Delicious Meringue Pavlova cake with wild berries

Step-by-step cooking

1. Step 1:

   

   To start, we will prepare meringue. Prepare all the necessary ingredients. You will also need clean and absolutely dry dishes for whipping proteins. You can take a glass, enameled, ceramic or porcelain container, but not aluminum, since the protein in it will turn gray.

2. Step 2:

   

   How to beat the proteins correctly? Separating the whites from the yolks, make sure that not a drop of yolk gets into the protein, otherwise they will not climb. Eggs should be fresh and well chilled (from the refrigerator). For whipping, use the mixer at the lowest rpm, gradually increasing the speed. Make sure that the stirrer reaches the bottom of the dishes, otherwise the proteins at the bottom may remain liquid. Add powdered sugar in several steps without stopping the whipping process.

3. Step 3:

   

   Add cornstarch to the whipped whites. You can replace it with potato starch, but reduce its amount by half. Thanks to starch, the finished meringue will be crispy on the outside and creamy on the inside. Pour in the lemon juice. Beat for another 2-3 minutes until stable peaks. A well-whipped protein mass will become dense, smooth and shiny.

4. Step 4:

   

   Carefully transfer the protein mass into a pastry bag.

5. Step 5:

   

   To prevent the meringue from sticking to the bottom of the mold during baking, cover the baking sheet with parchment paper or lightly grease it with butter. Squeeze out of the cooking bag six baskets with a recess in the center (as in the photo).

7. Step 6:

   

   Preheat the oven to 140 °C in advance (10-15 minutes before baking). Bake the baskets for about 10 minutes. Reduce the temperature to 100 degrees. Bake for about 30-40 minutes. Since everyone has different ovens, the time and temperature may need to be changed. When the products become a light yellow shade, check. They should be dry on top, and slightly moist and sticky on the bottom. Do not take out the baskets immediately. Leave them for 10 minutes in a slightly open oven.

8. Step 7:

   

   How to whip cream properly? It is important that the cream is fat (at least 33%). The dishes should be cold, so keep them in the refrigerator for 1-2 hours before whipping. Beat with a mixer at minimum speed, gradually increasing the speed. Add 1 tbsp powdered sugar. How do I know if the cream is whipped enough? The creamy mass should retain its shape and not spread. The main thing here is not to overdo the cream, so that they do not turn into butter.

9. Step 8:

   

   Transfer the whipped cream to a clean and dry cooking bag. Choose the nozzle at your discretion. Fill the finished baskets with cream, squeezing it out with a beautiful pattern. If you do not have a cooking bag, transfer the creamy mass into a tight cellophane bag, cut off a small corner and squeeze the cream through the hole. Or just use a spoon. Keep in mind that protein baskets are quite fragile, so handle them carefully so as not to damage them.

10. Step 9:

    

    Decorate the dessert with berries. Fresh fruits should be pre-washed and dried with paper towels. Defrost frozen berries (be sure to drain the liquid formed from defrosting). I used raspberries and blueberries, you can take any berries to your liking. Perfectly combined with cream cherries (pitted), apricots, canned peaches. Serve the dessert to the table immediately, as the baskets may get wet from the cream.