Raspberry Eton Mess

The Raspberry Eton Mess is a twist on the classic dessert! It’s the perfect summer dessert – crunchy and sweet (but not too sweet!). With a few hacks, it can turn into a no-bake dessert that’s ready in five minutes!

Having gone to boarding school in England, you’d think I would’ve discovered the Eton Mess in my childhood. Well, I did not. And I hold my school’s cafeteria team personally responsible for this grave injustice.

The thing is, England is not really known for having the delicious food. Sure, there are a few standout dishes but generally-speaking, food in England is like the weather. (A bit bleak.) So when there’s an incredible dessert that’s gorgeous to look at, easy to make, and tastes absolutely phenomenal, I expect places to serve it!

And that just wasn’t the case for me. I was well into university by the time I discovered the Eton Mess (and yes, it was introduced to me by an acquaintance that had actually studied at Eton!) He described the Eton Mess as “this simple little delight”. A more perfect description does not exist.

this recipe

Jump to:

• What is an Eton Mess
• Raspberry Eton Mess Ingredients
• How to make a Raspberry Eton Mess
• Tips
• Variation ideas
• Storage suggestions
• More dessert recipes to try
• Helpful tools
• 📖 Recipe
• 💬 Reviews

What is an Eton Mess

The traditional Eton Mess is a dessert consisting of broken meringue, strawberries, and whipped cream – mixed up and served in a bowl or trifle dish. Incredibly simple and immensely satisfying. Typical variations of the dish add additional fruits.

What is a Raspberry Eton Mess

A Raspberry Eton Mess is a simple twist on the original version. Instead of using strawberries, this recipe opts for tangy raspberries/raspberry sauce. We’re also using an ever-so-slightly more involved meringue base…just because it tastes better.

Don’t forget to check out the full Raspberry Eton Mess recipe video on YouTube!

The difference between pavlova and an Eton mess

There are three key differences between the pavlova and an Eton Mess:

1. Pavlovas are typically made as a dessert to feed more than one person while Eton Messes are typically plated to serve one person per dish.
2. The Eton Mess is undeniably English, while the origins of the pavlova have been claimed by both Australia and New Zealand.
3. The meringue base of a pavlova and a traditional Eton Mess is slightly different. (However, in the case of this recipe, we’re making a meringue with vinegar and cornflour which is typically what is done for pavlovas! Traditional Eton Mess meringues are made using just egg whites and sugar.)

Where does Eton Mess come from

The Eton Mess dessert is attributed to Eton College. Though the actual creator of the dessert is unknown, the most popular account of the story is that of “the dog and the pavlova” – and keep in mind that the details of this story will change depending on who you hear it from!

As it goes, sometime in the 1920s a cricket match was taking place between Eton College and Harrow College. A strawberry pavlova had been prepared as an after-match dessert, however (assumedly) very hungry Labrador jumped on the picnic basket crushing the dessert!

“What a mess!” commented one of the players before digging into the first official Eton Mess!

Raspberry Eton Mess Ingredients

An Eton Mess is made up of three parts – meringue, cream, and fruit (in this case, raspberries!). Assuming you’re not using ready-made meringue, the main ingredients for this Raspberry Eton Mess recipe is as follows:

For the meringue

• Egg Whites
• Sugar
• Vanilla extract
• Corn flour
• Apple cider vinegar

For the whipped cream

• Heavy cream
• Powdered sugar
• Vanilla extract

For the raspberry sauce

• Raspberries (I used fresh, but frozen will work fine!)
• Sugar

How to make a Raspberry Eton Mess

There are essentially four steps to making a Raspberry Eton Mess. And luckily, they’re all relatively simple. And two of them can be skipped entirely if you go with store-bought versions.

Destruction of meringues

If you’re using ready-made meringues, all you need to do is crush them – an angry fist will do wonders here, but a fork works too. If you’d like to make your meringues from scratch, I’ve provided details of how to do so in the recipe card. But if you have a regular meringue recipe that you prefer, it should work perfectly fine for this recipe.

