Heart-Shaped Mini Pavlovas
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If you’re after a dessert that looks special but is simple to put together, these heart-shaped mini pavlovas with raspberries and cream are a great pick.
A drizzle of raspberry coulis adds a bright finish that fits right for Valentine’s Day, anniversaries or a date-night dessert at home.
The meringue hearts are light, crisp but slightly soft inside. They go well with berries and toppings like cream, lemon curd or a generous drizzle of chocolate or caramel.
Ingredients and substitutions
- Egg whites: You will need 60 grams or 2 large eggs. For best results, use a scale!
- Sugar: Granulated sugar works well for these pavlova hearts. You can also use superfine sugar (caster sugar in the UK), which is not the same as powdered sugar. Since this recipe uses the Swiss meringue method, the crystals dissolve as you warm the egg whites and sugar before whipping.
- Cream of tartar helps stabilize the whites. An easy substitution is lemon juice or vinegar.
- Whipping cream or heavy cream.
- Powdered sugar.
- Sprinkles: No need to use them if you don’t have them on hand.
- Raspberries: Strawberries are a great alternative.
Kitchen tools and gadgets
- Measuring cups and spoons or a scale (preferred way of measuring for the most precise measurements).
- A medium bowl and a hand whisk.
- A pot that you can put the mixing bowl over.
- Hand mixer or stand mixer: If the bowl of your stand mixer is too large, it might struggle with a small batch. With KitchenAid, the 3-quart bowl works best.
- Baking sheet and parchment paper: Make sure to use the paper or a silicone mat to make the meringue hearts.
- Piping bag.
How to pipe heart-shaped mini pavlovas
You can draw 4 hearts on a sheet of paper and place it under the parchment. Then simply trace the lines. Pipe the outline first, then fill the center. I usually freehand them and don’t worry if they’re not all identical.
I don’t do this myself as I don’t mind if the hearts are of different sizes or shapes. Usually they turn out pretty well.
Pavlova FAQ
Add them to your omelet or scrambled eggs. Or use them to make a homemade pie crust.
They will keep up to 2 days stored in an airtight container.
You can use them for the raspberry sauce, but you will need fresh ones for the actual dessert.
Yes. Use medium to large resealable plastic bag as an alternative.
Make ahead
Mini pavlova hearts can be made a day ahead. In fact, often it is better so they can cool completely in the oven and stay crisp.
You can also prepare the raspberry sauce in advance and keep it in the fridge, covered.
I sometimes make whipped cream a day in advance and keep it refrigerated, covered. If not over-whipped, it keeps well.
For best results, and for a special occasion, I recommend making it on the same day, up to 4 hours ahead, if needed.
Storage
Place cooled shells in an airtight container and leave on your kitchen counter. Make sure the container is well dried, no water residue as moisture is the enemy of meringues. That is also the reason they are not stored in the fridge.
Troubleshooting pavlovas
- Cracked meringues: Oven too hot, hot spots. Lower the temperature and let it cool in the oven with door closed. But you can still serve them as you will cover them with toppings!
- Collapsed or spread too much: Needed more whipping.
- Won’t reach stiff peaks: Oily bowl or a speck of egg yolk in the mixture. Start over! If none of this applies, check the bottom of the bowl. If it is hot, you must keep mixing until cooled down.
- Grainy meringue: The sugar didn’t dissolve. Keep warming and stirring until it feels slick between your fingers.
Extra tip
If you overmix the cream, start over, but don’t discard this batch. You can keep whipping it to make homemade butter. Use a stand mixer for this and add more cream if needed so the whisk has enough volume to work properly.
More heart-shaped desserts for Valentine’s Day
- Mini Chocolate Cake Hearts: Cute chocolate cake hearts with a berry mascarpone filling, finished with powdered sugar and little fondant hearts.
- Puff Pastry Hearts: An easy dessert with a wow factor.
- Chocolate Covered Raspberries: A last-minute chocolate treat with almost no prep.
You can also browse all my Valentine’s Day recipes here.
