Everybody loves lemon, and what better way to showcase lemon in the summer than with a Lemony Lemon Pavlova! This is a super easy, hassle-free, naturally gluten-free (and you can even make it dairy-free!) recipe that is perfect for some summer entertainment!
So let’s see how to make this Lemony Lemon Pavlova then!
What will you need to make the Lemony Lemon Pavlova?
All pavlovas obviously start with a meringue, for which you will need to whisk egg whites and sugar until stiff and glossy. In this recipe, I used a mix of caster and icing sugar, and I also like to add a little bit of cornflour to my meringue mix to help stabilise it. The meringue is then baked slowly at a low temperature to dry it out, and it is important that you leave it in the oven with the door closed to cool completely after baking. This is so the meringue doesn’t experience an extreme temperature difference which can cause it to crack.
The meringue is finished by piling on lemon curd and whipped cream. You can of course used shop-bought lemon curd, but if you want to go the extra mile, why not try making your own lemon curd? Check out my baking basics post here to learn How to make homemade Lemon Curd.
I chose to decorate my Lemony Lemon Pavlova with some jelly citrus slices and golden sprinkles, as well as an extra drizzle of lemon curd. You could also decorate it with some candied lemon peel (check out how to make a quick version of it in this recipe here) or change up the toppings by adding some summer fruits!
More crowd-pleasing desserts
I love entertaining and serving a delicious dessert at the end of a meal! Especially those that everybody loves and gets excited as soon as you announce what it is! I have a few recipes for crowd-pleasing desserts on my blog, so make sure to check out some of my favourites below!
- No-bake Lemon Cheesecake with Summer Fruits
- Meringue Roulade with Raspberries and Cream
- Esterházy Torta | Hungarian Meringue Cake
- Sticky Toffee Pudding with Butterscotch Sauce
- Strawberries and Cream Victoria Sponge Cake
- Classic British Trifle | No-bake Dessert
- Homemade Tiramisu
- “Lighter” Lemon Cheese Cake
- Ultimate Chocolate Fudge Cake
- Bailey’s Irish Cream and Chocolate Pavlova
- Lemon Meringue Pie
- Homemade Baked Alaska | Chocolate and Nut Baked Alaska
- Chocolate, Orange and Bailey’s Trifle
- Paul’s Mini Pineapple Upside Down Cakes
- How to make Custard (Crème Anglaise) | Baking Basics #10
- Bakewell Tart with Feathered Icing
- Mini Strawberry Cheesecakes
Lemony Lemon Pavlova
Recipe
Ingredients (serves 8)
- 3 large egg whites
- 135g caster sugar
- 100g icing sugar
- 1.5 tsp cornflour
- Zest and juice of one very large or 2 medium lemons
- 200ml double cream
- 200g homemade or shop-bought lemon curd, plus a little extra for decorating
- 1 tsp Sicilian lemon extract
- Jelly lemon sweeties, candied lemon peel, or sprinkles for decorating (optional)
Method:
- Preheat the oven to 110°C/100°C fan and line a baking tray with baking paper.
- Start by mixing 80g of the icing sugar with the caster sugar in a small bowl and set aside until needed.
- In a clean bowl, whisk the egg whites using a free-standing or electric hand whisk until very frothy and cloud-like. Then start adding in the caster and icing sugar mix one tablespoon at a time, mixing well between each addition.
- Continue to do so until all the sugar has been used up and the meringue is very stiff, white and glossy. Then quickly whisk in the cornflour, lemon zest and a teaspoon of lemon juice.
- Use a little bit of meringue to tack down the edges of the baking paper and stick them to the tray. This will prevent the baking paper from slipping while you shape the meringue.
- Pile the meringue mixture onto the middle of the baking tray and use a palette knife or spatula to shape it into a circle that is roughly 20cm in diameter. Then use the flat side of the spatula to ease the meringue up the sides of the meringue to give it some height, whilst creating a slight crater in the middle.
- Bake the meringue in the preheated oven for 70-80 minutes until dried out and crisp. Then switch off the oven and leave the meringue to cool in the oven with the door closed for 2-3 hours.
- To finish the pavlova, whisk the double cream and remaining 20g of icing sugar to form soft-medium peaks, whisking in the lemon extract at the end. Make sure not to over-whisk the cream and keep it light and airy. You can prepare the cream in advance and keep it in the fridge until needed, as you don’t want to top the meringue with the curd and cream until just before serving.
- Stir the lemon curd to loosen it, then carefully spread ¾ of it into the crater of the meringue. Then carefully fold the remaining curd through the whipped cream to create a marbled effect, and pile the whipped cream on top of the meringue, too.
- Finally, to decorate your lemony lemon pavlova, you can pipe or drizzle some additional lemon curd over the cream, or decorate with some candied peel, jelly fruits or other sprinkles of your choosing.
- Serve immediately.
