Mini Blackberry & Elderflower Pavlovas (Gluten Free)
It’s blackberry picking season! I love going blackberry picking - it’s so satisfying coming home with a tub full of delicious, juicy, organic blackberries that you’ve picked straight from the bush. Every year we try to make the most of the season by having blackberries with everything.
BUT I have a confession… I’m just not a fan of fruit pies. Blackberry and apple pie is the classic thing to make during blackberry picking season, but it just doesn’t do it for me. This year I decided I would come up with some alternative blackberry bakes, like my Blackberry & Lemon Drizzle Cake, and these mini blackberry and elderflower pavlovas.
Meringue makes for a lovely light summer dessert. These mini pavlovas have disks of meringue, with vibrant pink blackberry and elderflower whipped cream in the centre, topped with elderflower cream and fresh blackberries. The perfect summer dessert and suprisingly easy to make!
Meringue isn’t as tough to make as people sometimes make out, but I would highly recommend using an electric whisk. We actually had a go at doing this by hand and let’s just say it takes ten times as long and some serious muscle.
Ingredients (makes 4 mini pavlovas, double for more)
For the meringue
3 egg whites
135g granulated sugar
1/2 tbsp lemon juice (do not leave out)
1/2 tbsp elderflower cordial
For the cream/decoration
180ml double cream
2 1/2 tbsp elderflower cordial
Roughly 20 blackberries
Method
Heat the oven to 120°C and line a large baking tray with a sheet of baking paper.
Put the egg whites in a large, clean bowl and whisk (using an electric whisk) until soft peaks are formed (google images has lots of pictures of “soft peak” consistency if you’re not sure what this means).
While the mixer is still on, add the granulated sugar very gradually and continue to whisk on a high speed until stiff peaks are formed. This will take around 5-10 minutes with an electric whisk. The mixture should be smooth and glossy.
Quickly fold in the lemon juice and elderflower cordial using a spatula to make sure that the air isn’t knocked out of the whipped meringue mixture.
Gently plop the meringue mixture into a piping bag fitted with a nozzle. Pipe circles of meringue onto the baking paper of around 3-4 inches diameter, being careful not to squeeze the bag too hard so you keep the air in the mixture.
Bake at 120°C for 1 hour 15 minutes then turn the oven off and, without opening the door, leave the meringue in the hot oven for another 30 minutes. Move to a cooling rack and leave to cool.
Meanwhile, make the cream. Add the cream and the elderflower cordial to a large bowl. Whisk using an electric whisk until soft peaks are formed.
Divide the cream into two bowls. Roughly chop around 6 or 7 blackberries and gently stir into on of the bowls of cream.
Once the meringues have cooled it’s time to assemble as pictured above. Pipe the blackberry cream onto one disk of meringue, top with another meringue disk, pipe the elderflower cream on top of the second disk and top with a few fresh blackberries.
