FIONA’S WINTER FOREST PAVLOVA

You can make this delightful treat ahead and decorate it on the day.

Serves 8

4 medium egg whites

225g (8oz) caster sugar

1tsp cornflour

1tsp cider vinegar

A few drops of green food colour Sugar sprinkles

For the filling

200g (7oz) royal icing sugar

Red, orange and black food colours 300ml (10fl oz) double cream Edible shimmer spray

300g (10½oz) raspberries

Line 2 trays with baking paper. Draw a circle on one sheet using a dinner plate as a guide, then turn the paper over. Prepare 2 plastic piping bags, one with a large star nozzle and the other with a 1cm plain nozzle. Preheat the oven to 120°C/fan 100°C/gas ½.

In a bowl, whisk the egg whites to stiff peaks. Add the caster sugar 1tbsp at a time, until smooth and thick, then whisk in the cornflour and vinegar. Spoon half the mix into the bag with the plain nozzle, and pipe 5 golf ballsized ‘snowmen’ on the plain tray – first their bodies, then their heads on top. Using the same bag and nozzle, pipe a ring of meringue around the edge of the circle on the other tray and pipe in the centre to fill it in.

Colour the rest of the meringue green and place in the piping bag with the star nozzle. Pipe 5 swirls of icing for ‘trees’ next to the snowmen, and add sugar sprinkles.

Bake everything for 1½-2 hours until the meringues have dried out and will peel off the paper easily.

Turn off the oven and leave them inside to cool completely, then store (see tip across the bottom of page).

When ready to serve, mix the royal icing sugar with enough water to make a thick piping icing. Divide into three bowls and colour them red, orange and black. Place each in a piping bag with a fine writing nozzle and use to decorate the snowmen. Whip the cream and spread over the base of the meringue. Arrange the trees and snowmen on top, spray with shimmer and fill with raspberries. Dust with icing sugar to serve.