Brown Sugar Pavlova with Caramelised Peaches

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If you are looking for the perfect summer dessert then look no further – it has to be a pavlova, right? It’s easy to make, it looks spectacular and it tastes a-ma-zing.

And even though I have loved every pavlova recipe I have made and shared on this blog, this brown sugar layered pavlova with caramelised peaches has got to be my favourite. Let’s break this recipe down to the main elements…

Brown Sugar Pavlova

I have used Demerara sugar in this pavlova which lends it a lovely butterscotch/caramel, slightly smoky flavour reminiscent of bourbon.

Demerara sugar is a type of cane sugar with large grains and a light brown colour. Since the grains are quite big, I blitzed the sugar in a blender to achieve a finer grain before using in the pavlova recipe.

If you can’t find Demerara sugar you can use Turbinado sugar in its place.

Or you could use granulated sugar with a small amount of soft dark brown sugar mixed in – take a look at the recipe notes.

Pavlova Tips

I have written extensively about how to make the perfect pavlova. The one thing I learned from baking this brown sugar pavlova is that my oven runs quite hot so the top layer browned a bit too much.

To combat this, you turn the oven to a lower temperature and bake your pavlova layers for a longer time.

Don’t be hasty about taking the pavlova out of the oven – leave it in the oven with the heat turned off until it is completely cool.

You can prepare your pavlova layers a couple of days before assembling the dessert. Keep them in a cool dry place or an airtight container and they should keep just fine.

Caramelised Peaches

Peaches are naturally sweet and aromatic so you could use them fresh in the pavlova if you prefer. But with one simple step you can take them from delicious to OMG…

Simply heat a tablespoon of butter in a skillet, add a generous dollop of honey and a little vanilla paste (or use the scrapings from a vanilla pod).

Add peach slices and simmer until they start caramelising, turning them over gently to coat in the sauce. Add a generous splash of bourbon before taking off the heat if you like that sort of thing. I know I do 🙂

Cool the caramelised peaches before adding to your pavlova, otherwise they melt melt your whipped cream.

Replace the peaches with other seasonal fruit like plums and apricots or pears and apples in Autumn.

Whipped Cream

Whipped cream is the traditional filling for pavlova, the creaminess pairing so well with the crunchy marshmalllowy texture of the meringue.

Once you assemble your layered pavlova it will need to be eaten fairly soon after as the cream will cause the meringue to absorb moisture. But, to be fair, ‘how will we ever finish this pavlova’ said absolutely no one ever 😉

Whipping cream on a lower speed setting and keeping an eagle eye on it means you will achieve the perfect soft peaks that still keep their shape. Use very cold heavy (double) cream or whipping cream.

Assembling a Layered Pavlova

Place the bottom pavlova layer on a serving plate or cake stand. If you want to use a favourite cake stand then tailor the size of your pavlova to its size. Add half of the whipped cream and a layer of peaches plus some of their caramel syrup.

Top with the second layer and add the remaining whipped cream, piling more peaches on top. Drizzle with any remaining syrup and serve immediately.

HAVE YOU MADE MY BROWN SUGAR PAVLOVA RECIPE? Please leave a rating, post a photo on my Facebook page, share it on Instagram, or save it to Pinterest with the tag #Nusde and make my day!