Welcome to

Hedonistit blog

What is the next step toward turning your hobby into your full time job?

quiz

Taking Pleasure Seriously

Pavlova Layered Cake With Coconut Cream And Wild Berries

Passover used to be a tough holiday from a culinary perspective.

Matzas never really had a good substance and the desserts were dominated by coconut cookies, nuts and of course the matza cookies from the “Gatenu brothers” company.

I used to love those cookies and as a little girl I used to snack on the coconut cookies long after the holiday was over…

Today, it’s a whole different story.

They managed to invent so many types of bread, which you could really enjoy, and amazing cakes that you can’t even believe that are Kosher for Passover.

{It makes me wonder….

If the purpose of the holiday is to eat Matzos and avoid Chametz to celebrate the miracle of the Exodus – and they already managed to invent so many great substances that make us almost completely avoid eating Matzos and forget about the Chametz issue –

Then what’s the point?}.

Anyway, there’s one classic among the holiday’s desserts that I absolutely love – the Pavlova!

So yes, we already tasted desserts in restaurants that are much more complicated and surprising for Passover, but the Pavlova has something special to it…

it’s beautiful.

And very, very tasty.

And the cherry on top – it’s super easy to make {and only take 20 minutes of work} !

Whoever hosts on Passover knows how long and hard the preparations for the holiday meal are, so if you could make a delicious dessert, that’s much less complicated than it looks and will get you loads of compliments – why not?

There’s more than one way to make Pavlova, and there are also two different views regarding the final texture of the dessert – hard and completely dry or crispy outside and marshmallowy inside.

I decided to share with you my favorite recipe, which follows the second way to view this dessert, that makes me want to take “just one more small bite” from the cream, and to straighten the cake “just a little bit more”.

Instead of the regular cream made from dairy, I decided to go for the coconut cream – it’s much healthier than non-dairy cream, and it tastes better and adds an interesting twist to the dessert.

◄◄Pavlova layered cake with coconut cream and wild berries {Kosher for Passover}►►

Preparation time : 20 minutes.

Baking time : 90 minutes.

Ingredients –

For the meringue :

5 egg whites at room temperature {I used size XL eggs}
1 cup of sugar
1 tablespoon of cornstarch
½ tablespoon of vinegar
To enrich the taste – you can add a little orange zest or a vanilla stick {it’s optional and also very tasty without it 😉 }.

For the cream :

A can (400 ml) or a carton (500 ml) of coconut cream, chilled at least one night in the coldest area in the refrigerator – it’s very important for the cream to have at least 20% fat.
1-2 tablespoons of powdered sugar or honey
A few drops of red food coloring {optional – I just wanted a pinkish cream }

For the wild berry sauce :

100 grams of frozen wild berries
3 tablespoons of water
2 tablespoons of sugar

For the topping :

Strawberries – washed and sliced in halves???

Instructions –

Meringue :

Heat the oven to 120 degrees Celsius and prepare two baking trays with baking paper.
In a clean bowl, beat the egg whites on a high speed {it’s very important to avoid contact between the bowl and beaters with water or oil}.
After a few minutes a very soft foam forms from the egg whites, and at this point, gradually add the sugar and continue beating for several more minutes until you get a steady and shiny cream {it shouldn’t move even if you flip the bowl}.
Add the cornstarch and vinegar to the bowl {and if you’re using vanilla or orange zest, now’s the time to add it, too}, and beat for a few seconds on a slow speed until all ingredients are completely implemented.
Using a spatula, place the meringue evenly into the prepared trays and form circles {those of you strict bakers will mark circles on the baking paper and turn it before placing the meringue, but I love my Pavlova more rural and less accurate}.
Place the tray in the oven and bake for 30 minutes at 120 degrees Celsius, then lower the heat to 100 degrees Celsius and continue to bake for an hour.
When it’s done baking, slightly open the door and let the meringue cool for at least an hour and a half until it’s completely cool.

Cream :

I found an excellent recipe for a delicious coconut cream in this blog – the explanation there so detailed, you should just read it to get the perfect cream.

Wild berry sauce :

Place all of the ingredients in a small pot and bring to a boil.
Reduce the heat, mash the fruit using a fork or potato masher and cook for around another 10 minutes until you get a thick sauce.

3. Let the sauce cool slightly.