Eton Mess Pavlova Roulade
Okay, it’s not officially summer yet, but summer is a state of mind and I don’t know about you but I am definitely in the summer state of mind! Plus it’s only 3 months to summer and that’s pretty close right? You see where I am going with this right? I’ll save myself the embarrassment and just admit it okay- ANY excuse to share a summer recipe and ain’t no shame in that! Especially when it comes in a form as beautiful and delicious as this Pavlova roll! Before we go any further, for anybody who is not aware of what a Pavlova is, here’s a simple gist of it. It’s a popular meringue-based Australian dessert with a crispy exterior shell and a really soft marshmallowy interior. Here’s a little secret: I do not dig Pavlovas. (I can virtually feel all the Aussies reading this rolling their eyes at me, HARD haha). It’s just not my thing, except for this particular recipe. I guess the rolled up cousin of Pavlova is okay after all. In essence, this is basically an Eton Mess, revisited. Meringue, check. Silky whipped cream, check. Strawberries, check. Effing delicious, CHECK. Take it from a non-pav lover. Meringue cake with a crisp exterior and soft meringue interior, layered with some velvety whipped cream and juicy strawberries all rolled up together to create this absolute delight. Now that’s something I can get behind, yum!
Would you look at that?! That’s one good looking dessert. Here’s why I love this dessert:
Apart from being an absolute stunner, it is just one of those really feel good desserts. It’s light with very familiar comforting flavours. We’ve all eaten some form or the other of the humble Strawberries & Cream.
As shocking as it may sound, I put this together in under 45 mins! This includes the baking too. You see, minimal efforts, outstanding results! Say goodbye to hours of kitchen slogging, no thank you!
Customise it to suit your tastebuds. Add some lemon curd, some jam, some stone fruits, get creative!
Before jumping onto the recipe, let’s talk pastry science for a bit. Fun! #NerdAlert
The pavlova roulade: This is a lot easier than making an actual pavlova. There’s not much you can do wrong really. Except get yolks in your whites. Don’t do that please. We make our meringue, spread it onto a baking tray, bake, cool and roll it up. Sound straightforward? It is! How to ace your pavlova? Make sure your sugar is completely dissolved into your meringue. The best way to tell if your sugar has dissolved is to take a little bit of meringue and rub it in between your fingers. You shouldn’t feel any grainy-ness of sugar when rubbed between your fingers- it should be smooth. If your sugar isn’t properly dissolved, it will leak out of your pavlova once cooled. Ditch the granulated sugar for this one. Castor sugar is the best to use here.
Whipped cream: This is pretty straightforward but if you’re interested in knowing more about the science behind aeration and how to whip cream perfectly, I have an elaborate video up on my Instagram. You can watch it here.
Bringing it all together: Contrary to popular belief, swiss rolls are actually incredibly easy to make. To get the best results for your swiss rolls, make sure to roll your cake into a log WITHOUT any filling first. This Pavlova recipe is quite flexible so you’re not going to face a lot of problems here, if any at all. Make sure you bake it just enough so that it’s not sticky or super crispy and flexes easily. Just until it’s coloured and has formed a slight skin. I also have a video on making swiss rolls, if you’d like to check it out. You can watch it here.
That’s much pretty all you need to know. This is just one flavour option. Like I said, they are the perfect canvas and you can go crazy with your flavour pairings. Some lemon/passionfruit or any kind of citrus curd would be beautiful. Fruit jam would go beautifully as well. For a more indulgent treat: you can also make a cream cheese filling or my Vanilla Baileys Mascarpone cream.
Perfect for a summer afternoon treat, lunch/dinner parties, special occasions or just a little something if you fancy a cheeky dessert. I’ve got you covered pal!
Recipe
Serves: 6
Ingredients
For the pavlova roulade:
100g egg whites (sub: 100g aquafaba for vegan version)
160g castor sugar
3/4 tsp cornflour
3/4 tsp vinegar
1 tsp vanilla extract
For the whipped cream:
200g heavy cream
20g castor sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
For the macerated strawberries:
125g strawberries, cut into small pieces
10g castor sugar
Zest of 1/2 a lemon
Method
For the macerated strawberries:
In a small bowl, mix together all the ingredients for macerated strawberries and gently massage the strawberries with the sugar until completely coated. Refrigerate until use.
For the pavlova roulade:
Grease a 12x10 inch baking tray with butter and line with paper. Preheat oven to 200C (conventional).
In the bowl of a stand mixer, pour the egg whites (or aquafaba) and add a pinch of salt. Use the whisk attachment and whisk the egg whites on medium speed until foamy. Alternatively, you can use a hand held beater for the same.
Once foamy, gradually start adding your sugar in three parts. Let the first batch of sugar dissolve before adding another.
Whip until stiff peaks and all the sugar has completely dissolved. (The meringue should not feel grainy when rubbed between your fingers.)
Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mix together the cornflour, vinegar and vanilla extract until no lumps remain.
Once the meringue has reached stiff peaks, with the mixer still running, add in the cornflour mix and whisk until combined.
Spread the pavlova mix on the prepared baking tray and roughly even out using a spatula or a palette knife.
Put the tray in the oven and drop the temperature down to 160C. Bake for 11-13 mins or until the top is coloured and is no longer sticky to touch.
Turn off the oven and with the oven door slightly open, let the pavlova cool in the oven for 10 mins.
Roll the cake: Remove the tray from the oven and flip the pavlova out of the tray onto a clean baking paper. The bottom side should now be on top.
Carefully peel the baking paper and replace with a clean baking paper.
Starting with the wider side, gently roll up the pavlova in between the two baking papers, making sure to tuck the seam under the roulade. Let the roulade cool completely in this position. (I usually put a bottle of something against it to support and stop from falling. )
For the whipped cream:
Using a stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment or a hand held beater, whip the heavy cream, sugar and vanilla to medium-stiff peaks on a low to medium speed. Refrigerate until use.
Assembly:
Once the roulade has completely cooled down, gently unroll it. Remove the baking paper from the top.
Spread 3/4 of the whipped cream evenly on the roulade. Do not spread too much to the ends as the filling will spread out once you roll the cake.
Place an even layer of the macerated strawberries all over the whipped cream.
Starting the wider end, roll up the roulade carefully and keep it tight, making sure to tuck the seam under. If the filling leaks out a little, you can always scrape it off.
Fold the baking paper over the cake and gently tuck at the bottom of the cake. Use a ruler to tighten the roll. Let it sit for 5 mins.
To serve, spread the remaining 1/4 cream on top and garnish with strawberries, passionfruit, berries or any fruit of your choice. Cut into slices and serve. Bon appetite!
For a video demonstration on how to roll a swiss roll, you can watch this video here.
If you enjoyed that and tried it at home, please tag me at @myyummyspatula on instagram so that I can see all your bakes! For more BTS stories, updates and fun, you can follow long here:
