Every bite of this Autumn Pavlova will remind you of Fall. Filled with roasted apples, maple cream, and salted caramel, it’s sure to get you ready for the season of pumpkins, cozy sweaters, and family.
It’s Fall! Well, maybe not officially until this Saturday, September 22nd but you can celebrate a little early, I won’t tell. And my Autumn Pavlova is the perfect way to welcome in this new season. It’s filled with a maple whipped cream, apples roasted in brown sugar and spices, then finished with salted caramel and toasted pecans.
It’s delicious. In fact, one of my colleague taste testers was heard saying ‘It’s like Fall in my mouth!’ while digging into a piece.
What is a Pavlova?
A pavlova is really quite simple. It’s a large meringue tart that’s filled with whipped cream and fruit which means there’s endless flavor combinations. The dessert is actually named after the Russian ballerina, Anna Pavlova, and is said to have been born in New Zealand after the ballerina’s world tour stopped in the country.
Autumn Pavlova prior to baking
The meringue based tart is baked until the outside forms a crust. The inside, however, remains delicately light and has a slight chew to it. I personally love the contrasting textures of pavlovas — the crispy outer crust, to the chewy center, the light whipped cream, and sweet, juicy fruit on top. It’s a flavor and texture journey with every bite.
Baked Autumn Pavlova tart
Layering the Autumn Pavlova
A pavlova has three main components: the meringue tart, a whipped cream center and a fruit topping.
For my pavlova, I stuck to the traditional tart recipe of whipped egg whites but was inspired by the pending Fall season when making the whipped cream and fruit filling. Being from upstate New York where both maple and apples are prominent, I chose to incorporate both into this dessert — they also pair well together making it a delicious combination.
Topped with maple whipped cream
For the Autumn Pavolova, I created a maple whipped cream which is so simple to make 
Rather than placing raw fruit on top of the pavlova, which is traditional, I chose to roast the fruit for my Autumn Pavlova. I left the peels on the apples and sliced them into wedges — I recommend a honeycrisp or fuji apple for this recipe. I then tossed the apples with melted butter, pumpkin pie spice (because it’s the perfect ratio of Fall spices), and brown sugar. After baking the apples in the oven for 30 minutes, you have tender apple slices and a sweet, sticky sauce forms from the butter and brown sugar. I left the apples to cool completely which also allowed the sauce to form more into a syrup.
Topped with roasted apples
After layering each component into the meringue tart, I you top the Autumn Pavlova’s maple cream and roasted apple with a drizzle of salted caramel sauce and roasted pecans for added crunch. Since the meringue tart will turn soft with the cream on top, a pavlova should be served immediately — though, don’t fret, if you have leftovers they’ll still be delicious the next day!
I hope you enjoy my Autumn Pavlova and share it with your friends and family throughout the Fall at your Friendsgiving or family Thanksgiving gathering.
How do you plan to welcome the Fall season? Do you have any seasonal recipes you plan to make?
- 3 medium honeycrisp or fuji apples, core removed and cut into slices
- 4 tablespoons butter, melted
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- ¼ cup light brown sugar
- 4 large egg whites
- 1 cup confectioner's sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon white vinegar
- 12 ounces heavy cream
- ¼ cup pure maple syrup
- pinch of salt
- 2 tablespoon salted caramel sauce
- 2 tablespoons chopped pecans
- Preheat the oven to 350°F
- Line a large roasting pan with foil and set aside
- In a large bowl, mix together the melted butter, pie spice, and brown sugar
- Add the sliced apples to the bowl and toss to coat
- Transfer the apples to the prepared roasting pan and roast the apples for 30 minutes, stirring halfway through
- Once the apples have cooked, remove the pan from oven and allow the apples to cool to room temperature
- While the apples are baking, prepare to bake the pavlova tart by lining a large baking tray with parchment paper
- Using a 6-inch cake pan, trace a circle onto the parchment paper and set aside, you'll use this to create a round pavlova with the meringue
- Once the apples have cooked, lower the oven temperature to 280°F to bake the pavlova
- To make the tart, place the egg whites in a stand mixer and beat on high with the whisk attachment until stiff peaks form
- Sift in half of the confectioner's sugar and mix on low to combine
- Add in the vanilla, corn starch, and remaining sugar, mix again on low to combine
- Spread the egg whites onto the circle traced on the parchment paper. When spreading out the egg whites, ensure the outside edges are a big thicker and there's a slight dip in the center, as if you're making a bowl
- Bake the pavlova at 280°F for 75-90 minutes until the center and edges are firm to the touch
- Remove from oven and allow to cool completely
- To make the maple cream, place the heavy cream into a clean bowl of a stand mixer and using the whisk attachment, whisk on high until peaks form. Drizzle in the maple syrup and a pinch of salt.
- To make the pavlova, spread the maple cream on top of the baked meringue tart
- Gently spoon the completely cooled apples and syrup that forms onto the cream
- Drizzle with the salted caramel sauce and top with chopped pecans
- Serve immediately
