Elderflower Pavlova with Red Fruits and Flowers

For Eloise and Xavier’s flowerful wedding in May 2026 we were requested to make a series (8 in fact) of big, beautiful tiered pavlovas, full of red, orange and yellow colour, to match the colours of the wedding, covered in edible flowers, with the sauce poured over at the table. Eloise’s favourite ingredient in the world is elderflower so the request was to bring the flavour of elderflowers in, to echo the Hugo cocktails from the aperitivo.

Pavlova is potentially our favourite dessert. So we said yes. Crunchy, chewy meringue, sumptuous cream, tangy fruits, and a spectacle to behold. Wedding worthy.

So, in the spirit of the theme of this week’s newsletter, flowers, here is the recipe.

Ingredients

Makes one three tiered pavlova, serves 10 - 14

For the meringues

8 large free-range egg whites

400g caster sugar

1 tsp white wine vinegar

1 tsp cornflour

½ tsp cream of tartar

For the elderflower cream filling

600ml double cream

100g mascapone

75ml elderflower cordial

50g icing sugar, sifted

200g strawberries, hulled and quartered

200g raspberries

1 plum, stoned and quartered

1 passionfruit

Edible flowers - fresh elderflowers if they are around, or pansies, violas, borage or rose petals work well

For the red berry and elderflower coulis

200g frozen red berries

100ml elderflower cordial

1. Preheat the oven to 160C/140C Fan. Line a large baking tray with baking paper and draw a 25cm circle to one side of the paper. Draw a 15cm circle to the side of that, and a further 5cm circle. These will be your guides for the meringue. Use a protractor if you can find one from the old school bag, or draw roughly by eye using a ruler.

2. Put the egg whites and the cream of tartar in a clean mixing bowl and whisk with an electric whisk. Start at a slow speed until the mixture starts to bubble, and then turn up the speed to medium until soft peaks form when the whisk is removed. Gradually add the sugar a spoonful at a time, whisking on full speed until the meringue is stiff and glossy.

3. Mix the vinegar and cornflour together in a cup into a smooth paste, then fold into the egg whites.

4. Spoon out the meringue into the rings drawn on the baking paper. Shape the meringue to have fluted sides and a bowl in the centre that will hold the cream.

5. Put the meringues into the oven and immediately reduce the temperature to 140C/120C Fan. Bake for 1.5 hours, until the outside is hard and a little caramalised. Turn the oven off and leave the meringues inside for at least an hour or overnight to cool and dry.

6. Meanwhile make the red coulis - place the frozen berries and elderflower cordial into a small saucepan. Heat and bring to the boil, cook until the berries have softened. Cool the mixture then blend. Use a spoon or a ladle to push the mixture through a fine sieve or chinois, leaving you with a smooth red sauce. Keep it chilled.

7. Then make the elderflower cream - Whip the cream, mascarpone, elderflower syrup and icing sugar until stiff peaks form when the whisk is removed.

8. Build the pavlova just before serving. The constituent parts can be kept separately. Spoon the cream into the trench of the largest meringue. Place the next meringue on top, fill that with cream, and then place the final piece of the tier on top. Arrange the cut plum, strawberries, raspberries and passionfruit over the top. I prefer to keep it a little messy. 

9. Serve soon after building, garnish with the edible flowers. Bring the pavlova to the table, and pour over the coulis in front of your guests to cheers and whoops of delight, then smash it all up and enjoy.