Easy Christmas Pavlova Wreath with Fresh Berries and Orange Whipped Cream

This Easy Christmas Pavlova Wreath with Fresh Berries and Orange Whipped Cream is THE PERFECT holiday dessert.  It’s what dessert dreams are made of!  Layers of crunchy marshmallowy meringue, orange whipped cream and fresh berries.  So festive. So beautiful.

And when I say easy, I really mean it.  I know that pavlovas can seem very intimidating, and many people think they take so much time and skill to make, but I’m here to tell you that’s not true.  You can have this gorgeous and delicious dessert on your table in about 1 1/2 hours…most time of which is spent baking.  So really, it’s even easier than you think!

Pavlovas are what dreams are made of.

Really they are. What dessert can top a crunchy, yet soft and marshmallowy meringue base, topped with flavoured whipped creams and fruit. Seriously, SO delicious.  Did I mention how delicious they are? Fun fact!  Did you know that Pavlovas are named after the Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova!

A fun and festive twist on traditional Pavlova.

You’ve likely seen Pavlovas as they’re traditionally baked into one large meringue base, but you can shape them any way you like.  The meringue mixture before baking is stiff enough to take on many shapes, like a Christmas wreath!  I made this shape very easily using a small bowl in the centre as a guideline for the meringue.

An impressive (and simple) Christmas dessert!

I love this wreath shape for a Christmas dessert…it’s so festive and pretty!  Can’t you just picture it on your Christmas table?!  It’s such an impressive dessert but I don’t want you to be intimidated by it at all…it is very easy.  I promise. I wish I knew how easy Pavlovas were to make, then I would have made them years ago…all that time missed without them! Sigh. haha

There are no rules when it comes to Pavlovas!

Putting together a Christmas Pavlova Wreath is the fun part!  Once the meringue is baked, cooled and ready to go, all the fun is in the decorating.  There are no rules, and you can’t mess it up.

Layers of deliciousness.

Layer your dessert…the meringue is on the bottom, then you add the layer of orange whipped cream, then add all the berries.

Sprinkle on the final touches!

Once you’ve got all the berries on your pavlova you can sprinkle on the final touches…some tiny fresh mint leaves for a pop of colour, a dusting of confectioner’s sugar and a sprinkling of fresh orange zest.  Mmmmmm

Just look at that meringue and cream…yum!

Nothing left to do but enjoy!

I hope you LOVE this dessert as much as we do…it’s the perfect Christmas treat!

About the Ingredients:

• Sugar:  This recipe calls for 1 cup of granulated sugar, which I grind to make more fine.  BUT If you have caster sugar you can use the same amount of that instead.  If you are using regular sugar, put the 1 cup of granulated sugar into a blender and pulse for a few seconds until the sugar is fine.
• Eggs:  Make sure you don’t get any yolk mixed in with the egg whites.  The yolks will inhibit the whipping.
• Whipping Cream:  Use the good stuff, heavy whipping cream.
• Oranges:  I use Navel oranges because I like the flavour of the zest best of all oranges.
• Berries:  You can use any berry you like!  Raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, cherries…even pomegranate seeds!
• Garnish:  I like to add small leaves of fresh mint just to give it a pop of colour.  I also like to dust the dessert with confectioner’s sugar and a little bit of fresh orange zest right before I serve it…it looks so pretty.  I also added a few fresh cranberries as a garnish.

Pavlova Recipe Tips:

• Sugar:  Make sure to use fine sugar (not confectioner’s sugar. Use either ground granulated sugar or Caster sugar). Sugar that isn’t fine can cause the meringue not to whip up properly, and can also create weeping. See the sugar tips above. 
• Orange Whipped Cream:  Make this first before anything.  It needs a bit of time for the ingredients to rest, so the orange flavour can come out fully. I also don’t add any sugar to the whipped cream because the meringue is sweet enough.
• Let the meringue cool completely before you assemble the dessert. 
• Cracking:  Don’t be ashamed of your cracks!  Pavlovas are NOT perfect.  Don’t let anyone tell you they are.  The very delicate nature of the ingredients makes cracking pretty much inevitable. And you’re going to be covering the meringue with whipped cream and fruit, so you won’t see most of the cracks anyway!
• Make Ahead Tips:  You can make the pavlova meringue and whipped cream ahead of time, even a day or 2 ahead. Just leave your Pavlova unassembled…assemble everything when you’re ready to serve it!
• Assembly:  You can assemble this dessert hours ahead of time, the pavlova is actually more robust than you might think.  When I make this dessert, I will assemble it a few hours before I’m ready to serve it…it’s just easier.
• Leftovers:  If you have leftovers, store them in an air-tight container in the fridge for 1 – 2 days.  The leftovers will be soft, and the meringue won’t be as crunchy, but it is still delicious.

