Low Sugar Mango Macadamia Pavlova

It seriously doesn't get much more Aussie than sweet, juicy, Aussie mango and delicious creamy macadamias. Unless of course you consume wearing buddy smugglers, while floating on an inflatable thong on Bondi beach.

This recipe uses Stevia to sweeten the pavlova and delicious, creamy greek yoghurt which goes beautifully with the sweetness of the mangoes and the crunch of the macadamias and toasted coconut. It can be made diabetic friendly depending on the toppings you use and keto friendly if you substitute the yoghurt for unsweetened cream.

Recipe adapted from www.whatthefatbook.com

Ingredients:

• 6 egg whites

• ½ teaspoon of Cream of Tartar (meringue stabiliser)

• ⅓ Cup of Natvia granules*

• 1 Cup whipping cream (unsweetened)

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• ½ Cup (75g) fresh strawberries, chopped

• ½ Cup (75g) fresh blueberries

• Handful of fresh mint leaves

Method:

Pre-heat oven to between 120 – 150 degrees celsius. There are fluctuations in domestic ovens, so if you find your oven is generally quite hot and things tend to bake faster than most recipes stipulate, try the lower setting.

Whisk the 6 egg whites until thick and frothy, then mix in the½ teaspoon of cream of tartar – this is a meringue stabiliser, so important not to forget this especially considering this meringue does not have any sugar (which generally helps to stabilise meringue as well).

Once stiff peaks have formed (this means that when the beaters are lifted from the mix, the peaks stands straight up) , add ⅓ Cup of Natvia granules slowly to the egg whites while the mixer is on. If you're not a diabetic or Keto, you can add an additional 1/2 cup sugar to get a nice, crispy shell.

Allow the eggs to continue whipping until white, shiny and glossy.

Once mix looks nice and glossy, turn mixer off and rub a little of the mix between your fingers. If it’s silky smooth, it’s whipped enough. If you can feel any grain or granules, keep whipping!

Spoon mix out onto baking tray and arrange however you like – the mix should yield about a 20cm round, or you can spoon individually onto the tray for mini pavlovas instead. I created one large pavlova and doubled the mixture to stack two on top of each other for a more dramatic effect.

Bake at 120 – 150 degrees celsius for 1.5 hours for a large pavlova. It will brown a little. Once 1.5hrs have past, turn oven off and allow the pav to sit in the oven for another hour to dry out – or if you have time, overnight! This will help to dehydrate the pavlova and give it a crispy outer.

If you are creating mini pavs, these will be faster to bake – for about 12 minis, it should take 20-30mins to bake these.

Note: If you're only using Natvia or Stevia, the shell will be lovely and marshmallowy, but won't have enough sugar to get a really crispy outer shell. The longer you can leave the shell in the oven to cool, the more chance you have of achieving a crispy outer shell.

Top with your fave toppings, I used 2 sliced mangoes and some gently toasted raw macadamias and shaved coconut.

This article was written by Kate Hickey for Empower360 Fitness. Kate is a Personal Trainer, Dance Teacher and Group Fitness Instructor. Empower360 specialises in outdoor group fitness and online programs for teens and pre-teens, as well as holistic fitness programs for all ages.

If you'd like more information on our online or teen bootcamp programs, head to our website www.empower360fitness.com.au or for info on 1:1 virtual health coaching contact Kate: kate@empower360fitness.com.au