Gingerbread Pavlova

Ginger spiced brown sugar meringue with whipped cream, dark chocolate drizzle, crystallised ginger and mini gingerbread men

Course Dessert

Cuisine British

Keyword meringue

Prep Time 35 minutes

Cook Time 1 hour 30 minutes

Total Time 2 hours 5 minutes

Servings

Calories 378kcal

Author thebakingexplorer

Pre heat your oven to 100C Fan/225F/Gas Mark ¼
Whisk the egg whites and cream of tartar together with an electric mixer until stiff peaks form - you know this has happened when you can tip the bowl upside down without it falling out
Keep the mixing running and add both types of sugar one spoonful at time, let each spoonful mix in before adding the next
Again, keeping the mixer running, add the vanilla extract and ground ginger
Keep mixing for a few more minutes or until the meringue is thick, glossy and holds it's shape very well
Arrange the meringue into a circular shape on a lined baking tray. Make it flat with a slight dip in the centre and more textured around the edges
Bake the meringue for 1 hour and 30 minutes. Then turn the oven off, without opening the door at all, and leave it to cool completely until the oven is cold (this is best done overnight)
To decorate, whip the double cream up with the vanilla extract and icing sugar until soft peaks form, spread it in the middle of the meringue
Drizzle over the melted dark chocolate, and decorate with the mini gingerbread men and crystallised ginger
Serve immediately, store any leftovers in the fridge and eat within 2-3 days

Make sure your eggs are at room temperature before you start baking.
If you don't have any cream of tartar, you can replace it with 2 tsp white vinegar, 2 tsp cider vinegar, or 2 tsp lemon juice.
You can use either fresh eggs, or to avoid having lots of egg yolks to use up you can now buy cartons of egg whites from brands like Two Chicks.
If you need recipes to use up leftover egg yolks, check out my Leftover Egg Yolks recipe collection.
Make sure your mixing bowl is completely grease free before making your meringue, as grease will stop the egg whites from foaming. You can wipe your bowl down with lemon juice or white vinegar before you start to ensure any traces of grease is removed.
When separating your eggs make sure not to get any egg yolk in the egg whites, as this will also stop it from foaming.
If you can't find mini gingerbread men, you can use gingernut biscuits.
Although I provide cup measurements, I highly recommend weighing your ingredients out using digital kitchen scales*. It is the most accurate way to measure ingredients and will ensure the best results. Digital scales are very low cost and can be purchased for around £12 ($16.50) .
For teaspoon (tsp) and tablespoon (tbsp) measurements, please use measuring spoons* and not the type of spoons you eat with. Again this will ensure accuracy and provide the best results.