Flourless Lemon Meringue Roulade

Lemon Meringue Roulade with raspberry pureé

Lemon Meringue Roulade is mouthwatering, lemon cream rolled up in a wheat free, light and soft meringue that is crisp on the outside.

A creamy lemon filling made of lemon curd, which is like a thick spreadable concentrated, tangy lemon pudding, with whipped cream folded into it.  It is spread on a baked, soft on the inside, crisp on the outside Pavlova type meringue, rolled up.

Roulade is the word for something, food, rolled up, usually around something, a filling. 

It could be cake.  A Swiss roll or Yule log is a type of roulade.  It could also be meat.  (A Rouladen is meat.)

Lemon Roulade with blueberry sauce

Keep this Lemon Meringue Roulade refrigerated and it is just as nice the next day, some might say better, and surprisingly, it freezes well.

The lemon filling needs to be completely chilled, and can be made up to a few days ahead.  

Try to use organic lemons, as you will be using the peel.

Caster sugar, or superfine, which says it all, is finer than granulated sugar.  It is not powdered icing sugar. 

You could just pulse granulated sugar in a food processor.  It is suggested because it is lighter when added to the meringue and dissolves quickly.

Regular sugar will work in a pinch, just take your time when adding it. 

A stand mixer will give you best results with whipping up egg whites, but Lemon Meringue Roulade can be made easily with a hand mixer (not an immersion blender).

Pulse granulated sugar to make superfine sugar

How to Make a Flourless Lemon Roulade

Using what we will call the working bowl, crack one egg at a time into, or separate them over the working bowl if you choose to use the shells to separate the yolk from the white.

This way, if you come across a bad egg, or the yolk breaks, it will not have mixed with the rest of the eggs.

It seems the messiest, but I think the most successful way, is to fish the yolk out of the bowl with your hands, then place the yolk in the bowl that will hold the yolks and pour the white into a very clean and grease free bowl.  

Do that with each egg.

Prepare the Lemon Curd first

1. Make a double boiler by placing a heatproof, preferably non metal bowl over a pot of water. You could use a double boiler if that is what you have.  The water should not touch the bowl, but be enough not to boil away.

Using a tempered glass or ceramic type bowl will not give off a metallic taste that the acid picks up.

In the heat proof bowl, or top part of the double boiler, beat the yolks with the sugar. Make sure they get well combined or the sugar will clump.  Then whisk in the lemon juice and the zest.

The lemon juice gives acidity, the flavourful oils come from the peel.

Bring the water to a boil, then turn the heat down right away so it is just simmering.

2. Cook, stirring regularly for about 12 minutes.  Don’t leave it unattended, but you don’t have to mix like mad, it won’t burn, but keep it moving.

Keep stirring, making sure you get the sides in, or they get sticky, until the curd reaches 170°F (77°C), or coats a spoon.  Coat a wooden spoon or spatula with the mixture and run your finger through it.  The mark should easily stay without running.

Then cook it, still stirring for another 3-5 minutes.

3. Turn off the heat and add the butter pieces, stirring as they slowly melt in.  Being in pieces, it is easier to incorporate in a little oil at a time.

4. Remove from the heat, being careful of the steam, and transfer the curd to a bowl, running it through a sieve for smoothness.  Press plastic wrap directly onto the curd and refrigerate until cold.

You will use a cup of this for the filling.

For the Meringue

1. Line a 9”x13” (23cm x33cm) Jelly roll pan with baking parchment, OR draw a 9”x13” (23cm x33cm) rectangle on a piece of baking parchment.

2. Beat the egg whites in a very clean, grease free bowl with very clean grease free beaters, or beater if using a stand mixer.

Once egg whites become foamy add the cream of tartar, which helps to stabilize the foam. If you don’t have it, it won’t make too much of a difference.  Cream of tartar is an acid.  Vinegar is also being used in this recipe, adding an extra teaspoon would do about the same.

3. Once the egg whites begin to thicken and turn white, gradually start adding the sugar. 

4. When you have about a quarter or so of the sugar left, combine it with the cornstarch and the salt.  Sift it into the meringue and quickly beat that in. Adding cornstarch is what keeps the meringue soft inside.

The meringue is ready when you lift the beater, or beaters and the meringue peaks and the tip droops a bit, like a soft serve ice cream. 

Or you could hold the bowl over your head, whichever is easiest.

5. Combine the vinegar and vanilla and quickly beat it, or fold it into the meringue.

6. Spread this into the prepared pan, OR spread it in the rectangle you drew, but on the side without the markings.  Stay inside the lines.  The meringue expands a lot during baking and you will have a thinner, although larger surface, meringue.

7. Bake at 375°F (190°C) for 10 minutes, then reduce the heat to 325°F (165°C) and bake for about 20 minutes.

8. Remove from the oven and let cool for 15-20 minutes, then turn over onto another piece of parchment with icing sugar dusted on it.

Peel off the parchment and let it cool completely.

Or spread the meringue in a drawn rectangle

1. Stir the lemon curd to soften it up.

2. Whip the cream and fold in one cup of the lemon curd.

It is ok if it is streaky.  If you mix it up too much it gets a bit too loose.

3. Spread it over the completely cooled meringue.  Don’t go right to the edges, as you roll it will get pushed out.

4. Using the parchment, turn up the edge that you are going to start rolling and hold it while you roll it up a bit more.  Once you have it started it will roll up very easily.  

Try to bring the parchment around the roll or put something against the end to secure it so it can set a bit.

IF your meringue over bakes and the edges seem a bit too crisp to roll, I would suggest trimming them off.  If they aren’t too bad, just roll it and they’ll just crack a bit more.

If it is a bit under baked and seems a bit chewy, it softens a bit in a day.