A caramelised fig pavlova with cardamom cream makes a sweet and fragrant dessert for a dinner party. This fig dessert doesn't require any special skills but looks beautiful, tastes elegant and makes the perfect end to a meal. The cardamom cream tames the sweetness of the brown sugar meringue and tastes grown up and fancy, whilst being very simple to make!
We make a cardamom whipped cream filling spiked with lemon zest for extra zing, which pairs perfectly with the sweet and sticky figs piled on top of the brown sugar pavlova. I like using golden sugar for meringue, it has a deeper, richer flavour and works so well with the figs.
Fig and cardamom is a delicious flavour combination, the sweet figs and delicately fragrant cardamom cream taste elegant and refined and this is a great dessert for dinner parties. Figs are in season from spring until autumn, and any variety will work but for this fig pavlova recipe I used Bursa figs from Turkey. They are large, sweet and juicy and generally available between June and November.
I have served this fig pavlova at dinner parties at the end of summer, when high summer meringue desserts like Eton Mess aren't quite as appropriate. Pavlova has the benefit of being a gluten free dessert and it can be made in advance so it's handy in a multitude of ways. And it is a recipe that uses only egg whites, so if you are looking for leftover egg whites recipes, definitely try this.
Jump to:
Ingredients
Here is what you will need to make this fig and cardamom pavlova.
- Egg whites
- Golden caster sugar/golden granulated sugar
- Figs
- Cardamom pods
- Double cream/heavy cream
- Yoghurt
- Lemon
- Butter
See the recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
First, make your meringue. Preheat the oven to 150 degrees Celsius/300 degrees Fahrenheit.
Separate the egg whites from the yolks, taking particular care not to get any egg yolk into the white. Even a tiny speck of egg yolk in your egg white will result in a failed meringue.
Whisk the egg whites until they reach a pale colour and have soft peaks.
Begin adding the brown sugar a small amount at a time whilst continuing to whisk the egg whites. The meringue mixture should turn opaque creamy white/beige colour, thick and glossy.
Spoon the brown sugar meringue onto a lined baking tray and use a spatula to spread it into a circle with a slight dip in the middle.
Bake the meringue in the oven for 1 hour, turning the heat down to 140 degrees Celsius/285 degrees Fahrenheit as soon as you put it in.
When the hour is up, turn the oven off but do not open it. Leave the meringue in the oven to cool and dry out, which will ideally be at least a few hours.
Meanwhile, make the caramelised figs and cardamom cream filling.
Slice the figs into quarters and heat the butter in a frying pan.
Add the figs and a teaspoon of cardamom pods to the butter and sprinkle a tablespoon of sugar over them.
Gently cook the figs in the butter, sugar and cardamom pods until they soften and caramelise.
Take the remaining cardamom pods and carefully split them open with a knife to remove the seeds. Grind the seeds into a fine powder in a pestle and mortar, coffee or nut grinder. Some hard outer shells might remain, so pass them through a fine mesh sieve and discard the larger pieces that remain.
Pour the cream into a large mixing bowl and add the ground cardamom seeds and lemon zest. Whisk the cream until it is thick and stiff, before mixing in the yoghurt which will slacken it again.
Spoon the whipped cardamom cream filling onto the brown sugar pavlova and then add the figs on top. Serve and enjoy!
Hint: If you can find ground cardamom seeds ready prepared, buy them instead of doing it yourself from cardamom pods. It does take a bit of time to crack, deseed and then grind them.
Wine pairing for fig and cardamom pavlova
This dessert provides a bit of a wine pairing challenge (which I love). The tricky factor is the cardamom, as it almost acts as a barrier between the other flavours and the wine and needs something powerful to stand up to it. The more cardamom you put in, the more you need to veer towards a much sweeter wine, like a tawny port or intense sweet wine. The other option is a sweet or off-dry sparkling wine, a Prosecco for example. I'd love to know what you try and how it works, let me know in the comments!
Substitutions and variations
Here are a few ways to change up this fig pavlova recipe to suit you.
- White sugar - if you don't have any brown sugar, white will work just as well.
- Yoghurt - increase the ratio of yoghurt to cream to make this recipe lighter and lower in fat.
- Fruit - try other fruits instead of figs like plums, apples or apricot.
Love this flavour combination? Try my fig and cardamom macarons or find other elegant desserts for dinner parties here.
Equipment
- Large lined baking tray
- Large mixing bowl
- Electric whisk or Kitchen Aid
- Paring knife
- Pestle and mortar or coffee/nut grinder
- Frying pan
Storage
The brown sugar meringue for this fig pavlova can be made in advance and kept in an air-tight container for 3 weeks, or even frozen.
