Imagine a meringue that’s crunchy on the outside but soft and chewy on the inside, slathered with luscious lemon curd and light whipped cream, then sprinkled with toasted almond and coconut. This lemon pavlova is a bright ray of sunshine on a dreary winter day.
Disclosure: This post is sponsored by JORD Wood Watches but all photos, words and opinions are mine. Thank you for supporting the brands that support me!
It’s no secret that I love Christmas.
It’s my favourite time of the year (well, apart from my birthday lol). And this year Christmas came extra early.
First, Meyer lemons – one of my favourite things! – started appearing on shelves at our store so I proceeded to hoard them (hey, they’re only available for a limited time) and immediately got so overwhelmed with lemon baking thoughts.
Second, I received a lovely gift in the mail – a dark sandalwood and slate Frankie 35 wood watch from JORD Wood Watches. I’ve never had a wood watch before and this timepiece is exceptional. Looks like I found yet another reason to love the season!
Why you’ll love lemon pavlova
But back to this delicious lemon pavlova.
The meringue was perfectly crunchy outside but sticky and chewy inside.
The homemade lemon curd was sweet and tart.
The homemade whipped cream added freshness to the bite. While the toasted almonds and coconut provided texture.
It was a fantastic treat.
Tips for making the perfect meringue
I know a lot of people are wary of making meringue and working with egg whites so here are some things I’ve learned along the way that I hope will help:
- Make sure your egg whites are room temperature. They whip better and you’d get better volume. It’s easier to separate egg whites from the yolks when the eggs are cold though so what I do is separate the whites from the yolks while the eggs are cold straight out of the fridge then bring the whites to room temperature in a separate bowl (usually 15-20 minutes, or however long it takes for me to prep everything else).
- Speaking of yolks, make sure none of it get to your egg whites. It will spell disaster.
- Also make sure your bowl and whisk are dry and grease free. Don’t use a plastic bowl because oil tends to stick to them; stainless steel or glass bowls are the best.
- When adding sugar, do so gradually (I usually do about a tablespoon at a time). Don’t dump a cup of sugar all at once – your meringue might not come together or if it does, it will take longer.
- This is optional for some people but I always use cream of tartar or white vinegar to stabilize my meringue. It does not affect the taste – it just makes the meringue firmer and less likely to fall apart.
Assembly
Now that’s out of the way, it’s time to assemble!
I’m a heavy froster so it follows that I’m also a heavy pavlova-assembler (what can I say, I get carried away). So my first pavlova was way too sweet.
The lesson here is: taste your components first. See how much of each would lead to that perfect bite then start piling them on!
Make a lemon pavlova this holiday season. It’s a bright, light holiday dessert. Happy holidays!
Lemon Pavlova with Toasted Almonds & Coconut
Ingredients
For the Meringue:
- 4 pieces egg whites from large eggs room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon white vinegar
For the Lemon Curd:
- See recipe for homemade lemon curd below. You can also buy a jar of your favourite ready-made brand.
For the Whipped Cream:
- See recipe for homemade whipped cream. You can also use ready-made.
For the Toppings:
- ½ cup almonds toasted and roughly chopped
- ¼ cup sweetened shredded coconut toasted
Instructions
For the Meringue:
- Preheat your oven to 275F.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and draw 4 circles on it that's 4 inches in diameter, leaving a space around each circle. Flip the parchment paper so that the marks are on the bottom and and set aside.
- Using a handheld electric mixer or a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, beat the egg whites at medium high speed until you reach soft peaks.
- Add the sugar a little at a time until you're almost at stiff peaks.
- Add vanilla extract and white vinegar and continue beating until your meringue is stiff and shiny.
- Transfer your meringue onto your lined baking sheet, scooping it into your 4 circles.
- Bake for 45 minutes then turn off the oven and leave the meringues inside the oven overnight to dry.
- Carefully lift the meringue off the parchment paper and store in an airtight container until you’re ready to serve.
For the Lemon Curd:
- See this recipe for homemade lemon curd. You can also buy a jar of your favourite ready-made brand.
For the Whipped Cream:
- See this recipe for homemade whipped cream. You can also use ready-made.
Assembly:
- Take your meringue and spread a good amount of lemon curd on top.
- Put a dollop of whipped cream on top of the lemon curd then sprinkle with toasted almonds and toasted coconuts.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information are estimates only.
Happy baking!
Did you make lemon pavlova? What are your favourite lemon desserts? Tell me about it in the comments section below. I’d love to hear all about it.
Mackenzie
I love any excuse to eat a lemon dessert; especially when it is tart. It makes me so sad when I make a recipe and I get really excited only to find out that the beautiful tart flavor of the lemon has been lost to the sugar. I’m so excited to try this!
Jolina
Hi Mackenzie! It’s really quite the balancing act with lemon eh? For this you have more control because you get to decide how much of the different components to put on your pavlova. Hopefully for that perfect bite! Enjoy! And happy new year!
Stephanie
Wow! This is so stunning and combines 2 of my favourite things – meringues and lemon! I can’t wait to try making this myself!
Jolina
Hi Quinn! I could not have said it any better 🙂
Amanda
This looks delicious. Thanks for all the tips on the meringue. For me it is not an easy skill to master. And it is gluten free! Yay!
Jolina
Yay! I’m so glad. I’m wary of labeling my recipes GF because I’m never sure. I’m happy that it is! 🙂
Catherine
I love pavlova…the lemon curd is wonderful idea. It’s like a little bite of summer in the winter and I love it! Just looking at these delightful little desserts make me happy.
Jolina
Lemons are seriously probably the only thing I like about winter – citrus fruits are at their best! And yes, they do remind me of summer too (or at least gives me hope that winter won’t last forever haha)
Crissy
Love a good pavlova recipe! This one looks delicious! I love lemon so I will have to give that a try! I have a JORD watch as well and I really like the style you chose!
Jolina
Hi Crissy! Thanks hope you like it 🙂 And yeah, I’m really loving my JORD watch too. I could’t decide which one to pick initially, so many stunning designs to choose from!
Nicole Parise
This looks so good, almonds are my weakness in sweet things!
Lori Vachon
Lemon is one of my favorite dessert flavors! Looks like a great way to enjoy a sweet treat!
Dawn
The watch looks gorgeous and the pavlova looks completely delicious!! You probably know my love for lemon so this is calling my name 😉 I actually just watched a cooking show this past weekend where they made a pavlova and I was confident I was going to make one for the holidays and now after seeing this, I think it was meant to be 🙂 Love the addition of almonds and coconut. I may just go ahead and buy a tub of egg whites. Wouldn’t want to mess it up by accidentally getting egg yolk in there! Merry Christmas, my friend! Hope Santa is good to you!!
Jolina
Hi Dawn! Making meringue is quite hypnotic, I love watching the mixer just whip it up. Is that weird?? LOL! And yes, I would definitely say that is a sign. It’s been pretty brutal here lately are you guys getting ridiculous weather there too? Lemon always brightens up my gloomy winters! Merry Christmas to you and yours!
Maria
This is drool-worthy! Not only the dessert, but the watch itself! Looks so elegant and amazing! Love it!
Emily
That looks so yummy! Also that watch is stunning, I have always loved the look of Jord watches.
Melanie
I’ve seen these watches everywhere. They are so pretty.
Kimberly
This sounds delicious, and I can practically smell the lemons. Plus, the watch is beautiful. 🙂