This Hazelnut Cream Pavlova with Plums and Caramel recipe yields mini pavlovas filled with a hazelnut whipped cream, prune caramel, honey-macerated plums and roasted hazelnuts. This dessert is a love letter to balanced flavors and textures. The crunchy meringue pairs so beautifully with the silky cream, and the tart plums bring relief from the sweetness of the prune caramel.
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This dessert is another installment of my vintage recipe redo series on social media. This time, I tackled "baked prune whip" from the vintage Betty Crocker cookbook, which is a soufflé-like meringue filled with chopped prunes and nuts. I've been pleasantly surprised by most of the vintage recipes, but I really don't have anything nice to say about this one. It was severely lacking in the texture and flavor department (think bland scrambled egg whites with soggy nuts). I immediately thought to pavlova to bring in a crunchy element while maintaining the use of meringue. I am always pleased by the taste and texture of pavlovas I make, but this one is by far the prettiest. I owe that to Mamma Pavlova's foolproof base recipe that produces a perfectly smooth exterior.
Eventually I hope to have a pavlova recipe for every season on this blog, so far I've tackled Halloween and Easter. Even though I made this with in-season summer plums, the look of it lends itself to fall, as well. These would be beautiful for a summer party or an early fall gathering, since plums are in season until September.
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Why you'll love this recipe
- You get every texture here: crunchy hazelnuts, chewy interior meringue, silky cream and firm, juicy plums.
- Real hazelnuts flavor the whipped cream.
- This is a great recipe to use up hazelnuts and plums.
Ingredients
- Hazelnuts flavor the whipped cream filling.
- Plums bring a fresh, tart component to the dessert.
- Egg whites are the base of the pavlovas. I use large egg whites.
- Granulated sugar sweetens the pavlovas and caramel.
- Heavy cream, also known as double cream, adds richness to the caramel and the filling.
- Vanilla extract and kosher salt balance the overall flavor profile.
- Lemon juice prevents crystallization in the caramel sauce and adds a tang to the plums.
- Honey sweetens the plums and helps them release their juices.
- Cornstarch provides structure for the pavlovas.
- Powdered sugar, also known as icing sugar, sweetens the pavlovas and whipped cream.
- Bay leaf and prunes adds flavor to the salted caramel.
See recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
Substitutions and variations
Here's how to customize this hazelnut cream pavlova with plums and caramel to your liking:
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- Another fresh fruit — swap plums for another stone fruit, like peaches, nectarines or cherries. Fresh raspberries would also be great as a garnish (I would not macerate them).
- No prunes — omit the prunes without issue.
- Brown sugar — swap 2 tablespoons of the granulated sugar for brown sugar in the meringue base.
- Chocolate — swap the salted caramel for melted chocolate and/or add chocolate curls as a garnish with the toasted hazelnuts.
- One big pavlova — instead of piping individual mini pavlovas, pipe one large pavlova. Increase the bake time to 3 hours and 30 minutes. Assemble on a large serving plate and serve immediately.
- Ice cream — instead of hazelnut whipped cream, fill the pavlova with store-bought or homemade ice cream for a refreshing treat on a hot day.
- Hazelnut praline — follow the instructions in this recipe, swapping macadamia nuts for toasted hazelnuts, to make a hazelnut praline to replace the salted caramel.
This recipe has not been tested with any substitutions or variations. If you try any, please let me know how it turned out by commenting below!
How to make Hazelnut Cream Pavlovas with plums and Caramel
Step 1: Toast the hazelnuts on a parchment lined baking sheet at 350°F until dark, but not burnt, about 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool, then rub the hazelnuts in a clean dish towel to remove the skins. Chop in a food processor or by hand until finely ground. Reserve 2 tablespoons of the chopped nuts in a small bowl for garnish. In a saucepan over medium, heat the cream until boiling. Turn off the heat and add the chopped hazelnuts. Cover and steep for 30 minutes before transferring to the refrigerator to chill overnight. Just before assembling the pavlovas to serve, sieve out the hazelnuts and whip the cream, powdered sugar and vanilla extract together in a large bowl with beaters on medium-high speed until soft peaks.
Step 2: Prepare a large baking tray with parchment paper. Preheat the oven to 200°F. Prepare a large baking sheet with parchment paper. In a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, add the egg whites and kosher salt. Beat on medium-high until foamy, then start gradually and slowly adding the granulated sugar. Beat on high until stiff peaks form. Sift in the powdered sugar and cornstarch and fold it in with a rubber spatula. Then fold in the lemon juice and vanilla, if using. Transfer the mixture to a large piping bag fitted with a large round piping tip. Pipe 8 large dollops onto the prepared pan. Press and “scoop out” the middles with the back of a spoon to create a divot for filling later. Bake for 2 hours and do not open the oven door during baking. Then turn off the oven with the pavlovas inside and let the pavlovas cool inside the oven until the oven is completely cooled down (1-2 hours) before removing.
Step 3: In a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan, add the granulated sugar and lemon juice. Place over medium heat, stirring constantly with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon until the sugar is completely melted. When the sugar is completely melted, add the butter and stir with a whisk until combined. Be careful as the mixture will sputter and bubble up. Once the butter is incorporated, stir constantly while gradually adding the heavy cream. Be careful, again, as the mixture will sputter and bubble up. Once combined, stop stirring and boil for 1 minute or until the caramel reaches 220°F. Remove from the heat, stir in the kosher salt and the bay leaves, then pour into a heatproof container to cool to at least room temperature before using. Add the prunes to a small saucepan. Add enough water to just cover them. Cook over medium heat until fork tender, about 5-10 minutes. Let cool slightly before blending with 1-2 tablespoons of the cooking liquid until smooth. Add ½ cup (150g) the salted caramel sauce and stir together. Pour through a fine mesh sieve, discarding the prune pulp.
