The Best Pavlova Dessert: Pavlova with Lemon Curd and Raspberries

This Lemon Curd Pavlova is topped with fresh raspberries. You can make lots of mini pavlovas and serve them individually, or make one large pavlova as an elegant dessert centerpiece. Either way, this pavlova dessert is sure to impress!

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Creating This Pavlova Dessert

What do you do when you’ve made Homemade Lemon Curd and have a whole bunch of egg whites leftover? Make individual pavlovas for dessert! That’s what I did, at least.

I topped my pavlova with lemon curd and fresh raspberries, but the nice thing about a pavlova is that you can top it with whatever you want and whatever is in season at the moment.

I have been craving berries lately. Especially raspberries. For breakfast, snacks, desserts…pretty much anytime. They’re hands down easily one of my favorite fruits.

But they’re so expensive! When I saw a sale on them this week I had to snatch up a couple containers. I enjoyed their bright fruity flavor with the crunchy meringue and creamy lemon curd.

I can’t help thinking of the other possibilities for pavlova as spring progresses into summer. One thing that I particularly love about this pavlova dessert is you don’t need an incredibly hot oven, so it is still doable on a warm day.

On a side note, for some reason Madeline had the bright idea to call this a “dessert quesadilla.” I have no idea what that means.

My husband says it’s because they were white and flat (like tortillas) and it had yellowish stuff on top (like cheese). I’m not seeing the resemblance, so maybe she just thought “Pavlova” was too difficult to say.

What is Pavlova?

Pavlova is a meringue-based dessert. It has a crispy, crunchy meringue-like shell that is soft and moist on the inside.

Wondering where the heck the name pavlova came from? This dessert’s name allegedly originated in honor of the famous Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova. It is said that a chef cited her tutu as inspiration for this billowy dessert and created this dessert in her honor after her New Zealand and Australia tours.

As such, you’ll find that pavlova is a popular dessert in Australia and New Zealand Pavlova, but in recent years it is becoming more popular in the United States. Likely, due to its pretty presentation.

Pavlovas can be made as simple or complicated as you’d like. Sometimes you see layered pavlova desserts with fruit curd and fresh fruit between the layers of meringue.

While I think more elaborate pavlovas are beautiful to look at, I prefer keeping mine simple. These individual lemon curd pavlovas with raspberries are easier to make than you’d think!

AND you probably have all the ingredients to make the meringue-like base. There’s not really anything too fancy about this fancy looking dessert.

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Tools and Supplies to Make Dessert Pavlova

Here are some helpful tool and supply suggestions for preparing this recipe for pavlova with lemon curd and raspberries:

• Stand Mixer with Whisk Attachment – for preparing the whipped meringue
• Rubber Spatula – for scraping the sides down in the mixing bowl
• Parchment Paper – for lining the pan
• Baking Sheet – for cooking the meringue disks
• Pencil – for drawing circle guides for the pavlova meringue

What’s in a Pavlova?

This pavlova dessert has simpler ingredients than you probably think! You’ll need the following items to prepare this beautiful spring pavlova with lemon curd and raspberries:

Meringue Ingredients for Pavlova Dessert

• Vanilla extract
• Lemon juice
• Cream of tartar
• Cornstarch
• Superfine Sugar
• Egg whites*
• Vanilla Bean Paste or Vanilla Extract

*Need help separating the egg whites from the yolks? Check out these tips for how to separate eggs.

Macerated Raspberries

• Fresh Raspberries
• Chambord Liquer
• Granulated Sugar

Whipped Cream

• Heavy Cream
• Powdered Sugar
• Vanilla Bean Paste or Vanilla Extract

Pavlova Dessert Topping Ingredients

• Lemon Curd (use the egg yolks not needed in the meringue)
• Vanilla Whipped Cream
• Macerated Raspberries
• Fresh Raspberries

For the complete ingredient list and detailed instructions, scroll to the bottom of this post for the FREE printable recipe card.

How to Make Lemon Curd Pavlova

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Then, trace circles to use as guides on the sheet of parchment paper.

Separate the egg whites from the yolks, then let them come to room temperature for about 30 minutes. Then, whip the room temperature egg whites together with the cream of tartar until soft peaks begin forming.

Slowly add in the sugar and cornstarch to the beaten egg whites, followed by the lemon juice and vanilla. Continue beating the mixture until the meringue is glossy and stiff peaks form.

Portion the meringue mixture (carefully!) onto the drawn circles on the parchment paper-lined baking tray. Then, transfer the prepared baking sheet to the oven and bake until set. Baking times may vary, but your meringue will likely take 45 to 60 minutes to bake.

