This pavlova with raspberries is made from a French meringue combined with vinegar and cornstarch before baking, then topped with a generous amount of whipped cream, lemon curd, and fresh raspberries.
Preheat the oven to 275 °F (140 °C). Line a sheet pan with parchment paper, and using a pencil, draw a circle that's 6 or 7 inches (15.25–17.75 cm) in diameter (about two inches less than your serving plate or cake stand). Flip the paper over and set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip the egg whites on medium–high with the salt and cream of tartar until soft peaks form. This can take about 5 minutes.
Lower the speed to medium–low, then whisk in the water.
Start adding the sugar, a spoonful at a time, slowly. This will take a few minutes. Take your time.
Once the sugar is added, increase the speed back up to medium–high and continue whipping the meringue until you form very stiff peaks that hold up straight when you remove the beater and flip it upside down.
Once the meringue has reached stiff peaks, fold into the egg whites the cornstarch, vanilla, and vinegar. The mixture will be very thick, firm, and stiff.
Dollop the mixture within the circle drawn on the parchment. The goal is to form a tall mountain. Then working with an offset spatula, smooth the mixture out to fill the drawn circle from edge to edge. You can use your spatula to coax the meringue sides upward to create a little crater or valley in the centre of the mountain (see photos).
Bake the pavlova for 45 minutes, then drop the temperature to 250 ºF (130 °C) and continue baking. It takes about 1 hour and 15 minutes to bake the pavlova.
Once baked, turn off the oven and turn on the oven light. Don't open the door yet!Let the pavlova cool for several hours in the oven, turned off with the light on, until it's completely cooled. I like to leave it overnight undisturbed, or even a whole day, and then finish it later.
Whipped cream
In a bowl, using an electric mixer, whip the cream to soft peaks, add the icing sugar and vanilla, and continue whipping to the desired consistency (or firm peaks).
Finishing
Run a metal offset spatula between the parchment paper and the cooled pavlova very carefully to release the cake base so that you can transfer it to a serving plate
Place the baked pavlova on a serving plate. If the center of the pavlova hasn't collapsed downward/inward to leave room for filling, you can help it using a pairing knife to open up the middle. The top of the pavlova should collapse downward to create a bowl shaped meringue that can be filled.
Fill the crater of the pavlova with whipped cream, gently working it into all the nooks. If you prefer, you can use a piping bag filled with the whipped cream to pipe the cream onto the pavlova.
Dollop the lemon curd on top of the cream, and swirl it in. Decorate with lots of fresh berries.
Chill the pavlova for 1 hour before serving.
Dust with powdered sugar before serving (optional).
Notes
Pavlova base recipe from the book Zoe Bakes Cake, available on Amazon.