Pavlova – Meringue Cake

By tinathorn

Ingredients

• 2 cups fine sugar (or sugar processed in a food processor)
• 2 Tablespoons cold unsalted butter (or dairy-free substitute - Earth Balance)
• 2 Tablespoons cornstarch (or potato starch)
• 2 teaspoons white vinegar
• 2 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 8 egg whites, at room temperature

Details

Adapted from glutenfreerecipebox.com

Preparation

Step 1

Preheat oven to 350°F.
In a small bowl, add cornstarch, vinegar, and vanilla extract; whisk until well combined; set aside.
In the bowl of your mixer add sugar and egg whites; beat on low speed just until combined, and sugar has dissolved. Increase speed to high; and beat until soft peaks form. Add cornstarch mixture to egg whites; beat on high speed until very stiff peaks form, about 5 minutes.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper; place a 9-inch round plate pan in the center of of the parchment paper; using a pencil, trace around the plate; turn the parchment paper upside down.
Transfer the whipped meringue to the center of parchment paper; using a rubber spatula, spread the meringue to fit inside the circle, smoothing out the top and sides (or create peaks - may brown, though - okay if covering with whipped cream).
Place the baking sheet in the oven; reduce temperature to 215°F; bake for 1 hour 15 minutes. The higher temperature in the beginning helps set the meringue.
Turn oven off and allow meringue to cool in the oven for 3 - 4 hours. The time is very important as not allowing it to slowly will cause the meringue to become too fragile and break easily.
Remove the parchment paper from the bottom of the meringue; using a pizza peel or 2 large spatulas, transfer the meringue to a serving plate.