no-fail meringue mixture
- 225ml eggwhite (about 6 eggs)+
- 1½ cups (330g) caster (superfine) sugar
- 1 tablespoon cornflour (cornstarch)
- 1½ teaspoons white vinegar
- Place the eggwhite in the bowl of an electric mixer and whisk on high speed until soft peaks form.
- Add the sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, whisking until each addition is dissolved before adding more++.
- Once all the sugar has been added, scrape down the sides of the bowl and whisk for a further 10–15 minutes or until the mixture is thick and glossy+++.
- Place the cornflour and vinegar in a small bowl and mix until smooth.
- Add the cornflour mixture to the eggwhite mixture and whisk for 30 seconds or until well combined++++. Makes 1 quantity.
+ Making meringue is a science. Be sure to measure your ingredients carefully, including the eggwhites as egg sizes do vary. Fresh, room temperature eggs work best – when whisked they’ll become fluffy and voluminous, plus they’re more stable during baking.
++ Be patient when gradually adding the sugar to the eggwhite. Each tablespoon of sugar should be dissolved before the next is added.
+++ Take care not to overwhisk the meringue mixture – it’s ready when it’s thick, glossy, smooth and there are no more sugar granules. You can check this by rubbing a little mixture between your thumb and forefinger.
++++ See the recipes that follow for how to bake this meringue mixture.
TIP
It’s best to avoid making meringue on humid days. Excess humidity can cause meringue to sink during or after baking.
Marie Giovannis
I did the same as Anne. Add cornflour and vinegar separately and it’s fantastic
Rachel Cowan
This would have to be one of the best pavlova’s I’ve made. I reduced the sugar a little and cooled it for awhile in the oven and it was amazing!
Anne Harrison
I added a comment to the perfect pavlova page. Would give 5 stars but the vinegar to cornflour proportions did not work - turned into gluey hard mess. I tried it twice. Ended up adding cornflour and vinegar separately as mix was whisking and ended up with perfect meringue.
donna hay team
Hi Laura, as making meringue is a science, it is best to make the meringue mixtures one at a time. You will also find most domestic mixers are not big enough to handle a double batch of meringue. Hope this helps!
Laura Schonberger
Hi - sorry for a silly question. If I want to make 2 pavlovas with this recipe can I just double it and split the meringue or should I make 2 separate batches?
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