Christmas Wreath Pavlova is the perfect way to celebrate the festive season with an easy dessert. Using simple ingredients we whip up this meringue dessert and then get to decorating it. This Christmas Pavlova will put the finishing touches on a time of joy, family and memories in the making.
Recipes like the 6 Egg Pavlova, 8 Egg Pavlova and the Microwave Chocolate Self Saucing Pudding are easy desserts that are much loved by all.
The Candied Spiced Pecans, Sugar Coated Peanuts and the Microwave Chocolate Fudge are sweet treats that go down a treat.
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🤍 Recipe Highlights
I have summarised everything that you will come to know and love (LOVE ❤) about the pavlova wreath recipe in the points below:
- Festive: with the intentional shape and colours of Christmas, we want this dessert to speak for itself. Its visually appearance is the epitome of the Christmas spirit.
- Pantry staples: for the pavlova itself we use pantry and fridge staples that you might already have at home. For the toppings fresh fruit and whipped cream are the most popular and easiest choices.
- Very popular: pavlova is a quintessential meringue based dessert that is widely popular throughout Australia and New Zealand. Be it a backyard barbecue or Christmas lunch, the pav will be brought out for dessert.
- Summer recipe: it gets hot, hot, hot in Australia. Especially in a Queensland summer. Pavlova is the answer to what can be eaten between swims in the pool and dips in the ocean. It matches the climate perfectly 😉👍.
- Easy: it is not hard to make a pav look impressive, but making them is actually super easy. You can be fooled into thinking that because they look so amazing they must be tricky to make, but they are actually very straight forward.
🥗 Ingredients
The photo below is to show you everything you need to make the recipe. Please refer to the printable recipe card for specific ingredient measurements as well as detailed instructions.
As you can see the recipe calls for:
- Caster sugar: this sugar has a finer grain to it than regular white sugar.
- Vanilla: this helps to give the cream a little lift.
- Icing sugar: also known as confectioners sugar. This adds a touch of sweetness to the cream.
- Strawberries: these beautiful berries are perfect to top a pavlova with! We simply cut the tops off and then slice the strawberries in halves.
- Cream of tartar: the cream of tartar helps to stabilise the eggs as we use the beaters to mix them.
- Pomegranate: this firm skinned fruit opens to reveal little pops of seeds through colour. They have a wet texture and are perfect for the festive season.
- Mint: added for a festive colour as well as a little herby freshness!
- Eggs: it is actually only the egg whites that we need for the recipe, not the whole egg. But showing you them in the photo above, helps to give you an idea about the starting point.
- Cream: this is heavy cream which is different to dollop or cream cheese. On the side of the bottle it will say 'suitable for whipping'.
Tasty Tip: I like to provide you with a number of substitutions and variations giving you an array of options when making the recipe. If in doubt of any of the above ingredients, or wanting alternatives, read this section (further below) before jumping into the instructions on how to make the recipe which are coming next 😉👌.
🍳 Instructions
Here are the step by step instructions to make the recipe. We start by separating the egg whites from the yolks and adding only the whites to a large mixing bowl.
- Add the egg whites to a bowl (Photo 1)
- Then add the cream of tartar (Photo 2)
- Add in the caster sugar (Photo 3)
- Beat till shiny and combined (Photo 4)
👩🍳 How to Make Christmas Wreath Pavlova
To make the pavlova wreath start by cracking the eggs into a bowl. Do this one at a time and separate the egg white from the egg yolk as you go. Once you have separated them add the egg white to a larger bowl before repeating the process for all 6 eggs.
Next take electric beaters and beat the eggs till they start to bubble, when they do add in the cream of tartar.
Then slowly add the sugar continuing with the beaters to mix together the meringue as it forms. Keep going until a taste tells you that the sugar has dissolved (no more grit when rubbed between thumb and pointer finger).
- Draw a circle on baking paper (Photo 5)
- Make the wreath shape (Photo 6)
- Pull up the edges (Photo 7)
- Cook then let pav cool (Photo 8)
Next stick 2 sheets of baking paper together (or use a silicon baking mat) with a dab of wet meringue in the 2 diagonal corners. Then trace a round shape onto the paper.
