Banana, Salted Caramel and Malteser Pavlova
by Jane Lovett
This delectable recipe always goes down a storm! Both crisp and chewy, this pavlova topped with soft pillowy, whipped cream, bananas, salted caramel and Maltesers is a decadent seasonal treat. Pavlovas are easy, can be made well in advance and are an inexpensive way of feeding a lot of people. They are prone to cracking, but this is nothing to worry about (and I think it adds to their appeal). A special alternative to Christmas Pudding.
Method
Based on 8 servings, adjust as needed.
Step 1
Preheat the oven to 140°C/120°C fan/gas 1. Draw a 20cm circle on a piece of baking parchment and use this to line a baking sheet. Freeze your Maltesers.
Step 2
In a mixing bowl, whisk the egg whites with a pinch of salt until stiff, then add the sugar, a tablespoon at a time, whisking it in well after each addition. The mixture will be very thick and shiny. When all the sugar is incorporated, add the cornflour, vanilla extract and vinegar and whisk well again.
Step 3
Secure the paper to the baking sheet with two tiny blobs of meringue, then pile the mixture onto the lined baking sheet, keeping it within the circle and moulding it into a high-sided round shape with a deep hollow in the middle (it will spread during cooking).
Step 4
Bake for 1 hour, then turn the oven off, leaving the pavlova inside until it’s cold, without opening the door. Carefully release the pavlova from the paper with a palette knife and slide it onto a large, flat serving plate. It will have spread a little.
Step 5
While the pavlova is cooking, halve 60g of the frozen Maltesers: hold a Malteser between a thumb and forefinger and insert the point of a small sharp knife into the top of the Malteser, then push down hard on a chopping board to split/halve it. It doesn’t matter if one or two shatter. (Despite seeming faintly ridiculous, this is the only way it will work, as slicing causes shattering.) Keep at room temperature or in the freezer.
Step 6
Lightly whip the cream, just until it begins to thicken into very soft peaks (it will thicken more when spooned into the pavlova) and spoon it into the centre of the pavlova. Peel and slice the bananas diagonally and scatter them over the cream, followed by the halved and whole Maltesers, then drizzle some salted caramel sauce in zigzags over the entire plate and serve.
- Ingredients
- Based on 8 servings
-
4 Egg Whites 1x Sainsbury's British Free Range Eggs Medium x6 -
2 Firm Bananas 2x Sainsbury's Fairtrade Bananas Loose -
85g Maltesers, frozen 1x Maltesers Milk Chocolate & Honeycomb Bites Bag 93g -
1 tsp White Vinegar 1x Sainsbury's Distilled Vinegar 568ml -
2 tbsp Salted Caramel Sauce, for drizzling 1x Jude's Salted Caramel Sauce 310g -
a pinch Salt 1x Maldon Sea Salt Flakes 250g -
225g Caster Sugar 1x Sainsbury's White Caster Sugar 500g -
1 tsp Cornflour 1x Sainsbury's Cornflour 500g -
1 tsp Vanilla Extract 1x Sainsbury's Madagascan Vanilla Extract, Taste the Difference 38ml -
600mls Double Cream 1x Sainsbury's Double Cream 600ml