This Easter Pavlova recipe features vanilla meringue nest and eggs with a crisp crust and marshmallowy inside filled with lemon curd and raspberry cream. This raspberry and lemon pavlova is a beautiful edible Easter party decoration, boasting an egg and nest motif and springy flavors.
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The inspiration for the design came from this pavlova from Homemade Stockholm by Cecilia. I thought her beautiful dollops almost looked like eggs, which led me to make mine into half eggs with divots for lemon curd “yolks”. Speaking of yolks, I wanted to make sure this recipe would address the abundance of yolks you’ll be left with after making the meringue, so I made sure to make the fillings “yolks only”.
The raspberry mousse is an adaptation of the crème légère from my Carrot Cake Trifle. The pavlova base is from my Halloween Pavlova, and I am now realizing I have only made pavlovas for holidays. Let me know if you want to see a non-holiday pavlova someday!
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Why you’ll love this recipe
- This recipe uses both the egg whites and yolks.
- Raspberry and lemon work beautifully together.
- The pavlova exterior is pleasantly crunchy.
- All of the components can be prepped ahead of time and assembled quickly before serving so this is great for a party or dinner party.
Ingredients
- Eggs lend their whites for the pavlova and their yolks for the filling.
- Whole milk is the base of the raspberry crème légère.
- Heavy cream lightens the texture of the raspberry crème légère.
- Granulated sugar sweetens the meringue and the fillings.
- Raspberries flavor the cream, while lemon flavors the curd.
- All-purpose flour and cornstarch ensure a thick pastry cream for the crème légère.
- Vanilla bean paste and kosher salt balance the overall flavor profile.
- Unsalted butter adds richness to the lemon curd.
- Cream of tartar ensures the egg whites whip up.
See recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
Substitutions and variations
Here’s how to customize this pavlova to your liking:
- Raspberries — swap fresh for frozen or ground freeze-dried in the raspberry crème légère. Thaw frozen raspberries before using. Sub 1 oz (1 package) of ground freeze dried raspberries, if using.
- Lemon curd — swap for another citrus, like orange or lime.
- No vanilla bean paste — swap for equal amounts or a bit more of vanilla extract.
- Another filling — try another filling like my chocolate mascarpone filling.
- Another fruit — instead of raspberries, try blueberries, cherries or strawberries.
- Mini pavlovas — instead of one big pavlova, pipe mini nests and eggs. Scale back bake time.
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 this Easter pavlova
Step 1: Make the meringue according to recipe instructions and preheat the oven to 300°F. On the prepared sheet pan with the traced circle, pipe a round nest shape. If you have room around it, pipe dollops of meringue for the “eggs”. I made some small and some large. Pipe more “egg” dollops on the second tray. To the egg dollops take measuring spoons of varying sizes to match the size of the “eggs” and use the back sides to scoop a divot in the “eggs”. This will be filled with lemon curd after baking. Place both trays in the preheated oven and turn down the temperature to 250°F. Bake for 1 hour and 45 minutes and DO NOT open the oven at all during baking. After 90 minutes, turn off the oven and let the pavlova rest in there until completely cool, at least 6 hours and up to overnight.
Step 2: Combine the pureed raspberries, milk and vanilla in a medium saucepan over medium heat until simmering. Remove from heat and strain through a fine mesh sieve. Combine the granulated sugar and egg yolks in a medium bowl. Whisk until light yellow and fluffy. Add flour and cornstarch and whisk until combined and lightened even further. Slowly stream in warmed and strained raspberry milk while whisking vigorously. Continue slowly adding in the milk mixture until it is all combined. Return the entire mixture to the medium saucepan and place over low heat. Whisk constantly until the pastry cream has thickened to a pudding consistency. Remove from the heat promptly and transfer to a heatproof bowl. Cover with plastic and press down to touch the surface of the pastry cream to prevent a skin from forming. Chill at least 1 hour. When the pastry cream is completely chilled, whip the ¾ cup heavy cream until stiff peaks form. Stir the chilled raspberry pastry cream before gently folding the whipped cream in.
Step 3: In a heatproof bowl, add the egg yolks, granulated sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice and salt. Beat together with a silicone whisk. Place the bowl over a bain-marie (a saucepan with one inch of water in the bottom that does not touch the bowl when the bowl is placed on top) over medium heat. Cook, whisking constantly, until thickened, this can take 10-15 minutes. Once thickened, remove the bowl carefully from the heat. Add the butter and vanilla and stir until the butter is completely melted in and combined. Pour into a clean bowl and cover with plastic wrap or parchment, making sure it touches the surface to prevent a skin forming. Cool in the refrigerator until completely chilled.
Step 4: Place the meringue nest on a serving plate. Pipe dollops of the raspberry cream in a ring on top. You will have some left over, and can use it to fill any leftover “eggs”. Cover with some of the lemon curd, reserving some for decorating the eggs. Place the eggs on top of the filled nest and fill the egg divots with lemon curd to look like runny egg yolks.
Hot tips
- For the pavlova, wipe down any mixing bowls and utensils the egg whites will come into contact with. This gets rid of any oils on the surface that could cause the meringue to not whip up correctly.
- Do not attempt this recipe on a rainy, humid day. Humidity can affect the success of baked meringues like pavlovas and macarons.
- Store any unfilled “eggs” in an airtight container at room temperature for 3-4 days. They will keep their crunch and can be filled/topped as needed.
