Rosewater Meringue Roulade

Rosewater Meringue roulade is a Christmas yule log with a rose flavored cream and morello cherries inside and rose petals on top. It is an OMG dessert that is perfect for the for the Christmas table!

Christmas holiday… What dessert would you like to have on a table in 50 days? Cake? Tart? Cookies? What is about a Christmas yule log? I am introducing a new dessert – Meringue roulade with rose and morello cherries.  It is a stunning and yummy meringue based roll made under two hours. Decorated with rose petals, this dessert will become a showstopper during your Christmas party. WOW factor is guaranteed!

It seems that I am being prepared for the Christmas time. Yes, it is still 50 days ahead, but I have already started looking for the holiday recipes and making the desserts. Yes, I am on a Christmas season’s spirit! This year I would like to be concentrated with yule logs: biscuit and non-biscuit based ones.

To make a yule log is a long-standing Christmas tradition in Europe. According to the Food Editor Mary Beth Jung, “During the Middle Ages, people would cut down a huge tree to burn throughout the Christmas season. Later on, folks sweetened the idea by making cakes that resembled the logs.”

So, I have already made a list of a few yule logs to make during this holiday season. They are effortless to make and stunning to serve. I just imagine to decorate the holiday table with two different logs! Well, since I bake a lot, I am used to serve two desserts at once? Crazy? No, it is yummy!

Actually, this Meringue roulade was the right cake for a dinner party at our friend’s who is on a gluten free diet. It is another pros of the cake. By the way, if you do not like the rose aroma, replace it with the vanilla essence. If you are a fan of rose water */syrup, you might fall in love with another “rose dessert” – CAKE ISPAHAN by Pierre Hermé.

So, are you ready for the Christmas challenge with me? Let us start with the Meringue roulade today and be ready for a few more yule logs in the nearest future!

Ingredients:

For the meringue:

• 4 large egg whites
• 250g caster sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla essence
• 1 tsp white wine vinegar
• 1 tsp cornflour

For the cream:

• 400ml whipping cream
• 100ml sour cream
• 1 tbsp icing sugar
• 1 1/2 tbsp rose water *
• 1 tbsp vanilla essence
• 200g morello cherries

For the rose petals:

• 40 pesticide-free red rose petals
• 1 egg white
• 70g caster sugar

Instructions:

To treat the rose petals, heat the oven to 158 degrees F/70 C.

Place the egg white in one bowl and the caster sugar in another one. Dip the petals in the egg white first, shaking off the excess. Then cover petals with sugar, using another hand. Place petals on a baking sheet covered with the parchment paper * and bring into the oven for 30-45 minutes.

To make the meringue, increase the oven temperature to 400 degrees F/200 C. Prepare a baking sheet covered with parchment. Draw a rectangle 33 cm x 24 cm with a pencil, and flip the paper with the drawing facing down.

Whisk the egg whites with an electric mixer * until firm. Gradually add the caster sugar until the meringue becomes glossy. Add the vanilla essence, white wine vinegar and cornflour and gently mix with a metal spoon.

Spread the meringue on the parchment paper * within the rectangular drawing, and level with a bent spatula *.

Decrease the oven temperature to 325 F/160 C and bake for 30 minutes. Watch for the crust on top of the meringue. Once it forms, remove the meringue from the oven and let it cool.

Flip the meringue onto a piece of the parchment paper * and peel off the parchment from the base.

To make the cream, place the whipping cream, sour cream, icing sugar, rose water * and vanilla essence in a bowl and whisk to get the cream.

To assemble the cake, spread the cream over the bottom side of the meringue, but leave about 1 cm around the edges without cream. Set aside a few spoons of cream for the decoration. Arrange cherries, drained, pitted and wiped dry in advance, on top of the cream.

Roll the meringue, starting from the long edge, into a log. Use the parchment paper * to assist with rolling. Decorate the top of meringue roulade with the cream, making waves. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

Before serving, decorate the roulade with the rose petals on top and sprinkle with the icing sugar.

Happy baking and enjoy!

Tips:

•  Garnish the meringue roulade with fresh petals instead of treated ones.

The recipe is taken from https://ottolenghi.co.uk/. It is re-written by me, but the authorship belongs to Yotam Ottolenghi and Helen Goh. All the posted pictures are mine.

Have you tried this recipe or would you like to make it? Just speak to me, leaving a comment below. I wanna hear from you!

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