Enjoy this summer twist on a timeless Australian dessert - Fig and Cinnamon Pavlova! It is a stunning meringue combined with the praline cream and decorated with fresh figs, that is perfect for a special occasion or a dessert for whenever just because!
Have you ever been obsessed with any fruit? You will not believe how much I love figs and how I wait for fig season each year. Once they first appear in a grocery store, each time I go shopping, I come back home with a box of fresh figs. I get the most out of fig season every year!
After I made Fresh Fig and Almond Cake, Fig Tart with Hazelnut Praline and Savoury breakfast Muffins With Ham And Figs, I am up for another summer sweet delight - fig and cinnamon Pavlova.
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Pavlova cake
The origin of Pavlova is considered to be Australia or maybe New Zealand. It depends on who you ask. Both Australians and New Zealanders are proud of being the first ones who created the stunning dessert.
However, there is no doubt that Pavlova cake was named after the Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova!
The classic cake Pavlova is a white meringue-based dessert served as a whole cake. However, small Pavlovas are another variation.
The center of Pavlova/s is usually gooey, almost toffee-like. It is usually topped with traditional whipped cream and fruit.
Fig and cinnamon Pavlova
Original cinnamon Pavlova with fresh figs - a creation of Yotam Ottolenghi and Helen Goh - is made with dark muscovado sugar and flavored with cinnamon. Its dry and crunchy center is covered with a layer of dark chocolate. The mascarpone-based cream is flavored with almond praline.
I made some changes in the recipe, replacing dark brown muscovado sugar with the more well known brown sugar. Then I used a homemade Hazelnut Praline, which I always keep stocked in the fridge; although, you can use a store-bought hazelnut praline.
Ingredients
Here is a quick overview of what ingredients you will need. Follow the full recipe below for detailed amounts and instructions. I recommend making this recipe as written for the best results.
- Egg whites: The recipe calls for large egg whites. It is easy to separate egg whites from egg yolks while the eggs are right from the fridge. Then let egg whites warm up to room temperature for 30 to 60 minutes before you start making the meringue.
- Sugar: use regular granulated white sugar. It is preferable to process sugar in a food processor for a few seconds to get superfine sugar, which helps to whisk the meringue.
- Brown sugar: either use brown sugar or replace it with dark brown muscovado sugar if you prefer.
- Ground cinnamon: use Ceylon ground cinnamon, but if you want to intensify the flavor, you can consider trying Saigon cinnamon.
- Hazelnut praline: make Hazelnut Praline Paste yourself or use a store-bought hazelnut praline.
- Whipping cream: whisk the cold cream in a chilled metal bowl for the best result. Keep the container in the freezer for about 15 minutes before you start making the cream.
- Pistachios: use either raw or toasted unsalted pistachios.
- Dark chocolate: choose high-quality dark chocolate such as Valrhona dark chocolate.
- Figs: fresh seasonal figs are the star of this Pavlova!
- Honey: your favorite brand of honey as a topping.
- Mascarpone.
If you ever need to adjust your baking pan and re-calculate the amounts of ingredients to make your favorite dessert, try this simple Cake Pan Converter.
Why this Pavlova recipe works
- Adding brown sugar and baking the meringue to perfection results in the dry and crispy meringue.
- Ground cinnamon brings an additional flavor.
- Making a thin layer of dark chocolate in the center of the meringue nest holds the cream and prevents the meringue from soaking.
- The nutty taste of the praline cream is well balanced with the caramel-cinnamon flavor of the meringue.
- Honey/pistachio mixture poured on top of the cake gives a beautiful and tasty touch.
How to make fig and cinnamon Pavlova step by step
Preheat oven to 250 degrees F/120 C. Prepare a baking sheet covered with parchment paper. Draw a circle of 9 inches/23 cm in diameter with a pencil and turn the paper so that the ring will face down.
To make the meringue, prepare a bain-marie/water bath. In a large bowl, place egg whites, granulated and brown sugar, and combine with a hand whisk. Bring the pot over a bain-marie and beat 4 minutes, using the hand whisk (photo 1).
Make sure that the water of the water bath is not boiling: it has to simmer. Once sugar is melted, take the bowl out of bain-marie and whisk on high speed 5 minutes, until the meringue becomes stiff and glossy (photo 2).
Add cinnamon and whisk again (photo 3). Pour the meringue on the center of the circle and form the nest, using a bent spatula or a metal spoon. Try to lift the edges of the meringue nest (photo 4).
Bake for 3 hours. Once the meringue is ready, do not remove it from the oven. Let the meringue cool in the switched-off oven for 2 hours (photo 5).
Melt dark chocolate in a microwave, stirring every 30 seconds, or melt it over a bain-marie/water bath. Brush the center of the meringue nest with the melted chocolate, using a silicone brush. Let it set for 2 hours (photo 6).
To make the praline cream, place whipping cream, cheese mascarpone, and hazelnut praline in a bowl of the stand mixer and whisk for 1 minute. Be careful not over to whisk the cream; otherwise, it might split. Refrigerate till serving (photo 7). Cut figs into 1 cm thick rings (photo 8).
To assemble the cake, garnish the center of the cake with the praline cream and arrange fresh figs (photo 9). Warm honey in a microwave and add raw pistachios. Pour the honey/nuts mixture on top of figs (photo 10). Serve immediately.
Expert tips
- Replace brown sugar with dark brown muscovado sugar if you prefer.
- Replace dark chocolate with milk or white chocolate if you desire.
