Easter Lemon Pavlovas

Easter Lemon Pavlovas are the ultimate Easter dessert! This delicious Easter Lemon Pavlova recipe is the perfect treat to add a festive twist to your holiday celebrations. The light and airy meringue provides the perfect texture for the tangy lemon curd filling.

Easter is a time for family and friends, good food and sweet treats. And what better way to celebrate the season than with a light, airy pavlova?

Pavlovas aren’t super complicated to make. They can be fairly easy, and the results are stunning!

In this post I will give you the best tips to make these gorgeous Easter Lemon Pavlovas.

The texture of the pavlova is an essential part of the recipe. A good pavlova has a crisp crust and a soft, marshmallowy center. This texture is achieved by a combination of egg whites and sugar that have been whipped until they form stiff peaks.

The meringue is then baked at a low temperature to ensure that the pavlova is cooked evenly, and keeps a soft and gooey center, and a crisp outside.

How to make Easter Lemon Pavlovas

To make the lemon pavlovas, start by making the meringue.

1. Whip the egg whites on medium speed with an electric mixer for 1 minute.
2. Gradually add the sugar to the mixer. Whip for about 9 minutes on high speed until the meringue is very stiff, with lots of little peaks shooting out.
3. Add the food coloring and mix.
4. Add the cornstarch, lemon juice, and lemon zest.
5. Stir the mixture with a spatula gently folding.

Transfer the meringue to two 16” piping bags fitted with an open star tip, you can use a 1M, or 4B. Pipe the meringue into 3 1/2” inch nests, leaving some space in the center at the top so you can fill it later.

Find below a template you can download with the circles. Print and place under the parchment paper or silicone mat to pipe the pavlovas.

Bake the lemon pavlovas in the 250ºF pre-heated oven for 1 hour. Turn the oven off and leave the pavlovas in there for 30 minutes.

It’s very important to leave the pavlovas in the oven after they are done baking. If you remove them from the oven immediately, or if you constantly open the oven door, the pavlovas will crack or deflate due to the sudden temperature change.

Let them cool down before proceeding with the filling. The unfilled pavlovas can be stored for up to 5 days in an air-tight container at room temperature.

The pavlovas will have a delicious lemon taste and aroma due to the zest. You can always add a dash of lemon extract to the pavlovas as well, about 1/2 tsp will be enough.

Tips for making pavlovas

• You can use super fine sugar, or caster sugar, but the regular granulated sugar works just fine.
• It’s important to add it slowly, a couple of tablespoons at a time, to give it a chance to dissolve.
• Make sure the egg whites are at room temperature, which will also allow for the sugar to dissolve better when whipping the meringue.
• The time suggested in this recipe is just a guideline, you have to make sure the meringue is really stiff before you stop whipping.
• Be careful not to deflate the meringue so much when folding. Fold just as necessary.
• It’s very important to leave the pavlovas in the oven after they are done baking. If you remove them from the oven immediately, or if you constantly open the oven door, the pavlovas will crack or deflate due to the sudden temperature change.

To fill these Easter Lemon Pavlovas, I made a delicious Lemon Curd. I used my regular Lemon Curd recipe, but used golden sugar instead of regular sugar, it provides a delicious nutty taste to the recipe.

You can also add some whipped cream, and then top with the lemon curd. It will be absolutely scrumptious!

Filling these pavlovas with lemon curd makes them the best Spring dessert! Or even for a hot summer day!

What is the shelf life of pavlovas?

The lemon curd will last for up to 5 days in the fridge, and the pavlovas last for up to 5 days in an air tight container at room temperature, but they start to soften up, specially if it’s humid out.

Is it ok to make pavlova the day before serving?

You can make the pavlovas up to a couple of days before serving, and the lemon curd also, but I do recommend filling them the same day you are serving, as the pavlovas will soften up with the curd the longer they sit.

You can top the pavlovas with berries, but you can also top them with mini Cadbury eggs. If topping them with mini Cadbury eggs, make sure to do so immediately before serving because the eggs will start to leak the color into the lemon curd.