Use a spatula to transfer the wet meringue mixture onto the parchment paper, making a wreath shape as you go.
Then use a spatula to pull the edges of the pavlova up slightly.
Next place the pavlova into the oven on the lowest rack and let it cook for 1 hour and 15 minutes.
Once the cooking time is up and the pav feels firm on the outside turnt he oven off but let the pavlova stay in there.
- Add a cream layer (Photo 9)
- Then add a mint layer (Photo 10)
- Add the chopped strawberries (Photo 11)
- Then add the pomegrante seeds (Photo 12)
Once you have decorated your pavlova you are ready to serve it (woot, the best bit right 😉👌. So grab a sharp knife, bowls and forks and a helper to pass the plates around as you lick the whipped cream of your fingers in between making slices!
🍽 Serving Suggestions
When it comes to serving your pavlova, you want to do that as soon as you have decorated it.
Then get ready to taste the fluffy meringue, sweet cream and juicy strawberry combination - its a winning one 😁👌.
👍 How to Guide
How to Store
Store leftover pavlova in a sealed airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 days.
The pavlova cannot be frozen and is served at room temperature with cold whipped cream on top.
😉 Substitutions and Variations
Here are my sub ins and outs that you might be thinking about as you read the post and I will tell you if I think they will work or why they won't:
- You don't have to use the exact same fruits and colours that I have gone for when decorating the pavlova. You can also use fresh raspberries, blueberries, passionfruit and kiwi fruit.
- You can omit the vanilla from the cream and simply use the icing sugar if you wish too.
💡 Tasty Tips
Here are my top tips and tricks that I want to share with you so that you master the recipe from the get go:
- If your pavlova turns brown this is because the oven was too high. Low and slow is the way to go 😉👍.
- Once the pavlova has cooked, turn the oven off and let the pav cool down. Doing so will slow down the temperature change from a hot oven and reduce the pavlova cracking across the surface.
- You can make the pav the day ahead, but it is best to decorate it only moments before serving it.
- If you prefer savory when it comes time for festive foods then you might like the Baked Brie With Red Pepper Jelly, Baked Brie with Garlic, Brie Bread Bowl, Bacon And Cheese Cob Loaf or the Spinach Cob Loaf Dip.
- For more Aussie favorites try the Coconut Prawns, Mini Quiches or the Zucchini Slice.
🤓 Frequently Asked Questions
Can you decorate a pavlova the day before?
No. Pavlova is best decorated and served straight away so that it does not go soggy.
Is pavlova a Christmas tradition?
In Australia and New Zealand pavlova is a Christmas tradition as the dessert. This is largely due to the fact that the climate is very hot and the pavlova is served as a cold dessert.
Why did pavlova weep?
If the pavlova weeps a clear sugary liquid once it has been cooked, this means that the sugar wasn't fully dissolved when it was being beaten. The weeping however, doesn't affect the taste of the pavlova and this is a 'good to know for next time' lesson more than a pavlova disaster.
😍 More Easy Sweet Recipes
If you love getting your bake or no bake on then I have some more ideas that I hope you love. Try these recipes when you are in a baking mood:
- Lemon Polenta Cake
- Chocolate Caramel Slice
- Christmas Chocolate Crackles
- 4 Ingredient Rocky Road
- Chocolate Ripple Wreath
- Dark Chocolate Rocky Road
- Malteser Rocky Road
- Christmas Oreo Balls
- Malteser Truffles
- White Chocolate Oreo Balls
It is time to get our pav on my friend! You can also find all of my dessert recipes or Christmas recipes in the one spot.
Adrianne
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📖 Recipe
Christmas Wreath Pavlova (Pavlova Wreath)
Ingredients
- 6 large egg whites free range, room temperature, Note 1
- 1 ½ cup caster sugar Note 2
- 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
Pavlova Toppings
- 500 ml/2 cups cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla essence Note 3
- 1 tablespoon icing sugar
- ½ bunch mint leaves Note 4
- 250 grams/1 cup strawberries
- 1 pomegranate Note 5
Strawberry syrup (optional):
- ¼ cup strawberry jam
- ¼ cup water
Instructions
- Preheat oven: preheat your oven to 120°C /250°F /Gas Mark ½.
