Light yet decadent, this summer berry meringue roulade is the perfect dessert combo that just can’t be beaten! Perfect meringue, crisp on the outside and marshmallow in the middle, wrapped around a whipped cream filling with a quick berry curd and beautiful, bright fruit. It’s one of the easiest desserts you’ll ever make!
Lou’s recipe overview
SKILL: Intermediate
TASTE: Summer! Sweet, creamy and fruity
PROS: Quick, last minute dessert option
CONS: You have to share and everyone will want seconds
Tell me, is there any better flavour combination than meringue, fruit and cream?
The sweet, crispness of the meringue as it melts into the soft, thick cream and that tang from the sharpness of fruit balances it all out into one perfect mouthful.
Hands up who agrees?
I’m a sucker for a homemade meringue, big ones, little ones, pavlovas, any time of year, and even the ones you can buy in the supermarket. I love meringue and yet the only meringue recipe I have on the site is my Christmas tree meringues.
But that’s all about to change, well I’m adding one more today with my summer berry meringue roulade. One of my most favourite recipes ever!
If you want to skip the essential recipe information and my super handy tips for making absolutely the best meringue roulade you can ever make, then head down to the printable recipe card.
Why this meringue is so amazing
There I’ve said it, it’s amazing! And well to be honest, it really is. Trust me, I’m not going to lie to you. But if you need your arm twisting a bit more, then let me tell you about the…
- Light and crispy meringue layer that’s soft and chewy inside
- Sweet, tang of summer berries enrobed in thick whipped cream
- Guaranteed show-stopping centrepiece dessert for any occasion
- And as always its deliciously easy to make
What you need to make this roulade
View my Amazon shopping list with equipment and ingredients
I love this dessert anytime of year, but it’s the perfect way to end a summer barbecue or celebration. And not only is it deliciously easy to make, it uses simple ingredients and equipment.
The Ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need…
- Egg Whites – You want these to be at room temperature, so if you keep your eggs in the fridge, get them out about 15 minutes before you start. Room temperature eggs are so much easier to whisk. If you don’t have time, pop the cold eggs in a bowl of warm tap water for a few minutes, this will take the chill off them.
- Caster or Superfine Sugar – I prefer to use caster sugar but you can also use a half and half mixture of caster superfine and icing or powdered sugar or the same quantities.
- Cream of Tartar – This will help keep your meringue stable and give you that nice crispy shell and chewy middle we’re looking for. If you don’t have cream of tartar, you can substitute it for cornflour or corn starch.
- Vanilla Extract or Bean Paste – Add a touch of vanilla for flavour, and not just a sugar hit!
- Summer Berries – I’m using a mix of strawberries, raspberries and currants. You can also use either fresh or frozen fruits. I’ve used frozen fruits that I defrosted overnight in the fridge.
- Double Cream or Heavy Cream
- Unsalted Butter
Recommended Ingredients
The Equipment
To make the roulade, you don’t need any special equipment. In fact, you’ll have everything in the kitchen cupboards. So go ahead and grab…
- Swiss Roll Tin – it should be approximately 33x23cm/ 13×9 inches in dimension and should be at least 1cm deep
- Handheld Mixer or Stand Mixer – the meringue needs to whisk for at least 8 minutes so using a mixer is easier than doing this by hand
- Offset Spatula – this makes spreading the meringue and filling so much easier, but a regular palette knife or a spoon will work as well
- Large Mixing Bowl
- Baking Parchment
Recommended Equipment
How to make summer berry meringue roulade
Full measurements and instructions can be found on the printable recipe card
Now put any ideas or fears about making meringue behind you, take your time and I promise you you’ll have mastered the perfect meringue in now time at all.
So when you’re ready, let’s get baking…
Making the meringue
You can make this either in a stand mixer or with a handheld electric mixer. The meringue will take about 6-8 minutes to whisk up, so I prefer a stand mixer as I can set it going and be doing something else.
Either way, start off by whisking the egg whites on low/medium speed, until they start to thicken up and become frothy at the edges; for about 3-4 minutes.
Next add the sugar, a spoonful at a time, whisking well between each addition. You’ll notice that the egg whites become glossy, thick and a perfectly white.
At this point, mix the vanilla extract, cream of tarter and vinegar into a runny paste, then add into meringue mix and whisk again.
