Layered Pavlova Torte

serves 8-10

image & recipe@gabo.ninemsn.com.au

Ingredients

For the meringue

• 6 egg whites
• 1½ cups caster sugar
• 1 teaspoon cornflour, sifted
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon white vinegar
• 150g almond meal, toasted
• 250ml thickened cream, whipped
• 250g strawberries, hulled and sliced or chopped
• 2 tablespoons passionfruit pulp

To finish

• fondant and food dye to make strawberries and leaves

Utensils

• 2 baking trays, lined with baking paper
• Preparation Method

1. Preheat the oven to 160°C. Draw 3 rectangles, 24cm long x 12cm wide, on the baking paper. Place the paper, ink side down, onto 2 baking trays.
2. Beat the egg whites in a clean bowl until stiff peaks form. Add the sugar a little at a time, beating well between each addition. Add the cornflour, vanilla and white vinegar. Fold in the almond meal.
3. Spread or pipe the meringue evenly over the rectangles. Bake for 50—60 minutes, then turn off the oven and allow the meringue to dry for a further 30 minutes. Remove the meringue layers from the oven and rest them on a wire rack to continue cooling.
4. Spread some whipped cream over a meringue rectangle and top with fruit. Layer another rectangle on top with more cream and fruit. Finish with a third layer.
5. Colour the fondant red and pink with the food dye and shape into small strawberries. Dye some fondant dark green (use blue and yellow dye plus a small amount of red to avoid a lolly-green colour). Shape this into leaves. Decorate the top meringue with a final smear of cream and top with the fondant strawberries and leaves.