Meringue roulade, pavlova roll, pavlova roulade,… Whatever you call this meringue roulade with strawberries, rhubarb, and mascarpone, it really doesn’t matter because it’s delicious no matter the name!
What is meringue roulade made of?
The roulade is made of only a few ingredients – egg whites, sugar, cornstarch and vinegar.
It’s basically a pavlova made in a roulade shape smeared with cooked strawberries and rhubarb and then filled with sweet mascarpone cheese.
The pavlova roll is crunchy on the outside but soft and marshmallowy on the inside (on the first day).
The strawberry/rhubarb filling gives it a nice tartness to counterbalance the sweetness of the pavlova.
The mascarpone cheese and whipping cream filling lighten the dessert up and they give it a creamy element.
It’s pretty easy to make really and tastes like Eton Mess or Pavlova.
Does the meringue roulade keep in the fridge?
Unfilled baked meringue should not be kept in the fridge but at room temperature. And if possible, in an airtight container.
Already filled meringue roulade should be kept in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Things to consider with meringue roulade
- It should be filled and refrigerated half an hour before serving just so everything has a chance to set.
- It’s best to decorate it just before serving.
- The meringue/pavlova will stay crispy on the outside just on the first day, so it’s best to eat it on the first day but it will keep in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- The longer it is in the fridge the more marshmallowy becomes the center of the pavlova.
- Filled meringue roulade will leak some liquid after a day in the fridge.
- The longer it is in the fridge the more liquid will leak, just remove it and serve.
Can the meringue roulade be made in advance?
It can be made in advance. For making the meringue roulade a day in advance:
- Bake the meringue/pavlova and make the fruit (strawberry and rhubarb) filling the day before.
- Turn it out onto a piece of baking paper (slightly bigger than the roulade) dusted with powdered sugar.
- Leave to cool.
- Peel off the top baking paper.
- Roll it away from you from the shorter end without the filling.
- Leave it like that until the next day or until you are ready to serve.
- Half an hour before serving, fill it with strawberry/rhubarb filling and mascarpone.
- Refrigerate for half an hour.
- Decorate and serve.
Because the pavlova and meringue like to absorb the moisture in the air it’s best to use it as soon as possible.
To make the meringue roulade in advance more than a day or 2 you have to freeze the meringue/pavlova.
How to freeze meringue roulade?
- Bake the meringue.
- Turn it out on a piece of baking paper (slightly bigger than the roulade) dusted with powdered sugar and leave to cool.
- Peel off the top baking paper.
- Tightly cover the meringue with cling film.
- Freeze up to 3 months.
- Defrost at room temperature (a few hours) and remove the cling film.
- Fill the meringue, roll it, decorate and serve.
Check out some other amazing summer strawberry and rhubarb desserts:
- Eton mess
- Pavlova
- Floating Island
- Rhubarb Crumble Cake
- Rhubarb and strawberry mascarpone mousse cake
- Vanilla cake with strawberries and pineapple
- Sugar-Free Protein Cheesecake
Possible modifications to the meringue roulade with strawberry, rhubarb and mascarpone
- I filled the meringue roll with rhubarb and strawberry filling but you can change that and instead of that use:
– lemon curd (or another fruit curd)
– cooked blueberries or other fruit/berries,
– fresh chopped fruit or berries (in this case place them over the mascarpone),
– jam, - You could add some rose or orange blossom extract to the mascarpone cream.
- You can sprinkle some flaked almonds on top of the whipped meringue before it goes into the oven.
- Decorate it any way you want. Add sprinkles, sliced fruit, nuts,…
This meringue roulade with strawberry, rhubarb, and mascarpone is a great party and gatherings dessert.
It’s light, refreshing, delicious, very adaptable and stunning!
Meringue Roulade with Strawberry, Rhubarb and Mascarpone
Ingredients
Meringue
- 130 g egg whites about 4 eggs
- 230 g powdered sugar
- 3/4 tsp cream of tartar
- 1 1/2 tsp cornflour
- 1 tsp vinegar
- 3/4 tsp vanilla extract
Strawberry and Rhubarb Filling
- 130 g strawberries
- 250 g rhubarb
- 35 g sugar
- 1/2 vanilla bean scraped seeds
Mascarpone Cream
- 200 g mascarpone cheese
- 400 g whipping cream cold
- 1 packet vanilla sugar 10 g
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Decoration
- 100 g strawberries
- mint leaves
- a few poached rhubarb stalks
Instructions
Meringue
- Preheat the oven to 160°C and line a 30 x 40 cm baking tray with parchment paper.
- Whisk the wgg whites wtih an electric mixer on medium speed until they start to froth (2-3 min).
- Add the cream of tartar (optional, helps to stabilize the egg whites) and mix it in.
- Start adding the sugar slowly spoon by spoon whilst mixing on medium-high speed until you get stiff and glossy peaks, about 10 minutes.
- Mix together the vinegar, cornflour and vanilla. Add into the meringue and mix it in until it's well distributed.
- Distrubute the meringue on the prepared baking sheet and bake in the middle rack for 22-25 minutes. The meringue should be white with a bit of golden color and crunchy on the outside.
- Turn the metingue onto a baking paper with some dusted powdered sugar and leave to cool.
Strawberry and Rhubarb Filling
- Cut the rhubard and strawberries to small pieces (around 1 cm) and place them to a pan with the sugar and vanilla seeds.
- Cook for about 10 minutes on medium heat or until the rhubarb is soft but still has some bite to it.
- Remove form heat and leave to cool.
Mascarpone Cream
- Mix the mascarpone cheese with sugar and vanilla by hand for a few seconds.
- Add the whipping cream and mix by hand until you get soft peaks. It should be lightly beaten so it just holds it's shape.
Assemble
- Remove the parchment paper from the meringue. Spread the cooled strawberris and rhubarb filling over the meringue leaving 1 cm of space from the long edges and 5 cm from one short end.
- Now spread the mascarpone cream on top of the filling. Leave some of it for the decoration on top.
- Roll the meringue roulade form the shorter end away from you (the end that is has filling to the edge). Help yourself lifting the roulade with the parchment paper underneath. Rolling it is just like folding it over itself.
- Carefully transef to a plate and refrigerate for 15-30 min.
- Decorate with piped mascarpone cream, strawberries, poached rhubarb stalks and mint.
- Serve and enjoy!
Notes
- The cream of tartar is optional but it helps to stabilize the egg whites.
- The sugar in the strawberry/rhubarb filling should depend on the sweetness of your fruit but the meringue itself is already enough sweet so you don’t need too much.
- Check the post for more modification ideas (different fillings)
- The meringue roulade is best eaten the day it’s made.
- It will keep in the fridge for 3 days but it will leave some liquid out and lose the crunchiness on the outside.
- The longer the roulade waits for the more marshmallowy it will be on the inside.
- To make a day before, bake the meringue and make the filling but fill it on the day that you serve it.
- Check the post for more information of making in advance and freezing the roulade.
Looks so delicious and perfect for the summer! I love meringue roulades!
What a lovely spring-inspired dessert that’s perfect for almost any special occasion! Strawberries and rhubarb together are a match made in culinary heaven!
Thank you, Carol! Yes I love it so much, glad to find people that think the same :).