Brazilian pavê swaps traditional condensed milk layers for Ninho powdered milk, creating a denser custard than Italian tiramisu ever achieves.
Strawberry Ninho Pavê
Indulge in this delightful Strawberry Ninho Pavê that’s bound to become a family favorite! Layered with creamy Ninho milk powder and juicy strawberries, this dessert combines a rich, velvety texture with the vibrant sweetness of fresh fruit. It’s an easy and irresistible treat that will have everyone coming back for seconds!
Prep
30
min
Cook
10
min
Serves
8
people
Level
intermediate
The Story
This Ninho-stuffed pavê descends from Brazil's 1980s supermarket boom, when Nestlé's Ninho powdered milk became a pantry obsession and home cooks fused it with the French-Portuguese pavê tradition—itself a cousin of tiramisu—creating a no-bake layered trifle that turned Italian dessert architecture into something distinctly São Paulo, using Maizena biscuits instead of ladyfingers and condensed milk instead of mascarpone.
Regional Twist
In Minas Gerais, cooks swap fresh strawberries for local guava paste layered between the maizena cookies, keeping the condensed milk base intact but leaning into the region's obsession with doce de leite and queijo-adjacent sweetness traditions.
📝 Ingredients
Serves 8🥛Dairy & Eggs(4)
- 2 boxes of condensed milk
- 2 boxes of cream
- 350ml of milk (11.8 fl oz)
- 130g of powdered milk (4.59 oz)
🫙Pantry Staples(2)
- 25g of cornstarch (0.88 oz)
- Vanilla essence
📦Other(2)
- 2 packages of maizena cookies
- 400g of strawberries (14.1 oz)
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories
704
Protein
16g
Carbs
90g
Fat
32g
👨🍳 Instructions
- 1
In a pot with the heat off, combine the condensed milk and cornstarch until smooth.
- 2
Add the powdered milk, cream, milk, and a little vanilla essence, then turn on the heat.
- 3
Once it starts to boil, wait a minute and then turn off the heat. Let the cream cool.
- 4
To assemble the pavê, start with a layer of maizena cookies directly without soaking them in milk.
- 5
Add a layer of the cream, followed by a layer of strawberries.
- 6
Repeat the process with more cookies, cream, and strawberries.
- 7
For the last layer, spread some more cream on top and clean the edges.
- 8
Refrigerate for at least 4 hours.
- 9
After 4 hours, dust some powdered milk on top and place a strawberry in the center.
💡 Pro Tips
- ✓Mix cornstarch with condensed milk off-heat before adding liquids to prevent lump formation, since cornstarch granules need gradual hydration; this creates a smooth slurry that disperses evenly when heat is applied.techniqueOff-heat mixing prevents gelatinization shock
- ✓Heat the cream mixture to exactly 212°F (100°C) for 60 seconds, then immediately cool to 140°F (60°C) before assembly; this denatures proteins for better texture while the brief boil prevents spoilage in the no-bake pavé.timing212°F for 60 seconds, then cool to 140°F
- ✓Use the maizena cookies completely dry without any milk soaking because the 350ml milk in your cream base (at ~20% moisture content) will gradually absorb into the cookies during the 4-hour refrigeration through osmotic diffusion, creating the ideal soggy-but-structured texture.techniqueOsmotic absorption over 4 hours prevents over-soaking
- ✓Dice strawberries to 12-15mm cubes and pat dry with paper towels before layering; excess moisture (strawberries are ~92% water) will leach into the cream and soften cookies unevenly, while uniform cube size ensures consistent moisture distribution.ingredient12-15mm cubes, patted dry, 92% water content
- ✓Refrigerate at 39-41°F (4-5°C) for exactly 4 hours minimum because the cornstarch needs this time to fully hydrate and gel (gelatinization completes at cold temperatures), while the cream proteins set through cooling rather than cooking.timing39-41°F for minimum 4 hours
Share this recipe
Prep
30
min
Cook
10
min
Serves
8
people
Level
intermediate
Share this recipe
Brazilian pavê swaps traditional condensed milk layers for Ninho powdered milk, creating a denser custard than Italian tiramisu ever achieves.