Heart-Shaped Mini Pavlovas Recipe
Ingredients
Meringue hearts:
- 2 egg whites from large eggs (60 g), see note 1
- ½ cup granulated sugar plus 1 tablespoon (120 g total), see note 2
- ⅛ teaspoon cream of tartar use slightly less (a pinch), see note 3
Raspberry coulis (sauce):
- 1 cup raspberries fresh or frozen (120 g)
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar see note 4
- ¼ cup water
Whipped cream:
- 1 cup whipping cream chilled, (240 ml), see note 5
- ¼ cup powdered sugar see note 6
Toppings:
- 1 cup fresh raspberries rinsed and patted dry (120 g)
- 2 tablespoons heart shaped sprinkles pink or red (optional)
Instructions
Meringue hearts
- Heat the oven to 195°F (90°C).
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Draw 4 hearts on a sheet of paper (about 2½ to 3 inches wide), place it on the baking sheet, cover with parchment, pipe over the outlines, then slide the paper out before baking.
- Add about 1 inch of water to a saucepan. Bring it to a gentle simmer and place a heatproof bowl on top. The bowl should not touch the water.
- Add 60 g egg whites and 120 g sugar to the bowl.
- Stir constantly until the mixture is warm and completely smooth (rub a little between your fingers, it should feel slick, not grainy).
- Remove the bowl from the heat. Add slightly less than ⅛ teaspoon of cream of tartar. Whip on medium-high speed until very thick, glossy and it holds peaks (a small curl at the tip is fine), about 10-12 minutes. With a stand mixer, it’s about 8 to 10 minutes but you will need a small (3-quart) bowl.
- Fill a piping bag (or resealable plastic bag) with the meringue mixture. Pipe a heart outline, then pipe inside it to fill the heart. If you see sharp spikes, smooth them lightly with a damp fingertip.
- Bake at 195°F (90°C) for 60 minutes, then turn the oven off and cool them in the oven, door closed. While they bake or cool, make the raspberry coulis (if using) and whip the cream.
Raspberry coulis (optional sauce)
- In a small saucepan, combine 1 cup raspberries, 3 tablespoons sugar and ¼ cup water. Simmer on low to medium heat, about 5 minutes. Then, run the sauce through a fine mesh sieve to remove any seeds.
- Scrape the outside of the sieve too, since that’s where a lot of sauce collects.
- Set aside or put in the fridge to cool.
Whipped cream
- Pour 1 cup of cold whipping cream and ¼ cup of powdered sugar in a medium bowl. With a hand mixer, mix on high speed until thick and creamy, about 2 minutes. Don’t overmix! When ready, set aside.
Assemble
- Take a plate, place one meringue heart on the bottom, spread some whipped cream over (about ¼ of it when making 4 portions, with 2 portions you can use as much as you like) and arrange fresh raspberries on top. Sprinkle with heart-shaped sprinkles and drizzle with raspberry sauce if using.
- Serve right away. Once topped, the shells start to soften, so assemble just before serving for the best texture.
Notes
- To get the best results, use a kitchen scale.
- This recipe uses the Swiss meringue method, so granulated sugar or superfine sugar (caster sugar in the UK) both work. Warm the mixture until the sugar feels completely smooth, then whip.
- Cream of tartar can be substituted with ½ teaspoon vinegar or ½ teaspoon lemon juice.
- Use either granulated or superfine sugar.
- You can use whipping cream or heavy cream (double cream) as long as it has 35% fat content or more. If you buy ready whipped cream from a spray bottle, assemble just before serving.
- If you prefer the whipped cream less sweet, add only ½ of the sugar.
- Raspberry coulis is optional. Straining makes it smooth and seedless. This makes more coulis than you need, but leftovers keep well in the fridge. If you’d rather not make it, drizzle with melted chocolate or chocolate sauce instead.
- Serves 4 as open pavlovas (one heart each) or serves 2 if you stack two hearts per person with whipped cream and raspberries in the middle.
- To make ahead: prep all the layers in advance and keep the cooled meringue hearts in an airtight container on your kitchen counter, whipped cream and raspberry sauce covered in the fridge. Assemble shortly before serving.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator and may vary based on ingredient brands, substitutions, and portion sizes.