The Best Pavlova

• servings: 12 servings
• active time: 25 minutes
• total time: 1 hour 55 minutes

Ingredients

1 cup white sugar, divided

1 tablespoon cornstarch

3 large egg whites

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1 ¼ cups heavy whipping cream

½ cup confectioners' sugar

1 pint fresh strawberries

Directions

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C). Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper; draw a 9-inch circle in the center of the paper.

Whisk 1/4 cup sugar and cornstarch together in a small bowl.

Beat egg whites in a glass, metal, or ceramic bowl until soft peaks form. Gradually add remaining 3/4 cup sugar, continuing to beat until sugar is completely dissolved and stiff peaks form. Gently fold in cornstarch mixture and lemon juice.

Spread a 1/4-inch-thick layer of meringue onto the prepared baking sheet to fill the circle. Pipe or spoon remaining meringue to form a taller edge around the circle to create a shallow bowl, making decorative swirls if desired.

Bake in the preheated oven for 1 hour. Turn the oven off. Let meringue sit in the oven for 30 minutes; do not open the door. After 30 minutes, remove meringue from the oven; it should be hard on the outside and slightly moist on the inside.

Beat cream and confectioners sugar in a mixing bowl with an electric mixer until thick. Spread onto meringue base and arrange strawberries over top.

Nutrition

• Calories: 186 kcal
• Total Fat: 9 g
• Saturated Fat: 6 g
• Unsaturated Fat: 0 g
• Cholesterol: 34 mg
• Sodium: 24 mg
• Total Carbohydrate: 25 g
• Dietary Fiber: 1 g
• Total Sugars: 23 g
• Protein: 2 g