Recipe: Lemon Curd Meringue Roulade

Line a 23cm x 33cm swiss roll baking tray or brownie tin with baking paper and lightly spray with canola oil. If the sides of your tray are very shallow, you can over-line so that the baking paper sits slightly higher than the sides of the tin and creates a 'collar'. Preheat oven to 180C (fan forced).

In a stand mixer with a whisk attachment, beat the egg whites until they're thickened and standing at soft peaks. Lower the mixer speed and slowly add sugar while whisking until the sugar has dissolved (rub a little meringue between your fingers to feel for grittiness) and the stiff peaks are glossy.

Remove the bowl from the mixer and using a large spatula or spoon, gently fold in vanilla, vinegar & almond meal. Tip the meringue mixture into the prepared tin, spreading out evenly and levelling with an off-set spatula, and bake for 8 mins. Reduce oven temperature to 140C and continue to bake for another 20-25 mins.

Lift the meringue from the baking tin on its paper and cool for 10 mins on a wire rack. Prepare a clean tea towel laid flat on the kitchen bench topped with a piece of baking paper the same size. Dust the paper lined tea towel with a generous amount of icing sugar. Invert the meringue onto the icing sugar and allow to cool completely.

Whip cream until thick and spreadable. Remove the baking paper lining from the meringue. Spread 4-5 tablespoons of lemon curd on the meringue, leaving a clear 2cm edge on the short sides to allow the filling to spread when it's rolled. Follow with the whipped cream.

To roll, use a gentle pushing motion with your palms flat on the short side of the meringue closest to you. Roll the meringue in on itself, using the tea towel and baking paper to help with this. Roll until the other short edge is on the bottom of the roulade, creating a closed seam. Don't worry about cracks in the meringue or if a little of the filling squeezes out. This is what makes a roulade rustic and charming!

Refrigerate until ready to serve. Place on a serving plate, dust with a little extra icing sugar and scatter fresh raspberries on top. Slice with a serrated knife and serve with extra raspberries.

Tips:

– For bulletproof meringue, wipe down your mixing bowl and whisk with white vinegar to remove any oils

– Crack eggs into a separate dish one at time, in case any yolks break. Fish out any egg yolk with a metal spoon, not your fingers as the oils in your skin can affect how the egg whites aerate

– Add lemon zest to the whipped cream for an extra citrus kick

– Use lemon curd on scones, cakes or warm, buttered toast. Famous for their batch churned cultured butter, Australian producer Pepe Saya has taken the same handcrafted approach with their new jars of lemon curd. It’s rich, citrusy and deliciously thick, and perfect in this light-as-a-feather roulade.

Pepe Saya Lemon Curd, as well as other ingredients featured in this recipe, is available from The Essential ingredient. Contact your nearest store, or buy online for delivery to anywhere in Australia.