Easter Lemon Curd Pavlova

Lemon Curd Pavlova with Mini Chocolate Eggs, a delicious dessert for your Easter menu. It's crunchy and crisp on the outside, and soft, marshmallow-like inside, so light and delicate, perfect to impress your guests. The cream and lemon curd work wonderfully well together to give a silky, smooth texture, and the Easter eggs bring colour and a touch of Spring.

Easter, like any other big celebration, is a time for indulgence. The best recipes are displayed on the table; the more colourful, the better.

For me, Easter means nature reborn, sunshine, and joy. And that is usually translated in the dishes I cook too. Yellow and green tend to be the preferred colours, so I use lemon or lime-based recipes quite a bit.

Take this lemon curd pavlova - it really is one dessert of a kind. Yes, it's sugary, but Easter is not the best time for worrying about calories, so just enjoy a good slice of heaven. Or two, if you get a chance before it gets eaten up. Trust me, it will disappear quite quickly from the table, it's that good.

Jump to:

• What is pavlova
• Step-by-step photos and instructions
• What to serve with pavlova
• Similar recipes
• Easter Lemon Curd Pavlova

What is pavlova

Pavlova is a meringue-based dessert that has a crisp crust and a marshmallow-like inside. It's beautifully light, and made by beating egg whites to a stiff consistency, before adding sugar until it's shiny, and it holds its shape perfectly. If meringues are usually crisp throughout, pavlova is soft on the inside.

Step-by-step photos and instructions

Now, lots of recipes call for vinegar and cream of tartar to help achieve the desired consistency, but I experimented quite a lot and reached the conclusion that, if all the right steps are followed, only 2 ingredients are needed: egg whites and sugar. And you still get perfect results. Let's see how!

1. First - make sure the egg whites are at room temperature! This is crucial, otherwise the pavlova will crack in the oven. This is usually a golden rule in baking, ingredients at room temperature bring the best results.
2. Beat the egg whites with a pinch of sugar until you get soft peaks, then gradually add in the sugar, and keep beating until you get a meringue-like, shiny consistency. Having a hand mixer is a God-sent, if you use a whisk it will take some time and effort, but it's still doable.
3. Line a large baking tray with non-stick baking paper, then spread the egg whites in a large circle, mine must have had about the size of a plate, and about 2 cm in height.
4. Bake in the preheated oven at 100 degrees Celsius (212 Fahrenheit) for 80 minutes undisturbed, then leave the pavlova to cool down in the oven without opening the oven door for at least 2-3 hours. DO NOT OPEN THE OVEN DOOR SOONER, OR THE PAVLOVA WILL CRACK.

What to serve with pavlova

Pavlova is usually topped with whipped cream and fresh fruit, berries or passion fruit being amongst the favourite. The fresh fruit help brighten up the dessert, and balance the sweetness of the pavlova.

But, lemon curd can work absolutely brilliant too, its sharp, zesty touch is just perfect here. I still used whipped cream too, for a soft, creamy contrast to the crispiness of the pavlova.

And, since it's Easter, colourful mini chocolate eggs add the final touch to create the most delicious, and beautiful dessert too. Hard to resist not having one too many slices!

Similar recipes

If you like meringue (based) desserts, how about my Meringue Nests with Lemon Curd? They are similar to the pavlova, and equally delicious.

If you’ve tried my LEMON CURD PAVLOVA WITH CHOCOLATE EGGS or any other recipe on the blog then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you! You can also FOLLOW ME on FACEBOOK, and PINTEREST to see more delicious food and what I’m getting up to.