Mini Birthday Cake Pavlovas

I know we might all be over funfetti at this point—like really what else is there left to funfetti? I’ve made fudge, doughnuts, eclairs, biscotti, boston cream pie, coffee cake, and banana bread already. So just when you thought I’d have no more funfetti left to give, I’m here to entice you with just one more rendition. (Honestly though, there might be more in the future. I can’t make any promises.) This time I’m bringing you these Mini Birthday Cake Pavlovas. They’re just the thing to make when you don’t want cake for your birthday, or if you just happen to love sprinkles, or you’re wanting a fun dessert that will impress. Get in the kitchen this weekend and have some fun!

Let’s start by making the meringue. In the bowl of an electric mixer, fitted with the whisk attachment, beat egg whites with the salt on medium-high speed until soft, glossy peaks form. While the mixer is running, add in the granulated sugar 1 tablespoon at a time. Beat the meringue on high until stiff and glossy peaks form, about 5 to 8 minutes more. Gently fold in the cornstarch, vinegar and vanilla until well combined.

**Note: It might seem so tedious to add the sugar a little at a time, but trust me, it’s the key to perfect meringue. You want to add in a tablespoon at a time while the whites are being beaten and filled with air. This allows for the sugar to be evenly distributed.**

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Add in the sprinkles and gently fold until evenly dispersed. You don’t to over-mix the egg whites at this point or you’ll deflate them.

**Tip: I like using multi-colored jimmies for this. I find that nonpariels are too hard and don’t melt into the meringue so you end up crunchy bits.**

Using two spoons (or a pastry bag), scoop a mound of meringue in the center of each circle on the prepared baking sheets. Use the back of a spoon to create an indentation in the center of each meringue mound. You can top each with a bit more sprinkles if you’d like at this point. Not necessary but would be nice.

Bake until firm and dry to the touch, but not browned, about 25 to 40 minutes. Turn off oven and let meringues cool for 1 hour, without opening the door. Once done, transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

**Note: Do not open the oven door once the meringues are done and you’ve turned off the oven. You want that residual heat to dry them out and if you open the door during that 1 hour you’ll let any residual heat escape.**

To make the pastry cream: In a medium saucepan, whisk together the sugar, cornstarch, and salt. Add in the milk and egg yolks and stir until well-combined. Set over moderate heat and bring to a boil. Let boil for 1 minute, whisking constantly.

**Note: I planned this recipe out perfectly so that there is no egg waste. Usually whenever I bake and need just the whites or yolks I never know what to do with the other. So I devised it so you use the whites for the meringues and the yolks for the pastry cream, without any additional eggs needed!**

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Remove from the heat and stir in the butter and vanilla until melted. Strain into a bowl through a fine mesh sieve, to remove any lumps. Cover with plastic wrap, pressing directly onto the surface of the custard to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate until chilled, at least 2 hours or overnight.

**Tip: The pastry cream can be made up to 2 days in advance. Just keep in mind that the longer it chills the firmer it will become. Right before using, just give it a good whisk to loosen it up a bit.**

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To make the whipped cream: In the bowl of a stand mixer (or you can use a bowl with a hand mixer) combine the heavy cream, powdered sugar and vanilla. Whisk on high until soft peaks form, about 3 to 5 minutes.

**Tip: Again, as with the pastry cream, the whipped cream topping can be made up to 2 days in advance and kept in the fridge until ready to use!**

The great thing about this dish is that you can make each component in advance. Just keep the custard and cream in the fridge (separately) and the meringue shells in an airtight container at room temperature. Then just assemble right before serving.

To assemble, fill each meringue shell with the chilled pastry cream and a dollop of fresh whipped cream. Top with a few more sprinkles and serve.

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This is a very decadent and sweet dessert and so you definitely don’t want the pavlovas to be jumbo. If you divide the meringue mixture between twelve circles, I find that’s a perfect size. But you can also just mound the meringue into one large shell and make one big Birthday Cake Pavlova instead of mini!

If you want to freshen this up a bit, you can fill with less pastry cream and add in a few fresh fruits or berries to the filling right before topping with the whipped cream. Strawberries or raspberries would be delicious here.

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I know that this is a whopper of a post, filled with lots and lots of information and steps. This isn’t the type of recipe you’d made during the week. Although, you can plan in advance and make each component over three nights and then assemble on the third day. Or you can save it for a special occasion or a weekend baking adventure when you have a bit more time on your hands. Either way, I hope you give it a try and I hope you enjoy it. As always, please let me know if you have any questions or comments below. Thank you so much for reading!