Mini pavlova fingers: the new Christmas dessert trend

Give these pavlova fingers a high five this Christmas.

When it comes to desserts at Christmas time, pudding is okay but, truth be told, I just can’t get enough of pavlova. 

It might be due to the heat of our Aussie summers, or it could be because the meringue is so melt-in-your-mouth sweet, and there is often fresh cream and fruit piled on top. Whatever the reason, I’m not ashamed to say that this summer craving is here to stay.

And it appears I’m in good company! 

Pavlova: Australia’s #1 Christmas dessert

Pavlova just happens to be the most popular festive dessert on taste this summer. Mini finger food-style desserts are also trending right now, so imagine my happy dance when I discovered pavlova fingers, a delightful combination of pavlova and finger food!

This delicious mash-up of pavlova and eclair almost took my breath away. Light-as-air meringue fingers topped with freshly whipped cream, dark chocolate, fresh raspberries and pistachios. Move over turkey, I’m going straight for this dessert!

You can serve these pavlova fingers at the table to individual guests, but they really do make the ideal Christmas entertainer. Hand them around at your own Christmas do, or take a plate of them to someone else’s. You can even make the meringues a couple of days ahead of time.

How to make pavlova fingers

Preparing your own meringue is really quite easy and is just a matter of beating egg white, sugar, cornflour and vanilla in a bowl. For these fingers, the meringue is piped into 9cm “fingers” and baked for an hour until they are crisp and dry. Once cooled, the tops are dipped into melted dark chocolate (yum) and then decorated with whipped cream, pieces of fresh raspberry and chopped pistachio nuts (yum yum).

I know you can’t wait to make these, so here is the complete pavlova fingers recipe.

pavlova fingers

More pavlova topping ideas

Raspberries and dark chocolate are an obvious match made in heaven, but here at taste we like to give you options. Take a look at these 200+ pavlova recipes for inspiration, or try these toppings on your pavlova fingers…

• Freshly whipped cream, chopped banana and passionfruit pulp
• Whisked double cream, swirled with raspberry jam, and then dark chocolate curls
• Beat 1/4 cup each of cream and crème fraiche with 1 tsp vanilla bean paste, 1/2 tsp each of ground nutmeg and cinnamon, 1/4 tsp ground cloves and 1 tbsp icing sugar mixture in a bowl until firm peaks form. Spoon on the meringue fingers, top with freshly sliced strawberries and then drizzle with a boozy syrup made by combining 1/4 cup (55g) caster sugar and 1/4 cup (60ml) dark rum.
• For a dairy-free topping, place a can of coconut cream in the fridge overnight. Open carefully and scoop the solids (discard the liquid) into a mixing bowl. Add 1 tbsp of icing sugar mixture and beat until firm peaks form. Use it to top your meringue fingers, before adding sliced fresh fruit or lemon curd.
• Top your chosen whipped cream with a variety of freshly sliced summer fruit such as strawberries, peaches, mangoes, bananas, cherries or figs.

Rocky road pavlova

Our members are full of ideas too:

“A huge hit! Made ours with cut up strawberries, and made half with and half without cream for a dairy-free option.” ~ Stormy Day

Finger food desserts are gifts that keep on giving 

It’s easy to see why individual mini desserts are gaining in popularity – they’re awesome for entertaining and eating while standing at a gathering. They are also that very special little Christmas gift you can have all to yourself (no sharing required), and they look pretty, too.

We have loads of mini desserts that will grab your attention this Christmas on taste. You’ll want to make them all!

• 100 of the cutest mini Christmas desserts
• Mini Christmas desserts kids will love
• A jelly dessert for the 12 days of Christmas

And if these aren’t enough, check out why tiny trifles are bound to be a hit this Christmas or spread the love with mini eggnog pavlovas.

Meanwhile, I’m going to grab another pavlova finger…

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Originally published as Mini pavlova fingers: the new Christmas dessert trend