This Christmas pavlova wreath is decorated with Christmas trees for a fun and festive holiday dessert. The pavlova is crunchy on the outside and chewy on the inside like a marshmallow. It melts in your mouth and tastes lovely on its own or served with whipped cream and fruits on the side.
This pavlova wreath recipe is a cute variation on a Christmas pavlova for the holidays. It’s entirely decorated with meringue trees so it makes a statement on its own and doesn’t need any additional decoration. You can serve this pavlova with a side of whipped cream and fresh fruits like how it’s traditionally served if you’d like.
Pavlova wreaths are a great way to use up any leftover egg whites from other recipes that only use egg yolks. It’s simpler and easier than it looks and only needs a few ingredients. It really looks much more impressive than it actually is!
The piping tips you use really make or break this Christmas pavlova. For the main meringue wreath, I used a large open star piping tip like the Wilton 6B or 8B. For the meringue trees, I used a smaller open star piping tip (Wilton 4B) and a small closed star piping tip. I really love the ruffly look that the closed star tip made.
This pavlova wreath unexpectedly blew up on Tiktok but I can see why - it’s super cute, if I do say so myself. You can watch the satisfying video of me making this pavlova on Tiktok!
Ingredients you’ll need
- Egg whites - These should be at room temperature for the best results. Make sure you don’t get accidentally get any egg yolk into the egg whites. The meringue will not whip up properly. Save the yolks for lemon curd, pastry cream, cookies that only call for yolks, or just to eat!
- Cream of tartar - This is the acid that helps stabilize the meringue to ensure you get nice stiff peaks.
- Superfine sugar - Superfine sugar dissolves easier in egg whites than granulated sugar. You can whiz granulated sugar in a food processor for a few seconds to make superfine sugar or buy it if it’s available to you (usually called caster sugar or berry sugar). You can use regular granulated sugar with good results but your meringue may just be a little gritty.
- Cornstarch - This helps create the chewy marshmallow centre of the pavlova.
- Green gel food colouring - Make sure you use gel colour, not liquid food colouring, otherwise it will ruin the consistency of your meringue. I’ve used two different shades of green.
- Sprinkles - Keep in mind that some sprinkles will melt when baked. Hundreds and thousands work well when baked. You may want to add on big sprinkles after baking with a bit of melted chocolate instead.
How to make a Christmas pavlova wreath
Make the meringue: In a large mixing bowl, beat egg whites on high speed until it reaches soft peaks. Sprinkle in the cream of tartar while mixing.
In a small bowl, stir together sugar and cornstarch. With the mixer still on high speed, sprinkle the sugar mixture into the egg whites one spoonful at a time. Beat until meringue reaches glossy stiff peaks.
Add food colouring: Portion out a few spoonfuls of meringue into small bowls and mix in green gel food colouring. Transfer all colours of meringue into separate piping bags fitted with piping tips of your choice.
Preheat oven to 250°F. With a pencil, trace a 6” circle on the back of a sheet of parchment paper and place it on a baking sheet.
Pipe the wreath: Following the circle on the parchment paper, pipe swirls of white meringue in a circle. Repeat with a second layer on top of the first ring of meringue.
Pipe meringue trees: Using the green coloured meringue, pipe trees on top of the wreath. Decorate with small sprinkles. Any larger sprinkles can be added after baking with a dab of melted chocolate, if desired, otherwise they may melt during baking.
Bake for 1.5 hours or until the outside walls are dry and hard and the bottom peels cleanly off the parchment paper.
Cool: Turn off the oven and leave the pavlova inside the oven for about 30 minutes to cool. This slow cooling is important to prevent the pavlova from cracking due to large changes in temperature. Remove pavlova from the oven and let it finish cooling completely on a wire rack. Serve as is or with whipped cream and fresh fruits on the side.
Frequently asked questions
You can store a pavlova wrapped or in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
I don’t recommend it but you can freeze a pavlova by wrapping well or storing in an airtight container to prevent it from being crushed for up to 1 month. Thaw in the fridge overnight but be careful not to let it come into contact with moisture otherwise the sugar with start to dissolve. The condensation created during defrosting may make the pavlova sticky and change the texture.
The acid from the cream of tartar and cornstarch help make the inside of the pavlova fluffy and marshmallow-like. Be sure not to overcook the pavlova for the size you’re making. You only want to dry the outside walls, not cook it all the way through, so that the middle stays soft. Putting the pavlova in the fridge overnight also helps the soft insides get chewier.
The prevent cracks, bake the pavlova at a low temperature. Low and slow is the way to go! Avoid fast and large changes in temperature. Let the pavlova cool inside the oven after turning it off for at least 30 minutes or crack the oven door open for faster cooling.
More pavlova recipes to try
Christmas Pavlova Wreath
Ingredients
- 6 large egg whites, room temperature
- ½ teaspoon cream of tartar
- 300 g superfine sugar
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- green gel food colouring
- sprinkles
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, beat egg whites on high speed until it reaches soft peaks. Sprinkle in the cream of tartar while mixing.
- In a small bowl, stir together sugar and cornstarch. With the mixer still on high speed, sprinkle the sugar mixture into the egg whites one spoonful at a time. Beat until meringue reaches glossy stiff peaks.
- Portion out a few spoonfuls of meringue into small bowls and mix in green gel food colouring. Transfer all colours of meringue into separate piping bags fitted with piping tips of your choice.
- Preheat oven to 250°F. With a pencil, trace a 6” circle on the back of a sheet of parchment paper and place it on a baking sheet.
- Following the circle on the parchment paper, pipe swirls of white meringue in a circle. Repeat with a second layer on top of the first ring of meringue.
- Using the green coloured meringue, pipe trees on top of the wreath. Decorate with small sprinkles. Any larger sprinkles can be added after baking with a dab of melted chocolate, if desired, otherwise they may melt during baking.
- Bake for 1.5 hours or until the outside walls are dry and hard and the bottom peels cleanly off the parchment paper.
- Turn off the oven and leave the pavlova inside the oven for about 30 minutes to cool. Remove from the oven and let it finish cooling completely on a wire rack. Serve as is or with whipped cream and fresh fruits on the side.
Notes
- Superfine sugar: You can use granulated sugar but your meringue will just be a little gritty. If you can’t find superfine sugar at the store (also called caster sugar or berry sugar), you can make your own. To make superfine sugar at home, pulse granulated sugar in a food processor a few times until you get a fine, powdery sugar.
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