Once filled and assembled, the caramelised fig and cardamom pavlova will need to be stored in the fridge and consumed within 3 days.
Top tip
It is best to store the components for this dessert separately and assemble right before eating so that the brown sugar meringue is perfectly crunchy.
Caramelised Fig Pavlova With Cardamom Cream
Equipment
- 1 large mixing bowl
- 1 large, lined baking tray
- 1 pestle and mortar
- 1 small knife
- 1 electric whisk or kitchen aid
Ingredients
Brown sugar meringue
- 4 egg whites (large)
- 300 grams golden caster sugar /granulated brown sugar
Cardamom cream filling
- 400 ml double cream /heavy whipping cream
- 100 grams yoghurt
- 20 grams cardamom pods
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
Caramelised figs
- 8 figs
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon cardamom pods
Instructions
- First, make your meringue. Preheat the oven to 150 degrees Celsius/300 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Separate the egg whites from the yolks, taking particular care not to get any egg yolk into the white. Even a tiny speck of egg yolk in your egg white will result in a failed meringue.
- Whisk the egg whites until they reach a pale colour and have soft peaks.
- Begin adding the sugar a small amount at a time whilst continuing to whisk the egg whites. The meringue mixture should turn opaque creamy white, thick and glossy.
- Spoon the brown sugar meringue onto a lined baking tray and use a spatula to spread it into a circle with a slight dip in the middle.
- Bake the meringue in the oven for 1 hour, turning the heat down to 140 degrees Celsius/285 degrees Fahrenheit as soon as you put it in.
- When the hour is up, turn the oven off but do not open it. Leave the meringue in the oven to cool and dry out, which will ideally be at least a few hours.
- Meanwhile, make the caramelised figs and cardamom cream filling. Slice the figs into quarters and heat the butter in a frying pan.
- Add the figs and a teaspoon of cardamom pods to the butter and sprinkle a tablespoon of sugar over them.
- Gently cook the figs in the butter, sugar and cardamom pods until they soften and caramelise.
- Take the remaining cardamom pods and carefully split them open with a knife to remove the seeds. Grind the seeds into a fine powder in a pestle and mortar, coffee or nut grinder. Some hard outer shells might remain, so pass them through a fine mesh sieve and discard the larger pieces that remain.
- Pour the cream into a large mixing bowl and add the ground cardamom seeds and lemon zest. Whisk the cream until it is thick and stiff, before mixing in the yoghurt which will slacken it again.
- Spoon the whipped cardamom cream filling onto the brown sugar pavlova and then add the figs on top. Serve and enjoy!
- Slice the figs into quarters and heat the butter in a frying pan. Add the figs and a teaspoon of cardamom pods to the butter and sprinkle a tablespoon of sugar over them.
- Gently cook the figs in the butter, sugar and cardamom pods until they soften and caramelise.
- Take the remaining cardamom pods and carefully split them open with a knife to remove the seeds. Grind the seeds into a fine powder in a pestle and mortar, coffee or nut grinder. Some hard outer shells might remain, so pass them through a fine mesh sieve and discard the larger pieces that remain.
- Pour the cream into a large mixing bowl and add the ground cardamom seeds and lemon zest. Whisk the cream until it is thick and stiff, before mixing in the yoghurt which will slacken it again.
- Spoon the whipped cardamom cream filling onto the brown sugar pavlova and then add the figs on top. Serve and enjoy!
Video
Notes
Nutrition
FAQ
Pavlova became popular in the 1920s as Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova toured Australia and New Zealand and the dessert was created in her honour.
You can use either white or brown sugar for meringue, in this fig and cardamom pavlova recipe I use brown but white will work just as well. It is best to use a fine granulated sugar for meringue, often known as caster sugar.
Yes you can make pavlova in advance, but I advise that you only assemble it with the cream and toppings before it is served.
Yes, the egg whites in pavlova are cooked so it is safe to eat when pregnant.
Shelby says
I love how "fancy" these look but they're really so simple to make!
Gina Abernathy says
Fancy yet simple to make. This is an amazing recipe using simple ingredients that yields a huge taste. Very impressive for the family or guests.
Lettie says
This was delicious, a really grown up tasting dessert that was ideal for me as gluten free. Thank you!
Jere Cassidy says
I love to find a recipe that looks so elegant but is so easy to make. The cardamom cream is heavenly, I plan to make that for other recipes.
nancy says
wow this Caramelised Fig Pavlova was amazing. Everyone loved it even though I couldn't get it to look as good as yours!
Katie says
This is incredibly beautiful!! Perfect pavlova recipe for beginners like me!