In a standing mixer, beat the egg whites on medium until they are white and frothy with stiff peaks (about 8-10 minutes).
Then, add the caster sugar one tbsp at a time on medium. Let each tbsp get 45 seconds of whipping time. Keep going until all the sugar is gone. It should be white, thick, and shiny. If you hold the bowl over your head, nothing should come out! This process should take about 10-15 minutes total.
Add the lemon juice and cornstarch. Give that a minute on low speed to combine.
Add parchment on a baking sheet upside down, separate the pavlova mixture in half, and make two 6 inch rounds OR 1 big 9-inch round
Bake at 225 for 1.5 hours. Tturn off the oven and crack it open a few inches -- sometimes I put a potato to wedge it open, and it works well!
Let the pavlova cool in the oven with the oven for at least an hour, but 2-3 is ideal.
Then, the fun part! In the same standing mixer, whip the cream and the maple syrup.
Add one of the rounds to a beautiful plate. Top it with whipped cream and add the second layer. Top that with whipped cream. Then top with fruit, flowers, an anything beautiful! It constantly changes, but I am privy to my raspberry sauce and some beautiful seasonal fruit and berries with flowers from the garden!