This Raspberry Eton Mess is what dessert dreams are made of! Layers of crunchy marshmallowy meringue, sweet and tart raspberry compote and creamy whipped cream. The BEST.

Welcome back to Pretty Dirty Cottage, a six-recipe series between myself, Nik of Weekend at the Cottage, and Julie of Dinner with Julie. We’ve teamed up to create and share each other’s recipes, and today Nik is baking my Strawberry Rhubarb Pie into a Galette, Julie is making Nik’s Carrot Cake, and I’m sharing Julie’s Eton Mess. In case you missed last week’s recipes, here are Nik’s Gooey Cinnamon Buns and my Blueberry Hand Pies.

Dirty Food

The recipe I’m using today is from Julie’s cookbook, Dirty Food. Her recipe uses rhubarb, which would be mega-delicious, but I decided to switch things up a bit and make it with only fresh raspberries. Raspberries are my favourite fruit. But let’s get back to Julie’s book for a minute. Dirty Food is fantastic. It’s loaded with easy-to-make-super-delicious recipes. I’ve made many from it already…her Trashy Cookies and Gooey Cinnamon Buns are the best. And now Eton Mess…this cookbook is what food dreams are made of…and every cookbook shelf should have a copy of it.

Eton Mess is Easy!

Now back the recipe…I’m really excited this one! Eton mess was always something that I never thought to make because it just sounded too fancy and too hard, but in actual fact it’s neither of those things. I also didn’t realize that Eton Mess is really just a broken up Pavlova…what?! And honestly, after making this 3 times, I don’t know that I’ve ever had a dessert that I loved more. True story. Eton Mess is at the very top of my dessert list.

I had no idea how easy Eton Mess was to make…you really can’t go wrong. I only wish I had realized this sooner because we would have enjoyed this dessert many many times over by now. THIS dessert is my dream dessert.

Fluffy, crunchy, marshmallowy meringues, smothered in whipped cream and macerated raspberries. Seriously. So. Delicious.

You can have this dessert ready to go in just over an hour, and really, most of that time is the meringues baking, so it’s not too hard. You won’t break a sweat putting this dessert together.

Making Meringues

For me, it was the making of the meringues that intimidated me the most about making Eton Mess and Pavlova. But I’m here to tell you, this is not something to be afraid of. I actually don’t think you can ruin them. Especially when it comes to meringues for Eton Mess. And because you’re breaking up the baked meringues before serving, they don’t have to look perfect when you’re putting them on the baking sheet. The only thing you really have to concern yourself with is making sure they’re all about the same size.

Meringues before baking.

Meringues after baking. Little clouds of crunchy marshmallowy perfection.

Eton Mess is a PERFECT summer dessert. Make a batch for dessert tonight, or double the batch and serve it to a crowd. Everyone will be glad you did!

Raspberry Eaton Mess Recipe Tips:

After 1 hour in the oven, the meringues will have a nice marshmallowy centre. But if you want them more dry, bake them a little longer…15 minutes at a time, watching them to make sure they don’t burn.
If you want this dessert to be even easier to make, you can also buy store-bought meringues. But trust me, making the meringues yourself is very easy!
If after making the raspberry compote you want to speed things along and get your dessert ready faster, transfer the raspberry mixture to a separate bowl and refrigerate until it is completely cool.
Make sure to let the meringues and compote cool completely or the meringue will dissolve and the whipping cream will melt when you assemble the dessert.
Choosing your serving dishes: You can use small plates, glasses, small jars or even a trifle bowl.
Make Ahead Tip: You can make the meringues, compote and whipping cream all ahead of time (even a day ahead). Just assemble everything when you’re ready to serve!