Begin by separating your egg yolks from the egg whites by cracking an egg into a fine mesh sieve over a small bowl and then adding each egg one at a time into a separate bowl, do not crack directly into your bowl of egg whites as otherwise you may contaminate the egg whites! Ensure you are weighing your egg whites as you go. This recipe calls for 150g of egg whites.

Preheat the oven to 130 degrees celcius.

Place the egg whites into a stand mixer and start to mix them on a medium-high speed for 20 minutes at least.

Once the egg whites begin to form soft peaks and are past the frothy stage, gradually start to add the sugar 1-2 tablespoons at a time until you have incorporated all of the sugar. Allow 20 seconds between each 1-2 tablespoons of sugar.

Remember to stop the stand mixer and scrape down the sides one or two times.

Continue to whip the meringue mixture for 10-15 minutes, the end result will be stiff and glossy peaks. Once 5 minutes have passed, add in the cornstarch and vinegar and continue to mix for a further 3 minutes.

Once stiff glossy peaks form, transfer the meringue mixture into a piping bag and pipe into heart shapes on a baking tray lined with parchment paper. See my TikTok post for exactly how I did this.

Lower the oven to 100 degrees celcius and place the piped heart shaped meringues into the oven. Bake for 80 minutes. Do not open the oven during this time.

At 80 minutes, switch off the oven and crack open the oven door ever so slightly to allow hot air to escape slowly. Allow the meringues to cool in the oven for 35 minutes, before removing from the oven and allowing them to cool on the counter for a further 25 minutes.

Whip the double cream, vanilla extract and sugar until thickened.

Once the heart shaped meringues are cool, you can add on the toppings: I spread on some double cream , quartered strawberries and flaked almonds!