These mini kiwi vegan pavlovas are the easiest yet most show-stopping dessert that you need to add to your baking list asap! They are perfect to serve for a dinner party or during the holiday season and can require very few ingredients to make.
Thank you to Zespri for sponsoring this post! Zespri SunGold kiwis are sweeter and juicier than their green cousins and also a little sour which balances out the sweet elements of a pavlova. You can find Zespri SunGold kiwis throughout the UK up until December in most major UK supermarkets.
I won’t beat around the bush too much here as I’m sure y’all are dying to see what shenanigans I’ve put into this recipe but here are some recipe notes that I think are quite important!
You may have noticed that I’ve used the Swiss method for the meringue in this recipe instead of French or Italian.
Reminder:
- French (uncooked) – adding sugar directly to whipped meringue.
- Swiss (cooked) – “melting” sugar into egg whites/aquafaba and then whipping.
- Italian (cooked) – pour hot sugar syrup directly into whipped meringue.
The reasons for using the Swiss method are twofold; it is the fastest method if you plan on reducing your aquafaba and the dissolving of the sugar into the aquafaba means we won’t have any lumps in our meringue.
I almost always reduce my aquafaba as it’s a failsafe way of making sure the protein content is potent enough to whip up a stable meringue. Since I planned on reducing the aquafaba, I might as well add the sugar while I do it so I can avoid a lumpy meringue.
If the pavlova needs to last a couple hours at a table, I would recommend dipping the pavlova in vegan chocolate to lock out the moisture. The whipped cream and/or kiwi compote can very quickly dissolve the meringue.
To stabilise the meringue I’ve included cream of tartar and xanthan gum. Cream of tartar is an acid byproduct of winemaking and is used here to provide structure (vegan meringue is often missing acidity found in egg whites). The xanthan gum is also important as it’s a powerful thickening agent and stabilizer. You can get away with omitting these ingredients from the recipe but you may run into any one of the following problems; cracking, drooping, not whipping up to stiff peaks, deflating in the oven, etc.!
One last thing – in the UK we have access to vegan squirty cream which I used for this recipe but not everyone will have access to it so here’s a recipe for a coconut whipped cream if you need it:
- 1 can full fat coconut milk
- 25 – 75g of icing sugar (depending on preferred sweetness)
- optional: 1 tsp vanilla extract + 1 pinch of salt
Chill the can of coconut milk in the fridge overnight or if possible for 48 hours (this guarantees the cream will stick to the top of the can).
Using a chilled mixing bowl, scoop out the coconut cream from the top of the can (avoiding the liquid) and add in the other ingredients. Place on medium speed for 5 minutes until light and fluffy. Serve immediately.
If you’re not a huge fan of whipped coconut cream you can also make your own soy-based double cream. You’ll need a soy cream base (these are widely accessible) and you would need to fortify the cream with stabilisers such as xanthan gum and some acids to make it whippable. Sara Kidd has a vegan whipped cream recipe in her Swedish Princess cake that you can find here!
For this recipe you’ll need:
- kitchen scale
- 1 large piping bag
- electric whisk
- 1cm star tip (or whatever style you like to pipe!)
- silicone mat/parchment paper with baking tray
Enjoy!!
Mini Kiwi Vegan Pavlovas
Crisp on the outside, light and fluffy on the inside, these mini kiwi pavlovas are the perfect showstopper dessert. Served with delicious SunGold kiwi fruit and plant-based whipped cream, friends and family will jubilated to try them!!
Ingredients
- 300g aquafaba (2 cans of chickpeas)
- 100g caster sugar
- 100g icing (powdered) sugar
- 1/2 vanilla bean (or 1 tsp vanilla paste)
- 1 tbsp potato starch (or arrowroot starch/cornstarch)
- ½ tsp cream of tartar
- ¼ tsp xanthan gum (optional)
- 1 x vegan whipped spray cream (or 200ml coconut/soy whipping cream)
- 400g Zespri SunGold kiwis
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
Directions
- Step 1 Pour the 300g of aquafaba and 100g of caster sugar (400g total) into a clean saucepan on low heat. Simmer for 12-15 minutes until it has reduced to 250g total weight. You can check this by pouring the mixture into a bowl on a scale at 12 minutes to see if it is reduced enough.
- Step 2 Pour the aquafaba mix into a stand mixer bowl and leave to cool for 1 hour.
- Step 3 Heat the oven to 95°C (200F).
- Step 4 Take a couple of tablespoons of cooled aquafaba from the bowl and place into a separate smaller bowl then mix in the cream of tartar and xanthan gum and potato starch. Add this wet mix back into the stand mixer bowl. This is a helpful trick to prevent clumping.
- Step 5 Turn the stand mixer up to medium speed and allow to whip up for 10-15 minutes.
- Step 6 Once it reaches firm peaks, spoon the icing sugar into the meringue. Slowly incorporate all of the icing sugar and then whip for a further 3 minutes on high until you reach stiff peaks.
- Step 7 Spoon the meringue into the large piping bag fitted with the star nozzle and pipe 6-8 circular nests of 10cm diameter (spiraling out from the center) with a small “wall” built around the edge to keep the filling in later.
- Step 8 Place the pavlovas into the oven for 3 hours and then turn the oven off and leave to dry out for 3-6 hours (ideally overnight). It’s best to leave them in the oven or in an airtight container until you serve them.
- Step 9 For the kiwi compote, peel 5 kiwis (400g) and place them in a blender with the lemon juice and pulse a few times until smooth. Pour the compote into a sieve above a bowl and press out some of the juice. Drink or discard the juice and set aside the compote.
- Step 10 Assembly: Prepare the vegan whipping cream in advance (or if you are using canned whipped cream then take it out of the fridge).
- Step 11 Place one disc of dry meringue on a plate and pipe spirals of whipped cream on top. Spoon golden kiwi compote on top of the whipped cream. Decorate with other fresh fruit or edible flowers.
- Step 12
- Step 13 Serve and enjoy!