While baking, prepare the lemon curd recipe, macerated raspberries, and whipped cream. Store both in the refrigerator until the pavlova assembly stage.

Remove the homemade meringue from the oven and let the crispy meringue shell cool completely on a wire rack. Just before serving, layer lemon curd on top of the meringue in the center of the circle, letting it slightly ooze out the sides of the outer shell. Top with the prepared whipped cream and fresh raspberries.

The above is simply a quick summary of this recipe. Check out the full recipe in the free printable recipe card at the bottom of this post for all the detailed instructions.

Can this Pavlova Dessert Be Made in Advance?

You don’t want to bake the meringue too far in advance, as it tends to deflate and become chewy over time.

The meringue base for this mini pavlova recipe may be prepared 1-2 days in advance. After the meringue has cooled, transfer the meringue disk to an airtight container and store in a cool, dry place.

Meringues can quickly become soft in humid environments. For best results in humid locations, prepare the airy meringue base the day you plan to serve the pavlova if you wish to maintain the crisp texture.

Pavlovas are a delicate dessert and you don’t want to assemble the them too soon before serving them, as the lemon curd can start to break down the meringue if left sitting on top of it for too long! I recommend assembling them just before serving.

How to Store Leftover Pavlova

Leftovers of the prepared pavlova may be stored in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours. This meringue dessert will, lose its crispy texture when stored as leftovers, but it is not harmful to eat leftovers within a day.

Tips for Making a Pavlova Dessert

If you’re looking for an elegant dessert for an upcoming holiday or family gathering, this pavlova will surely be a hit.

Just dress it up with whatever toppings you like best (citrus curd, mounds of fresh whipped cream, or anything else light and refreshing that comes to mind). Then, pile on your seasonal fruit of choice.

I prefer to prepare these as individual desserts rather than a larger pavlova. There’s just something charming and likable to me about mini versions of desserts and individual small replicas of the full sized dessert.

If you prefer a larger pavlova, just make one large circle rather than 6-8 small sized nests. You will need to watch the baking time, however.

Also note that it’s useful to form a small well in the center of the meringue with the back of a spoon prior to baking the meringue. This will help the lemon curd and raspberries rest more easily on top of the pavlova.

Pavlova Substitutions Ideas

The great thing about Pavlova Recipes is that they provide a good opportunity to get creative! All you really need to worry about is that the toppings you add on the meringue nest pair well together.

It is best to have something for moisture like a curd, custard, pastry cream, or whipped cream, and then top that with whatever fruit you think will pair best.

Don’t want to use lemon curd in this Lemon Curd Pavlova? Try Raspberry Curd, Orange Curd, Coconut Lemon Curd, Grapefruit Curd, Almond Custard, or even just whipped cream would be great!

If you don’t want to make your own lemon curd, you can also purchase jars of store bought lemon curd.

If you want to mix up the fruit, you can try a variety of different fresh summer berries: fresh strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, blueberries (or this Lemon Blueberry Sauce), or a mix of berries would be great in this pavlova recipe. For non-berry fruits I recommend fresh peaches in the summer paired with the almond custard or whipped cream (or a combo of both!).

Advice When Making Substitutions in this Pavlova Recipe

Typically I don’t recommend making a bunch of substitutions when preparing a new recipe. When making substitutes, you won’t know if you don’t like the recipe or if the recipe didn’t turn out due to a preparation mistake, an ill effect from the substitute, or something else.

However, if you do choose to make substitutions in a recipe, I recommend only making one substitute at a time so you don’t have a building effect of multiple poor substitutions.

In this Pavlova Recipe, I wouldn’t recommend any substitutions in the meringue part of the recipe unless it is swapping out the extract or adding some lemon zest.

More Special Occasion Desserts:

If you’re looking for an easy dessert the whole family will love, I highly suggest making a batch of Strawberry Fool. It’s essentially strawberries and cream, and it’s perfect during the warmer months!

These Raspberry Almond Angel Food Cake Parfaits look incredibly fancy, but they’re secretly so easy to make. This is a great dessert to make with kiddos!

I made this particular batch of Iced Vanilla Sugar Cookies for Valentine’s Day, but you can cut them into any shape you want!

Another simple dessert recipe with a major wow factor are these Balsamic Strawberry Shortcake Parfaits. Trust me, balsamic and fresh berries pair beautifully together!

No one can resist these Dark Chocolate Almond Molten Lava Cakes. Serve warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and dive right in!

Have you ever eaten pavlova before?

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Photography: photos taken in this post are by Rachael from Set the Table.