- Egg whites: working 1 at a time crack the eggs into a small bowl separating the whites from the yolks at the same time. After each one, transfer the clean egg white into a larger bowl. Repeat for all 6 eggs.
- Beat: use hand held electric beaters to begin to beat your egg whites at a medium speed. Once they start to bubble add in the cream of tartar.
- Sugar: slowly pour the sugar into the mixing bowl and continue to beat the eggs until firm peaks form in the shinny meringue.
- Baking paper: use a 20cm/8.7 inch plate as the circumference of a circle you draw on one sheet of baking paper. Flip this sheet over and lay another sheet on top. Then use a little bit of the meringue in between the 2 sheets of paper to stick them together.
- Shape: use a spoon the meringue mix around the outside of the circle you drew earlier. Then use a spatula to shape the meringue to form a wreath with slightly pulled up edges.
- Oven bake: place the pavlova into the oven on the middle shelf. Let the pavlova cook for 1 hour and 15 minutes. Then check with your hand to feel that the outside is firm and turn the oven off. Let the pavlova cool down as the oven temperature drops.
- Cream: add the vanilla and icing sugar to the cream and use clean beaters to whip the cream till firm peaks form.
- Decorate: once the pavlova has cooled, use a spatula to spread a layer of cream on top, filling any cracks with the cream as you go. Next spread your mint leaves around in a circle on top of the cream later. Spread the sliced strawberries out in a layer across the mint leaves. Then sprinkle your pomegranate seeds over the strawberries.
- Strawberry syrup: add both the water and the strawberry jam to a heatproof jug, microwave on high for 1 minutes, then remove and use a spoon till consistently mixed together.
- To serve: drizzle the strawberry syrup over the pavlova and serve immediately.
Notes
- Note 1 - Egg whites: we don't need to measure the egg whites, we simply need 6 of them. We do however, want to ensure that there is no egg yolk accidently mixed in the with whites. They won't fluff up if there is any yolk in the mix.
- Note 2 - Caster sugar: this has a smaller grain than regular white sugar. It is best to use as it dissolves in the eggs a lot more quickly and effectively than standard white sugar does.
- Note 3 - Vanilla: some people day not to use vanilla essence as it is a 'synthetic' form of vanilla. Whilst true, it is also a lot cheaper than vanilla extract. You do do and choose the one that suits your budget 😉👍.
- Note 4 - Mint: you can chop the mint leaves using kitchen scissors if you don't want to use the whole leaves.
- Note 5 - Pomegranate: the best way to get pomegranate seeds out of the fruit are to cut it in half, place the seed side facing your palm and gently tap the back of the fruit which will release the seeds.
- Note 6 Cooked pavlova: turning the oven off and leaving the door slightly ajar is the best way to keep your pav from cracking and sinking. It will likely do a little bit of both, but that is just pava. Luckily we can decorate and fill these cracks in. All the more cream she says, haha! Be gentle sliding it off the paper, it is very delicate.
- Note 7 - Strawberry syrup: the strawberry syrup is optional. There will already be a little juice on top of the pavlova from the pomegranate. It does however, create a lovely additional taste and texture.
- Serving size: this will of course depend on how big your pavlova slices are. If you have a crowd to feed, slice the pieces into smaller portions and have some extra fruit and cream on the side to make it go around.
Nutrition
Recipe published November 2019, updated in November 2023 with edited photos and rewrite to offer you more tasty tips 😉👍!
Alexandra says
I love a good edible wreath and this one is just beautiful! Perfect for an Aussie Christmas without a doubt 🙂
Adrianne says
Thanks Alex!! Too hot in Brissie to eat absolutely anything else!!
Gavin says
LOVE a good pav - this looks perfect for finishing my Christmas meal this year!!
Adrianne says
Thanks Gavin! Yes, bring on the Christmas dessert time of year, haha!