Whipping the cream

If you’re used ready-made whipped cream, you’re good to go. If you’re making it from scratch, this is a pretty simple process of whipping heavy cream with sugar and vanilla extract until it reaches the consistency you prefer!

Raspberry sauce

Making the raspberry sauce for this Eton Mess is super easy – it’s simply a matter of stirring raspberries and sugar in a hot pan.

Raspberry Eton Mess, Assemble!

To assemble this Raspberry Eton Mess, all you need to do is add the broken meringue pieces to a bowl, add the whipped cream, and top with the raspberry sauce (and some extra fresh raspberries if you want too) and…boom. Heavenly!

Tips

Given that there are three main components to an Eton Mess (meringues, whipped cream, and fruit), any tips to make an amazing Eton Mess should be focused on perfected the three components.

Making the raspberry sauce is very easy, and as long as you don’t burn it, you’re good. So here’s what you need to know about making meringues and whipped cream:

General meringue tips

• Don’t use pre-packaged egg whites. The pasteurization process can result in a less stable meringue.
• Use fresh room temperature eggs to ensure your meringue rises properly.
• Use a clean glass bowl to whip your egg whites – plastic bowls tend to hold residue, and meringues make for a fickle mistress.
• Absolutely no yolk in the mix. See above point about meringues being fickle.

Ready-made meringue nests

If you want to skip the hassle of baking your own meringue, you can use ready-made meringue nests (they are usually available in the bakery section of large supermarkets as well as at some bakeries).

Why are my meringues brown

If your meringues are coming out brown, it’s likely because your oven is too hot. Try using an oven thermometer to make sure your oven is heating to the correct temperature. (And if you get brown meringues, don’t worry. They still taste delicious. Personally, I think they look good too!)

Whipped Cream

In terms of the consistency of the whipped cream, you can’t really go wrong here. It’s entirely up to your personal preference. If you happen to accidentally overwhip your cream, you can loosen it a little by adding a small splash of milk (or some more unwhipped cream if you have any leftover).

Ready-made whipped cream

You can absolutely use store-bought whipped cream for this recipe. Personally, I’d recommend getting the freshly whipped Chantilly cream that some patisseries offer rather than going for whipped cream in a can.

Variation ideas

Given how simple this recipe is once the components are ready, it’s easy to mix up your Raspberry Eton Mess to create something different (for days when you’re feeling a little extra). Here are a few quick suggestions:

Raspberry Eton Mess with ice cream

This is a no-brainer, right? Everything is better with ice cream! Swap out the whipped cream for ice cream, you can even go with raspberry ice cream if you want to up the sweetness of this recipe!

Eton mess with pound cake bits

For this variation, you’ll need to make or buy a pound cake…and then demolish it. Crumble it up and add the pound cake crumbles/chunks to your Raspberry Eton Mess to turn the recipe into something a little more substantial.

Raspberry Eton Trifle

If you want to go all out…don’t stop at ice cream and pound cake bits, add custard too. Mix it all up and you’ll basically have a very fancy trifle!

Storage suggestions

Eton Mess can be stored in an airtight container for 3-5 days in the refrigerator.

More dessert recipes to try

• The Celeste Strawberry Pie
• Strawberry Shortcake Mug Cake
• Raspberry Cheesecake Cookies

Helpful tools

The link below is an affiliate link. This means that if you choose to purchase using it, I will receive a small commission (at no additional cost to you). These small commissions help keep Chocolates & Chai going. Thank you.

Rejoice, bestie! There are no special tools required to make this recipe (especially if you opt to use the ready-made hacks). However, if you want to make this dessert recipe from scratch, a good mixer will make life a lot easier.

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And that’s it! If you like the sound of this Raspberry Eton Mess recipe, I do hope you give it a try. It’s quite good, I promise! And if you have given it a try, or just heard of this fun dessert before, let me know in the comments below.

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