more than doubled in size, and stiff glossy peaks should have formed.
- Spoon a third of the mixture into a piping bag. Pipe a flat layer of meringue onto one of the prepared trays following the guide of the circles you have drawn. This will form the base of the wreath.
- To create the top of the wreath, use two dessert spoons to form quenelles and position them on the prepared tray to form a circle, using the drawn circle as a guide. Continue until the meringue mixture is finished.
- Bake the meringues in a preheated oven for about 1 hour. The meringues are done when they easily lift off of the baking paper. Turn the oven off and allow the bases to cool in the oven overnight. Set aside until ready to assemble.
Raspberry Coulis
- In a small saucepan set over medium-high heat, add the fresh raspberries, caster sugar, and lemon juice. Allow the fruit to soften and the sugar to melt.
- As the compote cooks, the raspberries will release their water content, which will evaporate, and the filling will thicken. Ensure the raspberry mixture is not sticking to the bottom of the pan. Stir occasionally with a spatula and press the fruit against the sides of the saucepan to help it break down if needed.
- Once the purée has thickened, remove the filling from the stovetop and pour it into a small bowl. Allow the mashed raspberry purée to cool to room temperature.
Whipped Cream
- Add the cream, icing sugar, and vanilla extract to a bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Beat at medium-high speed until the cream thickens. Add the cream to a piping bag and use immediately.
Assembly
- Place the bottom meringue base of the Christmas wreath onto a serving plate. Pipe circles of the whipped cream onto the base, covering the entire surface. Pipe dots of the raspberry coulis in between the dollops of whipped cream.
- Place the top half of the wreath on top of the piped bottom half. Dust with icing sugar, and top with a variety of fresh berries and sprigs of fresh mint. Serve immediately alongside the extra coulis. Enjoy!
Notes
- Ensure the raspberry coulis has cooled completely before using it as the filling. Otherwise, it will melt the cream.
- If using one large baking tray for both meringue discs, ensure there is enough space between the discs as the meringues will increase in size when baking.
- To get the look of frosted berries, freeze the berries before adding them to the top of your wreath. Make sure the berries are separated and lying flat on a tray. Pick them up with the help of a kitchen tweezer so that the frosting doesn't get damaged by the warmth of your fingertips.
Julia says
What a perfect Christmas dessert, I was beautiful and so yummy