Step 4: 20 minutes before assembling to serve, stir together the sliced plums, honey, lemon juice and kosher salt. Let sit for 20 minutes. Fill the pavlova divots with some of the caramel, then the hazelnut whipped cream. Add a few of the plum slices and some of the juices, if desired, before garnishing with the reserved chopped toasted hazelnuts.
Top tips
- Save the egg yolks to make lemon curd or vanilla bean pastry cream.
- Do not rush baking the pavlovas or open the oven during baking. Pavlovas need a steady, dry environment to achieve the classic crunchy exterior. If you live in a humid environment, consider running a dehumidifier on the day you bake these.
Recipe FAQs
Store assembled leftover pavlova in an airtight container in the refrigerator and eat within 2 days. If you store the unassembled components separately they will last longer. Store the pavlova shells by themselves in an airtight container at room temperature. The nuts can also be stored at room temperature. Store the hazelnut cream, plums and caramel in the refrigerator for 3 days.
Yes, make all of the components, storing separately, until assembly.
Yes. Swap for almonds, macadamias or pecans without issue.
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📖 Recipe
Hazelnut Cream Pavlova with Plums and Caramel
Equipment
Ingredients
Hazelnut whipped cream
- ⅔ cup + 2 tablespoon hazelnuts raw (100g)
- 1 ½ cup heavy whipping cream (378g)
- ¼ cup powdered sugar (33g)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Pavlovas
- 4 egg whites (120g)
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ cup + 1 tablespoon granulated sugar (120g)
- 1 cup + 2 teaspoon powdered sugar (120g)
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- Pinch vanilla powder or ½ teaspoon of vanilla bean paste
Honey macerated plums
- 3 plums thinly sliced
- 1 ½ tablespoon honey (29g)
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- Pinch of kosher salt
Prune salted caramel sauce (optional)
- 1 cup granulated sugar (200g)
- ½ teaspoon lemon juice
- 6 tablespoon unsalted butter (85g) room temperature, cut into 6 pieces
- ½ cup heavy cream (120ml) room temperature
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 bay leaves
- 4 dried prunes (33g)
- ½ cup water (120g)
Instructions
Do ahead
- Warning: Part of the hazelnut whipped cream recipe needs to sit overnight.
- The pavlovas can be made a day or two ahead of time and stored in an airtight container at room temperature until ready to assemble.
- The caramel sauce can be made a few days ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator until ready to use.
Make the hazelnut whipped cream
- Toast the hazelnuts on a parchment lined baking sheet at 350°F until dark, but not burnt, about 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool, then rub the hazelnuts in a clean dish towel to remove the skins. Chop in a food processor or by hand until finely ground. Reserve 2 tablespoons of the chopped nuts for garnish.
- In a saucepan over medium, heat the cream until boiling. Turn off the heat and add the chopped hazelnuts. Cover and steep for 30 minutes before transferring to the refrigerator to chill overnight.
- Just before assembling the pavlovas to serve, sieve out the hazelnuts and whip the cream, powdered sugar and vanilla extract together until soft peaks.
Make the pavlova
- Preheat the oven to 200°F. Prepare a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, add the egg whites and kosher salt. Beat on medium-high until foamy, then start gradually and slowly adding the granulated sugar. Beat on high until stiff peaks form.
- Sift in powdered sugar and cornstarch and fold it in with a rubber spatula. Then fold in the lemon juice and vanilla, if using. Transfer the mixture to a large piping bag fitted with a large round piping tip.
- Pipe 8 large dollops onto the prepared pan. Press and “scoop out” the middles with the back of a spoon to create a divot for filling later.
- Bake for 2 hours and do not open the oven door during baking. Then turn off the oven with the pavlovas inside and let the pavlovas cool inside the oven until the oven is completely cooled down (1-2 hours) before removing.
Make the caramel sauce
- In a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan, add the granulated sugar and lemon juice. Place over medium heat, stirring constantly with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon until the sugar is completely melted.
- When the sugar is completely melted, add the butter and stir with a whisk until combined. Be careful as the mixture will sputter and bubble up.
- Once the butter is incorporated, stir constantly while gradually adding the heavy cream. Be careful, again, as the mixture will sputter and bubble up. Once combined, stop stirring and boil for 1 minute or until the caramel reaches 220°F.
- Remove from the heat, stir in the kosher salt and the bay leaves, then pour into a heatproof container to cool to at least room temperature before using.
- Add the prunes to a small saucepan. Add enough water to just cover them. Cook over medium heat until fork tender, about 5-10 minutes. Let cool slightly before blending with 1-2 tablespoons of the cooking liquid until smooth. Add ½ cup (150g) the salted caramel sauce and stir together. Pour through a fine mesh sieve, discarding the prune pulp.
Macerate the plums
- 20 minutes before assembling to serve, stir together the sliced plums, honey lemon juice and kosher salt. Let sit for 20 minutes.
Assemble
- Fill the pavlova divots with some of the caramel, then the hazelnut whipped cream. Add a few of the plum slices and some of the juices, if desired, before garnishing with the reserved chopped toasted hazelnuts.
Notes
Nutrition
Originally published 07/18/2025.
Truly one of the best desserts I have ever made. The hazelnut whipped cream is SO GOOD. Full disclosure, I am the author of this recipe.