Syksyinen pavlova (vegaaninen)
I spotted this recipe while scrolling through the Guardian website and decided to tweak it and make a vegan version. You can’t beat a pavlova, it is such a crowd pleaser and looks fairly impressive, with very little effort. Vegan meringue can be a little tricky, mine have not always been incredibly successful. However I can pass on a few tips. Firstly always whisk the aquafaba for a long time. Unlike regular egg whites, aquafaba seems to need a really good whipping. I usually whip mine on full for 10 to 15 minutes in my Kmix. Secondly, I would suggest adding a stabiliser, such as cream of tartar or corn flour. Next, cook the meringue for a descent amount of time to allow it to fully dry out. Finally I would recommend using the pavlova the day you make it to reduce the chance of it going soft and fill and decorate it at the last moment. As soon as the cream hits the meringue it will begin to soften. If the challenge hasn’t put you off, then definitely give this pavlova a try. Apple cinnamon jam is folded into the cream and it is topped with autumnal fruits, which gives it a lovely flavour, which I am sure you will all enjoy.
Autumnal Pavlova
2dl/ 200 ml aquafaba
270 g sugar (I used my own vanilla sugar, made by storing a vanilla pod in a jar of regular sugar)
1 tsp cream of tartar or alternatively corn flour (corn starch)
4 dl/ 400 ml plant based whipping cream
6 tbsp of my apple cinnamon jam
mint leaves and autumnal fruit to decorate (I used plums, apples and blackberries)
Preheat the oven to 120 degrees c.
Draw three 20 cm diameter rings on baking paper to line 3 baking trays
Add the aquafaba and cream of tartar to the bowl of a standing mixer and whisk for 10 to 15 minutes until it reaches the stiff peak stage. Continue mixing and add the sugar a tablespoon at a time.
Spoon the mixture onto the prepared baking sheets, to create 3 discs.
Bake in the oven for 1.5 to 2 hours until the meringue is dry and crisp. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.
Meanwhile whisk the cream, until thick. Fold in the apple jam to create a marbled effect.
Take one of the meringue discs and transfer it to your serving plate. carefully top with a third of the apple/ cream mixture. Top this with another meringue disc and another third of the cream. Finally crown with the last meringue disc and the remaining cream.
Decorate with your fruit and mint leaves and serve as soon as possible.
A Brit in Helsinki 
Hiya Paul, I made your pistachio, lemon & coconut friands the other day which I thoroughly enjoyed.
Just saw your blog now for the Pavlova. I have been making vegan meringues now for around two years which I sell. I found a very simple recipe at the back of a local magazine which I have used with mostly success and one or two small tweaks for all this time. The only time I have experienced failure is with my oven / and oven temperature.
I never use stabilizers. Here is the basic recipe which I have tweaked very slightly:
250g castor sugar Aquafaba from 1x tin of chickpeas (approx. 180ml) 1/2 teaspoon vanilla essence or extract. Original recipe called for 1 teaspoon vanilla extract. Pinch salt
Method: – Pre-heat oven to 100° Celsius. -Whip aquafaba until foamy & add pinch of salt – Carry on whipping until it forms stuff peaks (around 7mins). -Add sugar slowly (essentially 1 tbl spoon at a time – but I am impatient so I land up adding far more and quicker probably than one should). – Carry on whipping for another approximate 7mins or until the aquafaba gets a bit of a sheen to it. – I fold in the vanilla essence once the aquafaba has been whipped. Not sure if it’s necessary to do it this way anymore, but the first few times I made the recipe it seemed to have worked better this way.
And that’s it. Create any size or shape for the meringue and bake on trays covered in baking sheets cut to size.
The original recipe called for the oven to be 120° Celsius and to bake for 90mins.
I now only bake at 100° for 60mins and then switch off the oven and leave the meringues in for another 30-60 mins. You can leave longer, even overnight, but an extra 30mins should be enough.
As long as the meringue is kept in an airtight container it will keep for a very very long time and won’t go soggy.
An extra note: I have recently found that if I want the meringue to hold its shape in the oven a little better, then you can take the ready made mixture before baking and refrigerate for a couple of hours. Then take out the fridge and ‘re-whip for about 2-3 mins to get the mixture back to its hard peaks. You will see that the mixture is much stiffer and keeps its form better.
Bake the same way as I have stated above.
The wonderful thing about whipping aquafaba is that one can whip for as long as one wants unlike egg whites which fall apart if whipped too long.
Anyway, I hope that this may make your meringue making adventures a little easier or at least consistent.
Thank you for a great blog. I only began my vegan journey a few months ago, so it’s great to be able to access blogs like yours.
And now I am off to make some mini meringues for an order :-).
Cheers,
Leigh Colombick
ShweShwe Skies Performance & Visual Arts Management l Admininstration l Creation C: 083 607 7771 FB: Shweshwe Skies E: Leigh.colombick@gmail.com E: Shweshwe.skies@gmail.com
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Hi, glad you liked the friands and thanks for your meringue tips. I have been pretty lucky with mine and they usually work. But i always get questions from people who aren’t so lucky, so tried to add as many tips as possible. I also found that the oven you have really makes a difference. In one apartment I had my meringues worked every time. Now I have moved it is not so consistent. But I will definitely try your re whipping technique!! 😊
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