If you are vegan or have an allergy to eggs and dairy our Vegan Pavlova with Fresh Fruit is a “must have” recipe in your collection. The secret ingredient is the chickpea brine in the can, you usually throw down the sink.
Preheat the oven to 135ºC (275°F).
Put the Chickpea brine and mixing bowl in the freezer to chill for 10 minutes or chill the chickpea can overnight. (Chilling will give your meringue higher peaks when mixing.)
On baking paper draw a circle (approx 20cm or 8”). You can use a cake tin as your guide. Mix together the dry ingredients sugar, arrowroot or tapioca powder and salt and set aside.
Once the chickpea brine and mixing bowl is chilled it's time to whip into a meringue. Use a hand mixer or electric mix and start at a low speed and increase to the medium speed.
Soft peaks should start showing around 5 to 7 minutes, increase speed of mixer to high at this stage and slowing add the mixed dry ingredient a teaspoon at a time (sugar, arrowroot and salt). Continue whipping and you should notice the meringue appearance go stiff and glossy and remain firm.
The Vegan Pavlova meringue is ready when you can hold the bowl upside down and the meringue stays firm.
When the meringue is stiff and firm gently add the vanilla and vinegar. Mix until the vanilla and vinegar has disappeared.
Time to make the Vegan Pavlova base. You need to work immediately after whipping the meringue. On a baking tray, place the baking paper with the circle to use as the guide. Fill the meringue into a piping bag and start from the centre of the circle work out to the circle guide.
You'll want to do this immediately after whipping the meringue. If using a spatula, spread the meringue to fill the circle. You should have enough meringue for 2 or 3 meringue layers.
Put the meringue in the oven to bake and immediately turn down the heat to 100ºC (250°F).
Bake for 2 to 2.5 hours or until the outside is dry to the touch and ever so slightly browned. The pavlova should sound hollow when very lightly tapped. Leave to cool Handle the Vegan Pavlova very carefully it's when removing off the baking paper.
It's important that you chill the can of Coconut Milk overnight. When you open the can the cream and milk will separate. Remove the cream carefully from the milk. It's the coconut cream that will be mixed. Add the coconut cream into a mixer with ¼ teaspoon of vanilla paste and 2 teaspoons icing sugar.
Start by very gently removing the first Pavlova base from the baking paper. You can easily crack the pavlova when using force. Spread a layer of coconut cream over the meringue, add the fresh fruit around the pavlova. Add the next layer, spread the coconut cream and finish topping with plenty of fresh fruit, we use raspberries and blueberries.
Finish with a drizzle of syrup, like maple syrup over the topping of pavlova or dust fruit icing powder. On our Vegan Pavlova we drizzled our Rosebud Red wine syrup.
You can make individual Vegan Pavlova or one cake size Pavlova.
Serving Size 5-6 servings