Clodagh McKenna's raspberry and rosewater pavlova

A summer curtain call with delicate floral flavour
Clodagh McKenna
Clodagh McKenna28 August 2019

This is one of my all-time-favourite summer desserts. It’s so decadent — and looks absolutely fabulous, too.

I make it throughout the summer, sometimes swapping the raspberries for other soft fruits like peaches, strawberries and blueberries. All of them work beautifully.

Rose water has long been one of my favourite flavours; its gentle floral taste works perfectly with the light and fluffy pavlova. I make the pavlova the evening before and leave it to cool overnight in the oven — switched off, of course.

A jug of raspberry syrup to pour over each slice of pavlova is a nice addition, too, and it helps that the syrup is so simple to make. Simply place 100g raspberries, two tablespoons of water and two tablespoons of caster sugar in a small saucepan over a low heat, stir until the sugar is completely dissolved, and cook for a further two to three minutes until the raspberries have turned to mush. Then, take it off the heat and pass through a sieve using the back the spoon, and you should have a thick, syrup-like consistency. Set it aside and allow to cool — then it’s time to get stuck in.

Raspberry and rosewater pavlova

Makes: 1 Pavlova

Prep time: 25 minutes

Cooking time: 90 minutes

Serve with: Sancerre Rouge Les Champs Clos Pinot Noir, £11.50 from Sainsbury’s

Ingredients

For the pavlova

  • 9 egg whites 
  • 500g caster sugar
  • 2 tsp cornstarch
  • 1 tsp white wine vinegar
  • 1 tbsp rose water

For the filling:

  • 500ml whipping cream
  • 1 tbsp icing sugar
  • 1 tbsp rose water 
  • 200g fresh raspberries

Method

1. Pre-heat the oven to 160°C/Gas Mark 3 and line a baking tray with greaseproof paper.

2. Use an electric mixer to whisk the egg whites in a clean, dry bowl, until firm peaks form. Gradually add the sugar, one tablespoon at a time, whisking constantly until the mixture is thick and glossy and the sugar completely dissolves. Add the cornstarch, vinegar and rose water and gently fold until just combined.

3. Pour the mixture onto the prepared baking tray in a circle shape and use the back of a wooden spoon to shape the meringue into a nest. Place the meringue in the pre-heated oven , turn the heat down to 140°C/Gas Mark 1 and bake for 90 minutes. Once the meringue is baked, turn off the heat, open the oven door and allow it to cool completely.

4. When the meringue is cooled and ready to serve, start assembling the filling. Don’t add the cream too far in advance as it will soak into the meringue. Gently whip the cream until it thickens and then whisk in icing sugar. Fold in the rose water, spoon the filling into the centre of the meringue, and add the fresh raspberries on top.

Follow Clodagh on Instagram @clodagh_mckenna

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in