If you like these Easter Lemon Pavlovas, you may also like these recipes:

• Lemon Poppy Seed Cookies
• Lemon Poppy Seed Cupcakes
• Mini Cadbury Egg Cookies
• Strawberry Lemonade Cupcakes
• Mascarpone Pastries with Lemon Curd
• Lemon Pie
• Lemon Raspberry Rolls

Easter Lemon Pavlovas

Camila Hurst

These delicious Easter Lemon Pavlovas are the perfect treat to add a festive twist to your holiday celebrations. The light and airy meringue provides the perfect texture for the tangy lemon curd filling.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 30 minutes mins

Cook Time 1 hour hr

Total Time 1 hour hr 30 minutes mins

Course Dessert

Cuisine australian

Servings 12 pavlovas

Calories 150 kcal

Ingredients

  

Lemon Pavlovas

• 5 egg whites
• 1 1/4 cup Domino® Granulated Sugar 250 grams
• A few drops food coloring of choice
• 2 tbsp cornstarch
• 2 tsp lemon juice
• 1/2 tbsp lemon zest
• 1/2 tsp lemon extract (optional for extra lemon taste)

Lemon Curd

• 6 tbsp unsalted butter room temperature (85 grams)
• 2/3 cup Domino® Golden Sugar 133 grams
• 4 large eggs
• 1/2 cup lemon juice 120 ml
• 6 tbsp lemon zest

To decorate

• 1 cup mixed berries blueberries, raspberries, strawberries
• 1/4 cup toasted coconut flakes
• ¼ cup Domino® Powdered Sugar

Instructions

 

Lemon Pavlovas

• Pre-heat the oven to 250 Fahrenheit. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.
• Whip the egg whites on medium speed with an electric mixer for 1 minute. Gradually add the Domino® Granulated Sugar to the mixer.
• Once all the sugar has been added, raise the speed to high and whip for 9 minutes. Total whipping time should be 10 to 12 minutes. Towards the end of the whipping time, around minute 8, add the food coloring to the bowl. The meringue should have stiff peaks, and should look glossy and shiny.
• Add the cornstarch, lemon juice, and lemon zest to the meringue and mix with a spatula until incorporated.
• Transfer the meringue to two 16” piping bags fitted with an open star tip.
• Pipe the meringue into 3 1/2” inch nests, leaving some space in the center at the top so you can fill it later.
• Bake in the pre-heated oven for 1 hour. Turn the oven off and leave the pavlovas in there for 30 minutes. Let them cool down before proceeding with the filling. The unfilled pavlovas can be stored for up to 5 days in an air-tight container at room temperature.
• It's very important to leave the pavlovas in the oven after they are done baking. If you remove them from the oven immediately, or if you constantly open the oven door, the pavlovas will crack or deflate due to the sudden temperature change.

Lemon Curd

• Beat the butter with an electric mixer for about 1 minute at medium speed.
• Add the sugar to the bowl and beat with the butter for 2 minutes.
• Add the eggs, one at a time to the bowl, and mix until combined.
• Add the lemon juice and zest, and mix until combined. You may notice the mixture separating at this point. It’s ok, it will come together later once cooked.
• Transfer the mixture to a small saucepan with a heavy bottom, and cook at medium-low heat, stirring non-stop, for about 10 to 15 minutes, until the curd reaches 170ºF. If you don’t have a thermometer, the curd should be thick enough to heavily coat the back of a spoon.
• Remove the curd to a bowl and let it cool down, then chill in the fridge for at least 2 hours.

To assemble

• Spoon the curd in the center of the pavlovas. Top with the mixed berries and with the toasted coconut. You can also top the pavlovas with a dusting of powdered sugar before serving.

Notes

Curd: don’t stop stirring the curd at any point, and don’t cook at high heat, because that will make the eggs curdle and the curd will taste like scrambled eggs.

Pavlovas: make sure the meringue is super stiff before you stop whipping. If the meringue isn’t stiff enough, the pavlovas will lose their shape once you pipe. The times indicated above are just a guideline.

Filling: You can also add some whipped cream to the center of the pavlovas, and then top with the lemon curd. It will be absolutely scrumptious!

Serving: I do recommend filling them the same day you are serving, as the pavlovas will soften up with the curd the longer they sit.

Shelf life: the lemon curd will last for up to 5 days in the fridge, and the pavlovas last for up to 5 days in an air tight container at room temperature, but they start to soften up, specially if it’s humid out.

Keyword easter, lemon, pavlova