In my world of meringues, this lemon meringue roulade is the ultimate dessert you’ll want to swan dive into. With a crunchy nutty exterior, the inside is soft and the texture of a silky pillow laced with dollops of freshly whipped cream whirled in plushy lemon curd.
I recently revisited this recipe I’ve been making for years and found that the addition of almonds to the meringue is a total game changer.
It doesn’t take much time or effort because the mixer does the work for you and you’re using ingredients you’re likely to have around.
Hubby loves this dessert and kept saying that it is so light and creamy.
Lemon meringue is a much loved dessert in our home. Desserts on a Sunday is just as important as Sunday lunch.
With so many balls up in the air, time is of the essence, hence I try to prepare quick and easy foods and desserts. With less effort, using pantry staples, I’m all about creating pastry shop level fanciness minus the hassle of messing up too many dishes and later sitting with the clean up.
So I’m not shy to admit that I’ve used store bought lemon curd. Stafford’s lemon curd is totally delicious and I use it quite often. You can use any other brand to your preference.
I’m also not a sweet tooth although hubby is. So I love to use fruits in my desserts for that natural sweetness. Lemons often transpires a beautiful perfume in my kitchen when I’m using it to prepare meals or when I bake with it. I love the beauty of it all, the colour, the fragrance and of course the taste😋. Lemon aids to cut that too rich taste of any dessert and yields a sophisticated taste of its own.
Using only the egg whites, do not discard the yolks because they are good to use for other cooking or baking purposes. Simply add it to your scrambled egg mixture for a fluffier version.
The almonds is a total game changer so in this case if you’re not allergic to nuts, I’d say it’s mandatory because of the crunchy golden nutty taste it yields. It really does perk the roulade up. If you’re not a nut fan or have an allergy to nuts, it’s totally fine to leave it out.
This dessert will surely please your taste buds and make a stunning impression on your tea or dessert table. Next time you want to wow your guests, give this recipe a go.
If you do try this recipe please drop me a comment and leave a star rating. It is always appreciated.
LEMON MERINGUE ROULADE
Ingredients
- 5 large or 6 medium egg whites
- 260 g castor sugar
- 50 g sliced almonds
- 330 ml fresh cream
- zest of one lemon
- lemon curd (store bought or homemade)
- icing sugar for dusting
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180 degree celcius
- In a large clean bowl, using the mixer or handheld machine if you prefer, whisk egg whites until stiff.
- Add in the castor sugar one tablespoon at a time and whisk after each addition.
- Continue whisking until all the sugar is incorporated and the mixture is extremely stiff and glossy
- Grease and line a 23x 33cm Swiss roll tin with greaseproof paper.
- Spread the meringue mixture evenly over the base of the tin and sprinkle over the almonds.
- Bake for 12-14 minutes or until golden.
- Lower the temperature to 160°C, and bake for a further 20 minutes until firm to the touch.
- Remove the meringue from the oven and carefully turn it out, almond-side-down, onto a clean sheet of greaseproof paper.
- Remove the greaseproof paper that lined the tin and leave the meringue to cool for about 10-15 minutes.
- Lightly whip the cream, add the zest of one lemon and fold in the lemon curd.
- Spread the lemon cream evenly over the cold meringue.
- Roll up the meringue from one of the shorter sides to form a roulade.
- Finish with a light dusting of icing sugar.
- Slice and serve.