- Make homemade almond praline instead of Hazelnut Praline if you prefer. Following the recipe where switch hazelnuts for almonds or use a store-bought hazelnut praline.
- If the praline cream begins to split, add some whipping cream and whisk again.
- Refrigerate the praline cream till serving. Once you fill the meringue nest with the cream and fresh figs, serve immediately.
- Use roasted almonds (instead of raw pistachios) to decorate the cake.
Frequently Asked Question
What is bain-marie?
Bain-marie is a fancy French term of a hot water bath. It is used to make custards and melt chocolate. To make a bain-marie, pour 3 inches/8 cm of water in a saucepan, then place a heatproof bowl (another pot or a glass Pyrex bowl) on top of the pan.
Make sure that the top bowl fits snugly over the saucepan, so the steam is trapped beneath it. Bring the water to a simmer, place ingredients into the top pan, and follow instructions of the recipe.
More delicious Pavlova recipes you will love
- Plum Pavlova With Red Wine Sauce
- Mandarin And Gingerbread Pavlova
- Christmas Pavlova Wreath Recipe
- Browse all the Cake Recipes
Please, note that the recipe was primarily developed using gram measurements for high precision and then converted to the US volume and weight measurements. I recommend using a kitchen scale for accuracy and the best results.
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Recipe
French Fig And Cinnamon Pavlova
Enjoy this summer twist on a timeless Australian dessert - Fig and Cinnamon Pavlova! It is a stunning meringue combined with the praline cream and decorated with fresh figs, that is perfect for a special occasion or a dessert for whenever just because!
- Total Time: 4 hours, 15 minutes (plus resting time)
- Yield: 12 1x
- Category: Cakes
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Australian
Ingredients
For the meringue:
- ½ cup (122g) egg whites
- ½ cup + 2 ½ teaspoons (125 g) granulated sugar
- ½ cup (100 g) brown sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
For the praline cream:
- 1 tablespoon hazelnut praline
- ⅔ cup + 3 ½ tablespoons (200 ml) whipping cream
- 14.1 oz (400 g) mascarpone
For assembling:
- 0.7 oz (20 g) raw pistachios
- 1.7 oz (50 g) dark chocolate (70% cacao)
- 21 oz (600 g) fresh figs
- 3 tablespoons honey
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 250 degrees F/120 C. Prepare a baking sheet covered with parchment paper. Draw a circle of 9 inches/23 cm in diameter with a pencil and turn the paper so that the ring will face down.
- To make the meringue, prepare a bain-marie. In a large bowl, place egg whites, caster and brown sugar, and combine with a hand whisk. Bring the pot over a bain-marie and beat 4 minutes, using the hand whisk. Make sure that the water of bain-marie is not boiling: it has to simmer. Once sugar is melted, take the bowl out of bain-marie and whisk on high speed 5 minutes, until the meringue becomes stiff and glossy. Add cinnamon and whisk again.
- Pour the meringue on the center of the circle and form the nest, using a bent spatula or a metal spoon. Try to lift the edges of the meringue nest. Bake for 3 hours. Once the meringue is ready, do not remove it from the oven. Let the meringue cool in the switched-off oven for 2 hours.
- Melt dark chocolate in a microwave, stirring every 30 seconds, or melt it over a bain-marie. Brush the center of the meringue nest with the melted chocolate, using a silicone brush. Let it set for 2 hours.
- To make the praline cream, place whipping cream, cheese mascarpone, and hazelnut praline in a bowl of the stand mixer and whisk for 1 minute. Be careful not over to whisk the cream; otherwise, it might split. Refrigerate till serving.
- To assemble the cake, garnish the center of the cake with the praline cream and arrange fresh figs cut into 1 cm thick rings. Warm honey in a microwave and add raw pistachios. Pour the honey/nuts mixture on top of figs. Serve immediately.
Notes
- Replace brown sugar with dark brown muscovado sugar if you prefer.
- Replace dark chocolate with milk or white chocolate if you desire.
- Make homemade almond praline instead of Hazelnut Praline if you prefer. Follow the recipe where switch hazelnuts for almonds or simply use a store-bought hazelnut praline.
- If the praline cream begins to split, add some whipping cream and whisk again.
- Refrigerate the praline cream till serving. Once you fill the meringue nest with the cream and fresh figs, serve immediately.
- Use roasted almonds (instead of raw pistachios) to decorate the cake.
Nutrition
- Calories: 383 g
- Sugar: 51.8 g
- Sodium: 64 mg
- Fat: 13.6 g
- Saturated Fat: 7.2 g
- Carbohydrates: 63 g
- Fiber: 6 g
- Protein: 8 g
- Cholesterol: 37 mg
Keywords: cinnamon pavlova, fig pavlova, brown sugar pavlova
The recipe was adapted from https://ottolenghi.co.uk/. It was originally published on September 14, 2018. The recipe has been revised to include improved content and photos. All posted pictures are mine.
Thomas says
Hello, I'd really like to try this recipe, but this looks huge: if I divide the ingredients by two, how much do you think I should reduce the time in the oven? Thanks!
Irina says
Hi Thomas, and thank you for your interest in the recipe. Half of the recipe will result in a tiny Pavlova; I would take 2/3 of the ingredients. As for the baking time, I have not tested to make the smaller Pavlova, but try to bake for 2.5 hours. This Pavlova does not have the marshmallow center, so it will be fine if you get a bit. Happy baking and enjoy it!
Thomas says
Thank you very much for your answer. I’ll try that!
Irina says
Please, let me know if you have more questions. Happy baking!