Strawberry Ninho Pavê
Indulge in this delightful Strawberry Ninho Pavê that’s bound to become a family favorite! Layered with creamy Ninho milk powder and juicy strawberries, this dessert combines a rich, velvety texture with the vibrant sweetness of fresh fruit. It’s an easy and irresistible treat that will have everyone coming back for seconds!
The Story
This Ninho-stuffed pavê descends from Brazil's 1980s supermarket boom, when Nestlé's Ninho powdered milk became a pantry obsession and home cooks fused it with the French-Portuguese pavê tradition—itself a cousin of tiramisu—creating a no-bake layered trifle that turned Italian dessert architecture into something distinctly São Paulo, using Maizena biscuits instead of ladyfingers and condensed milk instead of mascarpone.
Regional Twist
In Minas Gerais, cooks swap fresh strawberries for local guava paste layered between the maizena cookies, keeping the condensed milk base intact but leaning into the region's obsession with doce de leite and queijo-adjacent sweetness traditions.
📝 Ingredients
Serves 8🥛Dairy & Eggs(4)
- 2 boxes of condensed milk
- 2 boxes of cream
- 350ml of milk (11.8 fl oz)
- 130g of powdered milk (4.59 oz)
🫙Pantry Staples(2)
- 25g of cornstarch (0.88 oz)
- Vanilla essence
📦Other(2)
- 2 packages of maizena cookies
- 400g of strawberries (14.1 oz)
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories
704
Protein
16g
Carbs
90g
Fat
32g
👨🍳 Instructions
- 1
In a pot with the heat off, combine the condensed milk and cornstarch until smooth.
- 2
Add the powdered milk, cream, milk, and a little vanilla essence, then turn on the heat.
- 3
Once it starts to boil, wait a minute and then turn off the heat. Let the cream cool.
- 4
To assemble the pavê, start with a layer of maizena cookies directly without soaking them in milk.
- 5
Add a layer of the cream, followed by a layer of strawberries.
- 6
Repeat the process with more cookies, cream, and strawberries.
- 7
For the last layer, spread some more cream on top and clean the edges.
- 8
Refrigerate for at least 4 hours.
- 9
After 4 hours, dust some powdered milk on top and place a strawberry in the center.
💡 Pro Tips
- ✓Mix cornstarch with condensed milk off-heat before adding liquids to prevent lump formation, since cornstarch granules need gradual hydration; this creates a smooth slurry that disperses evenly when heat is applied.techniqueOff-heat mixing prevents gelatinization shock
- ✓Heat the cream mixture to exactly 212°F (100°C) for 60 seconds, then immediately cool to 140°F (60°C) before assembly; this denatures proteins for better texture while the brief boil prevents spoilage in the no-bake pavé.timing212°F for 60 seconds, then cool to 140°F
- ✓Use the maizena cookies completely dry without any milk soaking because the 350ml milk in your cream base (at ~20% moisture content) will gradually absorb into the cookies during the 4-hour refrigeration through osmotic diffusion, creating the ideal soggy-but-structured texture.techniqueOsmotic absorption over 4 hours prevents over-soaking
- ✓Dice strawberries to 12-15mm cubes and pat dry with paper towels before layering; excess moisture (strawberries are ~92% water) will leach into the cream and soften cookies unevenly, while uniform cube size ensures consistent moisture distribution.ingredient12-15mm cubes, patted dry, 92% water content
- ✓Refrigerate at 39-41°F (4-5°C) for exactly 4 hours minimum because the cornstarch needs this time to fully hydrate and gel (gelatinization completes at cold temperatures), while the cream proteins set through cooling rather than cooking.timing39-41°F for minimum 4 hours