Easy Christmas Pavlova Wreath with Fresh Berries and Orange Whipped Cream

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This Easy Christmas Pavlova Wreath with Fresh Berries and Orange Whipped Cream is THE PERFECT holiday dessert.  It’s what dessert dreams are made of!  Layers of crunchy marshmallowy meringue, orange whipped cream and fresh berries.  So festive. So beautiful.

• Author: Jo-Anna Rooney
• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 60 minutes
• Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
• Yield: 6 - 8 servings 1x
• Category: Dessert

Ingredients

Units USM Scale 1x2x3x

Pavlova Wreath:

• 1 cup granulated sugar (ground (or Caster sugar – see notes))
• 2 tsp cornstarch
• 6 large egg whites

Orange Whipping Cream:

• 2 cups whipping cream
• fresh zest from 1 orange (set aside about 1 – 2 tsp of the zest for garnish)

Toppings:

• raspberries
• blackberries
• cranberries (mostly just for decoration)
• fresh mint for decoration
• orange zest (about 1 – 2 tsp)
• confectioner’s sugar for sprinkling as decoration

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Instructions

Making the Orange Whipped Cream:

1. Before you make the Pavlova meringue make the whipping cream.  I like to do this first so there is time for the orange flavour to set in the whipped cream.
2. First, using a small grater, make your orange zest.  You will have about 2 tbsp of fresh zest from a regular sized orange.  Set aside.
3. Using a mixer, whip the whipping cream until it has stiff peaks.
4. Then hand stir in the orange zest, until fully combined.
5. Put it in the fridge until you are ready to use it.

Making the Pavlova:

1. Preheat your oven to 250 degrees F.
2. This recipe calls for 1 cup of granulated sugar, which I grind to make more fine.  (If you have caster sugar you can use the same amount of that instead.)  If you are using regular sugar, put the 1 cup of granulated sugar into a blender and pulse for a few seconds until the sugar is fine.
3. Then, in a small bowl whisk together the sugar and cornstarch.  Set aside.
4. In a large glass or stainless steel bowl, whip the egg whites until they are foamy with stiff peaks.
5. Then while the egg whites are still whipping, gradually add the sugar and cornstarch mixture, 1 tsp at a time, until the mixture becomes glossy and forms stiff peaks.  The texture will be kind of like stiff shaving foam.
6. Line a baking sheet with a sheet of parchment paper.
7. To make a wreath formation, lay a small bowl (about 3 inches wide) in the centre of the baking sheet. 
8. Then using a spoon, add big spoonfuls of the meringue onto the sheet, around the bowl so you get a wreath form.
9. Then remove the bowl, and bake for 1 hour, until the pavlova meringue is barely golden in colour, has slight cracking and appears dry.
10. Set aside to cool.

Putting it all together:

1. Transfer the baked Pavlova onto a serving dish.
2. Gently add dollops of the orange whipped cream all around the top of the wreath.  Be careful not to spread it too hard or the meringue will crack or crumble.
3. Add the fresh berries evenly around the top of the wreath.
4. Garnish with tiny fresh mint leaves, fresh orange zest and a dusting of confectioner’s sugar.
5. Enjoy!  Seriously though…you will LOVE this dessert.

Notes

This recipe calls for 1 cup of granulated sugar, which I grind to make it more fine.  If you have caster sugar you can also use that.

Keywords: Christmas dessert, Christmas pavlova, pavlova

More Delicious Christmas Desserts:

• Raspberry Eton Mess
• Eggnog Bundt Cake with Eggnog Sugar Glaze
• Cherry Cheesecake Cupcakes
• Sticky Date Pudding Bundt Cake with Toffee Sauce
• German Chocolate Bundt Cake

Have a delicious day!