This is a vegan game changer! I don’t know who made this stupendous discovery but god bless their little cotton socks!! Chick pea juice whips up just like egg white. Exactly like egg white! I don’t think it is possible for me to oversell this point – it is AMAZING!!
Did I mention yet that it tastes just the same as regular pavlova, no? Well it does – AMAZING!! Crispy on the outside, chewy on the inside – YUM! If you are used to store bought pavlova with a slightly crispy outer shell and all that fluffiness going on inside, then this will be different. This is just like homemade egg white pavlova not the supermarket bought kind.
I would strongly recommend that you use salt free chick peas. These took me a little while to find but I then discovered them in an, IGA Supermarket in town so I will be stocking up my pantry with these.
The cooked pavlova lasts for a few days in a sealed container but I discovered that once you add the cream, just like regular pavlova, it does not last well. If you are having a dinner party, you can make the pavlova the day before but just don’t add cream until you are about the serve. When I photographed the pavlova for this post, I made it in the afternoon and put it in the fridge with a plan to have some that night. I forgot all about it – I know, I am as surprised as anyone that I forgot about dessert sitting in my fridge!! When I opened the fridge the next morning the 2 layers of the pavlova had flattened right down and there was a lot of liquid that looked similar to the original chick pea juice. You will be happy to know that I did manage to salvage some of the whipped cream and fruit from the top and it was delicious!!
Chick pea juice for egg whites has opened up a whole new world of possibilities for vegan desserts and I will be working tirelessly to come up with more options for lots of yummy things to put in our tummy’s!
- juice from 1 can of chick peas (salt free)
- 1 cup castor sugar
- 2 tsp gluten free cornflour
- 1 tsp white vinegar
- Pre-heat the oven to 150°C (300°F)
- Pour the chick pea juice into your mix master. Using the attachment that you would usually use for pavlova or whipping cream, whip and watch in amazement until soft peaks form. This should only tale a couple of minutes.
- With the mix master running, gradually add the castor sugar. Whip until stiff peaks form and the mixture is glossy. This should also only take a couple of minutes. At this point , you should be able to to the meringue test where you tip the bowl over you head and nothing falls out. If you end up with meringue on your head, then you have to whip it more, if not, you are ready for the next step.
- Remove bowl from mix master and gently fold through the cornflour and vinegar. Only mix enough for the flour and vinegar to be incorporated into meringue.
- You can cook the pavlova on an oven tray with a piece of baking paper or on a pavlova dish/tray if you have one. Either spoon onto the tray/dish or pipe on with a large piping bag and form whatever shape you like. For the one I have photographed, I drew 2 large circles on baking paper and then added the meringue. I had so much meringue that I also did a long thin pavlova as well.
- As soon as you put the pavlova in the oven, turn the heat down to 120°C (250°F) and cook for 2 hours. Check a couple of times during the second hour of cooking to make sure that it isn't browning too much but it shouldn't.
- After 2 hours, turn off the oven and open the door slightly and leave in the oven until completely cooled. If you skip this step, the meringue inside might still be wet and not chewy and it will not taste great. I place a wooden spoon in the door to keep it slightly ajar.
- Once completely cooled, add whipped vegan cream and fruit of your choice to the top. For the pavlova in my photo, I did 2 layers with cream in between the two layers as well. Put the cream on just before you serve because like real pavlova it does not last well once cream is added.
- If you put 'whipped cream' into the search function of my website or go to the 'desserts' section you will find a very yummy vegan whipped cream recipe.
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