This lemon pavlova is a showstopper made for summer celebrations

Topped with lemon curd, basil and edible flowers, this Italian-inspired pavlova is fresh, tangy and just the right kind of over the top

This is a grand statement of a dessert, perfect for summer parties (Charlotte Bland)

“A perfect late spring/early summer pudding, which plays on quintessential Italian flavours. Unlike the traditional (and often overly sweet) pavlova, I prefer a tangy yoghurt cream and velvety curd with just the slight background note of olive oil, which chimes beautifully with the fragrant basil,” says cookbook author Letitia Clark.

“Decorate with your favourite edible flowers (such as jasmine) and strawberries, or your favourite summer berries. I make double my usual pavlova recipe as it deserves to be mighty and magnificent for a celebration, but if you are making for a smaller, more subdued setting, by all means halve the recipe.”

Pavlova with lemon olive oil curd

Serves: 8-10

Ingredients:

For the pavlova:

6 egg whites

350g sugar

Zest of 3 lemons plus 1 tbsp juice

10g (cornflour (cornstarch)

For the yoghurt cream:

250ml double (heavy) cream

200g Greek yoghurt

3 tbsp icing (confectioner’s) sugar

For the lemon olive oil curd:

5g cornflour (cornstarch)

Juice of 2 lemons

1 egg plus 2 egg yolks

140g sugar

40g butter

30ml extra virgin olive oil

A pinch of salt

To finish (optional):

200g strawberries, halved

Edible flowers

Basil leaves

Lemon zest squiggles

Method:

Letitia Clark’s ‘For the Love of Lemons’ is packed with bright, beautiful recipes to cheer up your kitchen (Quadrille)

1. Preheat the oven to 130C fan (150C/300F). Line a baking tray with baking parchment.
2. Whisk the egg whites with the lemon juice until they form stiff, satin-like peaks. Add the sugar a spoonful at a time, whisking all the time. Once all of the sugar has been incorporated and the meringue is once again in stiff and silky peaks, whisk in the lemon zest and cornflour.
3. Spread the meringue out into a large circle on the lined baking tray, making the edges a little higher than the middle to allow for the filling (I aim for pizza size, i.e. about 25cm/10in). Bake in the oven for around one hour until crisp (gently check the underside), then turn off the oven, open the door and leave to cool completely before topping.
4. To make the yoghurt cream, whip the cream in a bowl until you have soft peaks, then stir in the yoghurt and icing sugar.
5. To make the curd, whisk the cornflour into the lemon juice until dissolved, then pour into a small saucepan, add all the remaining ingredients and place over a medium-low heat. This will take around 10 minutes. Cook, whisking continuously, until it becomes thick and velvety. Set aside to cool until ready to use.
6. To finish, spread the cream over the top of the pavlova and then dot over the curd. Scatter over edible flowers, strawberries, basil leaves and lemon zest squiggles to your liking, and serve.

Recipe from ‘For the Love of Lemons’ by Letitia Clark (Quadrille, £28).