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Dessert

Pavlova

A meringue-based dessert topped with whipped cream and fruit.

From the Wikibooks Cookbook · 10 ingredients
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Why it works: Sugar and vanilla are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 8% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 35,032 recipes. Both carry beta-damascenone, which smells apple, rose. The science ↓

Pavlova

Oven150 °C (300 °F)
Timeabout 45 minutes

Ingredients

Directions

Make the meringue

  1. Whip the egg whites and salt to a very stiff consistency.

  2. Add water and beat again.

  3. Fold in caster sugar, vanilla, and vinegar.

  4. Whip until the mixture holds its shape and stands in sharp peaks.

  5. Spread the mixture onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

  6. Slow-bake at 150 °C (300 °F) for about 45 minutes.

  7. Let cool.

Top and serve

  1. Whip the cream and powdered sugar to medium peaks.

  2. Spread the whipped cream on top of the meringue.

  3. Arrange the fruit on top of the whipped cream layer.

  4. Serve immediately.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

648Calories
20 gProtein
12 gFat
109 gCarbs

Counts 7 of 9 ingredients. The other 2 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.

What these numbers assume: 7 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Flour1 cup (125g) all-purpose455
Egg1 large egg (50g)78
Cream1 tbsp (15ml) heavy51
Sugar1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated49
Vanilla1 tsp extract (4ml)12
Vinegar1 tbsp (15ml) distilled3
Salt1 tsp (6g)0
Waternot in our table0
Fruitnot in our table0

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

Recipe from the Wikibooks Cookbook.

Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

  1. Sugar + vanillatop 8% of all pairs
    Smell alikelow
    Cooked together35,032 recipes

    Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).

  2. Sugar + creamtop 9% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together43,450 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2,3-butanedione (butter, sweet).

  3. Vanilla + creamtop 15% of all pairs
    Smell alikelow
    Cooked together12,301 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2-nonanone (fruity, floral).

  4. Sugar + vinegartop 15% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together20,806 recipes

    Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).

  5. Egg + sugartop 21% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together122,807 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).

Sugar and vanilla barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 35,032 recipes: they work on texture and structure more than aroma.

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Egg whites
Whipped into foam, they form the airy structure that holds the pavlova together.
Caster sugar
Stabilises the whipped whites and sweetens the crisp, chewy meringue shell.
Vinegar
Acidity helps stabilise the whipped egg white foam and keeps it from collapsing.
Heavy cream
Whipped into a soft layer that adds moisture and richness against the crisp meringue.

The step that matters

Slow-bake and cool the meringue. Baking at a low temperature dries the outside into a crisp shell while keeping the inside soft. Baking too hot causes browning or cracking, and opening the oven or cooling too fast can make it crack or sink.

Swap the vanilla

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (egg, sugar, vinegar, cream):

  1. Vanillathe original
  2. Strawberryfits about as well
  3. Raspberryfits less well
  4. Pineapplefits less well

Fit is the average pairing score against egg, sugar, vinegar, cream. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

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