Christmas Wreath Pavlova with Summer Berries

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.

Ingredients

To make this beautiful Christmas dessert, you will need the simple ingredients listed below. Remember to use fresh, room-temperature ingredients when baking. 

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 also work.

Heavy cream - Use whipping cream for this recipe. 

See the recipe card for quantities.

Instructions for Christmas Wreath Pavlova

Follow the simple steps below to make this Christmas pavlova wreath recipe. Once the meringue rings have been baked, allow them to dry out in the oven, preferably overnight. Only assemble the wreath just before serving, as the cream and raspberry filling will soften the meringue over time. 

Instructions for meringue 

STEP 1: Preheat the oven. 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.

STEP 2: Beat whites. 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 3: Add vinegar. 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 4: Add sugar. With the mixer running at high speed, add the caster sugar one tablespoon at a time. Waiting about 45 seconds between each addition.

STEP 5: Beat until stiff peaks. 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.

STEP 6: Pipe. 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 7: Spoon. 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 8: Bake. 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.

Instructions for Raspberry Coulis

STEP 1: Heat sugar, lemon juice, and raspberries. 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: Thicken. 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.

STEP 3: Cool the puree. 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.

Instructions for Whipped Cream

STEP 1: Whip. 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.

Instructions for Assembly

STEP 1: Pipe the filling. 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. Pipe dots of the raspberry coulis in between the dollops of whipped cream.

STEP 2: Decorate. 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!

Hint: 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. 

Variations

I love the combination of crispy meringue, fresh berries, and sweet cream. This is such a crowd-pleasing dessert and requires little fuss after the meringue discs are baked.

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. 

This recipe uses berries and cream to add flavour to the meringue bases, but you can get creative with the filling and toppings that you choose. Think passion fruit, mango, and lemon curd? Or even swirl some melted chocolate through your meringue mixture before baking and fill the layers with ice cream! The options are endless, so use this recipe as a base to create a Christmas dessert that includes all of your favourite flavours! Take a look at this Mini Pavlovas recipe, which uses mangoes and passionfruit. 

Equipment

To make this easy homemade meringue, you will need an electric whisk, either an electric hand-whisk or a stand mixer with a wire whisk attachment. You will also need disposable piping bags, greaseproof paper, and a large baking tray or two smaller baking trays. 

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 a week. This recipe is for a crispy pavlova shell, not a soft-centred pavlova.

I do not recommend freezing this dessert.

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 first!

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 instead.

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Happy Baking 

With Love, 

Kitty