Bring a taste of the tropics to the table with Gabriel Gaté’s pavlova with exotic fruits

When cooking a pavlova, the oven temperature must not be too high or too low. The meringue should end up crunchy on the outside without being too browned.

You may need to experiment to work out the right temperature for your oven, as each oven is different.

Ingredients

• 4 egg whites

• pinch cream of tartar

• 230g caster sugar

• 1 teaspoon cornflour

• 1 teaspoon vinegar

• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

• 375ml cream, whipped until firm

• selection of seasonal fruits, such as strawberries, mango, pineapple, papaya, raspberries, bananas and cherries

• 6 passionfruit, pulped

Method

1 Preheat the oven to 220°C. Draw a 22 cm circle on a sheet of baking paper and place the paper on a baking tray, circle-side down.

2 Using electric beaters, beat the egg whites and cream of tartar until stiff peaks form.

3 Gradually beat in the sugar until well incorporated. Using a rubber spatula, fold in the cornflour, vinegar and vanilla extract.

4 Heap the meringue mixture onto the prepared baking tray and spread out to fill the circle. Make the centre a little shallower than the side.

5 Reduce the oven to 120°C and bake the meringue for 1 1/2 hours. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool. The meringue may crack a little after cooking.

6 Spoon the whipped cream into the centre of the pavlova and top with pieces of fruit.

7 Spoon the passionfruit pulp over the top and serve immediately.

Recipe courtesy of Gabriel Gate, extracted from 100 Best Cakes and Desserts