TOP TIP: Check your meringue batter is ready, by rubbing a small pinch of batter between your thumb and finger. If the batter feels grainy, the sugar is not fully incorporated so whisk again. If it’s smooth, it is ready!
Baking the meringue
Easy so far isn’t it? And all you’re going to do now is it pop it in the oven to bake!
Well, first up you need to pour the meringue into a swiss-roll tin that is lined with baking parchment. Make sure it is baking parchment, rather than greaseproof paper, otherwise the meringue will stick and you will not be able to peel the paper off later.
Spread the meringue out to the edges of the tin, ensuring that it’s roughly the same level all over. I highly recommend using an angled palette knife for this, as it stops you catching the meringue with your fingers when spreading and gives a great finish.
Pop the meringues into a preheated oven at 130C/260F, and bake for 30 minutes. This gives the meringue that crispy shell and keeps it light and marshmallowy in the centre; making it easier to roll. Let the meringue cool for 10 minutes when its baked before assembling the roulade.
TOP TIP: When lining the swiss-roll tin, allow the baking parchment to overhang around the slides; this will help you roll the roulade later.
Making the berry curd
This is the quickest and simplest fruit curd you can make. If you want to get ahead, make it a day or so in advance and keep it in the fridge, or you can do it while the meringue is baking.
First up, puree the summer berries using either a food processor or a mini chopper. Don’t worry about any seeds as we’re going to strain it later.
Add the puree into a heavy-bottomed saucepan along with the sugar and butter, then heat gently over a low heat. Continue to heat for about another 8-10 minutes until the curd thickens up. Remember to stir occasionally so the curd doesn’t catch on the bottom of the pan.
When ready, strain the curd through a fine-metal sieve into a bowl, then cover the surface with cling-film and chill until you’re ready to use.
TOP TIP: If you do not want to make the summer berry curd, you can use store-brought curd or a berry jam instead.
Step by step live video
How to assemble the roulade
So this is the last bit, you’re nearly there…
We’re going to fill the roulade with the berry curd, whipped cream and summer berries, so get everything ready before you start to assemble. Then when you’re ready…
- Sprinkle another piece of parchment with icing sugar and place the meringue layer on top, top down
- Carefully peel back the parchment that is on the bottom side of the meringue
- Spread the whipped cream filling all over, leaving a 1cm gap around the edges. This stops the cream squeezing out when you roll it up.
- Spoon the curd on top of the cream, and carefully spread out using an angled palette knife
- Gather the summer berries all over, but don’t get carried away and add too much else you won’t be able to roll the roulade
- Using the baking parchment, carefully roll the meringue from the shortest end along the longest side. Roll as tightly as possible trying not to break the meringue too much, so you get a good swirl. The meringue will crack so don’t panic
- Gently lift the roulade, placing it on a serving plate and set it on the seam
- Dust with icing sugar and decorate
And if you want to, watch me assemble the roulade and see for yourself how easy it is roll everything together…
Frequently asked questions
The meringue is best made in a swiss-roll tin. I prefer to use a 13 x 9-inch tin, about 1cm deep to stop the meringue spreading too much.
Depending on how wide you cut the slices, the roulade will serve between 8 to 10 portions.
As the roulade is filled with whipped cream, once assembled, it should be kept chilled in the fridge. Cover the roulade in kitchen-foil to prevent it drying out.
Because of the whipped cream filling, the roulade is best eaten on the same day, and will keep for 1-2 days.
Yes you can. Wrap the meringue well in parchment and kitchen foil and it will freeze for up to 3 months. When defrosting be careful that the meringue does not absorb any moisture as it will become soggy.
Recipe top tips
The most important part of this recipe is the meringue; nail that and you’re on your way to one of the best desserts ever! And to help you there, check out my top tips…
Before you start
- Always use room temperature egg whites – Eggs straight from the fridge makes them harder to whisk, so get them out of the fridge in plenty of time before you want to make the meringue. Alternatively, pop them in warm tap water for 10 minutes and they will come up to temperature.
- Make sure your mixing bowl is clean – You’ll hear this so often when talking about getting the perfect meringue. It’s important that the bowl is spotless with no traces of fat. Any trace of fat will cause the protein chains in the egg white to shorten, meaning the meringue will collapse. To be double sure the bowl is clean, wipe it out with a little lemon juice.