Recipe FAQs
Store any uneaten assembled pavlova in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Store fillings in airtight containers in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Store any unfilled “eggs” in an airtight container at room temperature for 3-4 days. They will keep their crunch and can be filled/topped as needed.
Swap fresh raspberries for frozen in the raspberry crème légère without issue. Thaw frozen raspberries before using.
This is not recommended as it could affect the success of the meringue.
More recipes you’ll love
Lastly, if you make this Easter Pavlova recipe be sure to leave a comment or give it a rating. I love to see when people make my recipes, so please tag me @youthsweets on Instagram if you post!
📖 Recipe
Easter Pavlova
Ingredients
Pavlova
- 230 grams egg whites (about 7 egg whites)
- ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
- ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 ½ cups caster sugar* superfine granulated sugar (310g)
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
Lemon curd
- 4 large egg yolks
- ⅔ cup granulated sugar (134g)
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- ⅓ cup lemon juice (80ml)
- ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter (86g) room temperature, sliced
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
Raspberry crème légère
- 1 ¼ cup raspberries fresh or thawed from frozen, pureed/mashed finely (160g)
- 1 ¾ cup whole milk (380g)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or extract
- ½ cup granulated sugar (100g)
- 4 egg yolks (60g)
- 2 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoon cornstarch
- ¾ cup heavy cream (175ml)
Garnish
- 1 tablespoon powdered sugar
- ¼ cup raspberries fresh
- Edible flowers
Instructions
Do ahead
- Be aware that the pavlova needs up to two hours to bake and at least six hours to cool in the oven before assembly.
- The lemon curd and raspberry crème légère can be made a day or two ahead of time and stored in the fridge until needed.
- Prepare two sheet pans with parchment paper lining the bottom. On one of the parchment sheets trace an 8 inch circle on the underside.
Make the pavlova
- Preheat the oven to 300°F.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer* fitted with the whisk attachment, add the egg whites, cream of tartar and kosher salt. Beat on speed 4 until soft peaks form and then begin slowly sprinkling the sugar in 1 tablespoon in at a time until it is all in. Scrape the bowl down a few times to ensure all of the sugar gets incorporated.
- Continue mixing on speed 4 until stiff peaks form, about 25-30 minutes. Add the cornstarch and lemon juice and mix just until incorporated.
- Transfer the meringue to a large piping bag fitted with a large plain round piping tip.
- On the prepared sheet pan with the traced circle, pipe a round nest shape. If you have room around it, pipe dollops of meringue for the “eggs”. I made some small and some large.
- Pipe more “egg” dollops on the second tray. To the egg dollops take measuring spoons of varying sizes to match the size of the “eggs” and use the back sides to scoop a divot in the “eggs”. This will be filled with lemon curd after baking.
- Place both trays in the preheated oven and turn down the temperature to 250°F. Bake for 1 hour and 30 minutes to 1 hour and 45 minutes and DO NOT open the oven at all during baking. After baking, turn off the oven and let the pavlova rest in there until completely cool, at least 6 hours and up to overnight.
Make the raspberry crème légère
- Combine the pureed raspberries, milk and vanilla in a medium saucepan over medium heat until simmering. Remove from heat and strain through a fine mesh sieve.
- Combine the granulated sugar and egg yolks in a medium bowl. Whisk by hand or with beaters until light yellow and fluffy.
- Add flour and cornstarch and whisk until thoroughly combined and lightened even further.
- Slowly stream in warmed and strained raspberry milk with a ladle while whisking vigorously to prevent cooking the eggs. Continue slowly adding in the milk mixture until it is all combined.
- Return the entire mixture to the medium saucepan and place over low heat. Whisk constantly until the pastry cream has thickened to a pudding consistency. This can take 5+ minutes. Remove from the heat promptly and transfer to a heatproof bowl.
- Cover with plastic and press down to touch the surface of the pastry cream to prevent a skin from forming. Chill at least 1 hour or place over a bowl of ice to chill it faster. While waiting on this to chill, feel free to move on to making the curd and come back to finish this when you are ready to assemble.
- When the pastry cream is completely chilled, whip the ¾ cup heavy cream until stiff peaks form. Stir the chilled raspberry pastry cream before gently folding the whipped cream in. Transfer to a large piping bag fitted with a large plain round tip and set aside until ready to fill the pavlova.
Make the lemon curd
- In a heatproof bowl, add the egg yolks, granulated sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice and salt. Beat together with a silicone whisk.
- Place the bowl over a bain-marie (a saucepan with one inch of water in the bottom that does not touch the bowl when the bowl is placed on top) over medium heat.
- Cook, whisking constantly, until thickened, this can take 10-15 minutes. Once thickened, remove the bowl carefully from the heat. Add the butter and vanilla and stir until the butter is completely melted in and combined.
- Pour into a clean bowl and cover with plastic wrap or parchment, making sure it touches the surface to prevent a skin forming. Cool in the refrigerator until completely chilled.
Assemble the pavlova
- Place the meringue nest on a serving plate. Pipe dollops of the raspberry cream in a ring on top. You will have some left over, and can use it to fill any leftover “eggs”. Cover with some of the lemon curd, reserving some for decorating the eggs.
- Place the eggs on top of the filled nest and fill the egg divots with lemon curd to look like runny egg yolks.
