Mini Cheesecake Pavlovas Recipe

Steps

1. 1Mini pavlova shells:
2. 2Pre-heat oven to 220F and line a large baking sheet (light colored preferred) with parchment paper
3. 3Add the egg whites to the clean bowl of a stand mixer. Make sure there are no yolk specks in the egg whites, and make sure the bowl and whisk are completely clean with no grease on them. Add the cream of tartar and salt
4. 4Use the balloon whisk attachment (or standard paddle beaters of an electric mixer) to whisk on medium speed for a few minutes until the egg whites look frothy and white
5. 5Add the sugar one spoon at a time while continuing to whisk on medium speed. Towards the end, add the vanilla extract too
6. 6Keep whisking until the egg whites turn into a stiff and glossy meringue that starts to collect in ripples around the whisk and leaves a stiff peak when the whisk is lifted out of it. This process can take several minutes. Do not overmix, as that will cause the meringue to separate and leak water
7. 7Transfer the meringue to a piping bag and cut a ~1/2" hole in it
8. 8Pipe mini pavlova cups onto the baking sheet, about ~3" in diameter. Make sure to pipe raised edges so the pavlovas can hold the cheesecake filling, and ensure there aren't any large gaping holes in them (see video tutorial). You should get ~10 mini pavlovas
9. 9Bake at 220F for ~90 minutes or until the pavlovas look a light golden color and are firm to touch (i.e., not sticky)
10. 10Remove from the oven and let them cool down fully. Once cooled, they should become crispy and should easily come off the parchment paper
11. 11Cheesecake filling:
12. 12Make the filling while the pavlovas are baking
13. 13Add the cream cheese, sugar, salt, vanilla and lemon juice to a bowl and whisk until the mixture looks creamy. Scrape the bowl along the way
14. 14Add the heavy whipping cream and whisk for a few seconds until a thick, pipeable mixture forms
15. 15Transfer to a piping bag and keep refrigerated
16. 16Berry glaze:
17. 17Add the jam, water and sugar to a saucepan. Cook and stir on low heat for a few minutes until a smooth glaze forms that just starts to thicken up. Remove from heat and let cool down
18. 18Assembly:
19. 19Once the pavlovas have completely cooled down, it's time to assemble
20. 20Add a small spoon of the glaze to the bottom of each pavlova. Then pipe a generous swirl of the cheesecake filling into each pavlova (I like to use a star piping tip for this)
21. 21Decorate with a drizzle of the berry glaze and top off with fresh berries
22. 22Serve immediately & enjoy!