Making the meringue
- Whisk slowly to start and build up speed – This is key to incorporating as much air as possible giving you the light and airy meringue. When you whisk the egg whites you stretch the protein chains, and as they stretch they trap air. Whisking too quickly to start causes the chains to break making your meringue unstable and prone to collapse.
- Increase the speed when you see bubbles – As you whisk the egg whites, you will notice them starting to get frothy and bubbles forming at the edges; this means you are incorporating air. At this point you can start to steadily increase the whisking speed.
- Make sure you whisk to soft thick peaks – If you don’t whisk the egg whites enough, they will stay runny and the protein chains will not have chance to stretch and trap air, and yes, the meringue will collapse. Also don’t be tempted to over whisk, as this will end up in a watery mess as the protein chains snap and the meringue becomes unstable
And finally, don’t forget to watch my quick video to see the easiest way to roll a meringue roulade and helpful hints…
More summer recipes to try
If you liked this summer berry meringue roulade recipe here are some other recipes that I think you’d enjoy…
Summer Berry Meringue Roulade
Ingredients
For the Meringue
- 3 Egg Whites Medium
- 175 g Caster Sugar or Superfine Sugar
- 1 tsp Cream of Tartar
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract or Peppermint Extract
- 1 tsp White Vinegar or Lemon Juice
For the Fruit Curd
- 3 Egg Yolks Medium
- 150 g Summer Fruits
- 100 g Caster Sugar or Superfine Sugar
- 100 g Unsalted Butter
For the Filling
- 150 g Summer Fruits
- 150 ml Double Cream or Heavy Cream
- 50 g Greek Yoghurt
VIDEO
Instructions
- To make the meringue: Preheat the oven to 130C/ 260F and line a swiss-roll tin with baking parchment. Alternatively, you can use a silicone baking mat if you prefer.
- Place the egg whites in a large bowl and using a handheld mixer, whisk on low/ medium speed until the egg whites start to become foamy, about 3-4 minutes. Alternatively, you can use a stand mixer with the balloon whisk attachment.
- Add the caster sugar a spoonful at a time and whisk well until the meringue becomes thick and glossy white., cream or tartar and vanilla extract and whisk again until combined.
- In a small dish, combine the cream or tartar, vinegar and vanilla extract into a runny paste. Add to the meringue mixture and whisk again until combined.
- Continue to whisk on medium/ high speed until the egg whites are thick, smooth and glossy and form stiff peaks, for another 3-4 minutes. Test the meringue batter, by rubbing a pinch of the mixture between your fingers, it should be smooth. If it still feels a little grainy, keep whisking.
- Pour the meringue batter into the lined swiss-roll tin, then spread out and level with an angled spatula.
- Bake the meringue layer for 30 minutes. Allow the meringue to cool for at least 15 minutes before assembling the roulade.
- To make the fruit curd: Puree the summer fruits using a food processor or mini chopper, then add to a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Add the butter and caster sugar and stir together.
- Gently heat the fruit mixture over a low heat until the butter melts, stirring everything together. Continue to heat for about 8-10 minutes until the curd thickens up, stirring occasionally.
- When the curd has thickened up, remove from the heat and strain through a fine-metal sieve into a bowl.
- Cover the surface of the curd with cling-film and chill until you're ready to assemble the roulade.
- To assemble the roulade: Take another piece of baking parchment and sprinkle with icing sugar, then turn out the cooled meringue layer on top. Carefully peel back the parchment paper that is on the bottom of the meringue layer.
- In a large mixing bowl, add the cream and whisk with a handheld mixer until the cream starts to thicken up and hold soft peeks. Spread the whipped cream all over the meringue layer, leaving a 1cm border around the edge.
- Spoon the chilled curd on top of the cream and gently spread it over the cream using an angled palette knife. Scatter the summer berries over the top of the curd.
- Using the baking parchment, carefully roll the meringue from the shortest end along the longest side. Roll as tightly as possible trying not to break the meringue too much, so you get a good swirl.
- Gently lift the roulade, placing it on a serving plate and set it on the seam. Dust with icing sugar and decorate.
Notes
Nutrition
DISCLAIMER
The nutritional information provided is approximate and is calculated using online tools. Information can vary depending on various factors, but we have endeavoured to be as accurate as possible.
