This Crooked Foam Cake (Strawberry Pavlova) recipe is inspired from a visit to Efteling in Holland. Efteling is a fairytale theme park in the south of Holland that is the perfect destination for families, where a diverse range of attractions suit all ages and interests. In between the roller coasters, gentler water rides, fairytale scenes and live shows, families can catch up at Efteling’s diverse cafés and restaurants that showcase the best of Dutch cuisine. If you are making this in the spring, then you could look at picking your own strawberries.
Ingredients (for six servings):
- 2 sachets of vanilla sugar
- 180g fine granulated sugar
- 3 eggs
- 1 tsp vinegar
- 250ml of whipped cream
- 1 tbsp white caster sugar
- 250g strawberries
Method:
- Preheat oven to 175 °C. Stir the vanilla sugar and granulated sugar together. Mix the eggs in a mixer on a high setting until they are white in colour and have doubled in volume.
- Continue mixing on a lower setting. Scoop one large tablespoon of the sugar mixture into the bowl of egg white. Wait until the sugar is well absorbed before adding the next spoon. Add all the sugar and continue to mix until the foam is firm. Carefully add the vinegar.
- Spoon the mixture onto baking paper on a baking tray. Make it into a mountain shape. Then make a hole in the centre with the back of a spoon.
- Turn the oven temperature back to 150 °C. Bake the meringue for 1 hour.
- Turn the oven off and let the meringue sit for another hour. Once it has completely cooled, carefully remove it from the baking paper and place it on a platter.
- Beat the cream with the brown sugar. Spoon the whipped cream into the hole in the centre of the meringue. Cut the strawberries into pieces and place them on the whipped cream. You can also sprinkle powdered sugar over it. Enjoy!
About Efteling:
Since the opening in 1952, more than 130 million visitors have experienced an unforgettable day at Efteling, in the south of Holland. Over the years, Efteling has grown to become one of Europe’s biggest theme parks, with a unique fairytale atmosphere, natural surroundings and a wide range of thrilling attractions. It is now ranked in the top 25 theme parks in the world, according to the Tea Theme Index 2018. Efteling is open all year round and is an ideal family short-break destination with the Efteling Hotel and the holiday villages Efteling Bosrijk and Efteling Loonsche Land just a stone’s throw away. Through a programme of phased growth, Efteling became an international destination with five million visitors per year.