Pavlova Roll (Meringue Roulade)

Here is the ultimate Pavlova roll recipe for all occasions. This easy meringue roulade is a delightful twist on the traditional Pavlova, featuring a mouthwatering combination of sweet meringue, tangy raspberries, luscious whipped cream, and crunchy toasted pistachios. Light, impressive, and full of flavors.

Whether it is a beautiful summer day or a birthday party, a Christmas holiday, or Valentine's Day, this gorgeous dessert will be a winner of the table.

This meringue roulade recipe offers the delightful taste of Pavlova but requires a much shorter cooking time. While classic Pavlova typically takes about 2 hours to bake, this meringue only needs 30 minutes in the oven.

If you love light and airy meringue, enjoy other meringue-based desserts on the website, such as easy and quick Large Meringue, crowd-pleasing French Meringue Cake Merveilleux, summertime Plum Pavlova, or no-bake Eton Mess.

What is a Pavlova roll?

Pavlova roll, or Pavlova roulade, is a rolled meringue with a crispy top and soft, marshmallow-like interior. It is filled and decorated with whipped cream and seasonal fruits.

As a variation of the famous Australian or NZ Pavlova, this stunning and yummy meringue dessert has many names, such as meringue roulade, meringue roll, Swiss meringue roll, Pavlova roll, Pavlova cake roll, Pavlova log, and rolled Pavlova.

Not all the names correctly describe the roulade, but one thing they all have in common: delicious.

Pavlova roll recipe

• This quick and easy rolled Pavlova recipe results in a very impressive-looking dessert.

• Ideal for any party, this naturally gluten-free dessert serves 8-10 people.

• This meringue roulade is fully customizable: replace fresh raspberries with cherries or other fruits of your choice.

• It is perfect for a birthday, anniversary, Christmas, Easter, and Australia Day.

Ingredients

For ingredients and detailed instructions, refer to the recipe card below.

• Egg whites: Use large egg whites from fresh eggs. Easily separate the whites from the yolks while they are cold. Use an egg separator or the old-school eggshell method when you break the egg and pour the egg yolk from half of the shell to another half, allowing the white to drip into a bowl. Let the egg whites get to room temperature before you start.

Use leftover egg yolks to make Italian pastry cream, Bavarian cream, crème Anglaise, or savory hollandaise sauce.

• Sugar: Use superfine caster sugar, also known as baker's sugar or castor sugar. To make granulated sugar superfine, process it in a food processor for a few seconds.

• Vanilla extract: Madagascar Bourbon pure vanilla extract is the most full-flavored among other vanilla extracts. Use alcohol-free vanilla flavor if you desire. 

• White wine vinegar helps stabilize the beaten egg whites so that the meringue retains its volume and keeps the air whisked into it. To replace it, use the same amount of lemon juice or cream of tartar.

• Corn starch is an essential ingredient to make a meringue roulade. With its long molecules, cornstarch prevents egg white proteins from clotting too much while the meringue is baking. It facilities the meringue rolling while assembling the dessert.

• Heavy cream: Use your favorite heavy or heavy whipping cream brand with at least 30% fat content.

• Sour cream helps stabilize whipped cream. Replace it with mascarpone, but do not over-mix the cream.

• Icing sugar: Make it yourself with a coffee grinder or use store-bought powdered sugar.

• Rosewater (optional) brings floral flavor to the dessert. Combined with vanilla, rosewater makes an enticing match in this Pavlova roulade.

• Raspberries: The recipe calls for fresh seasonal raspberries. Frozen raspberries will not work in this recipe, but you can use fresh or frozen cherries. In this case, use drained, pitted, and wiped dry cherries.

• Pistachios: Choose toasted or raw pistachios to decorate the dessert.

Recipe variations

• Flavoring: Flavor the meringue roll and the filling cream with vanilla, coconut, almond extract, orange blossom water, or rose water.

• Filling: Swap raspberries for fresh peaches, nectarines, cherries, kiwis, or a mix of red fruit (fresh strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, and raspberries). Replace pistachios with toasted almonds.

• Decoration: Decorate the meringue roulade with fresh rose petals or chocolate shavings instead of fresh berries.

How to make meringue roulade

Step 1. To make the Pavlova meringue, preheat the oven to 320°F (160°C).

Step 2. Place egg whites in a clean bowl of an electric mixer or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and whisk until soft peaks.

Step 3. Gradually add sugar in a few additions and continue to whisk egg whites on medium-high speed until the meringue becomes glossy and stiff peaks form.

Step 4. Add vanilla extract, white wine vinegar, and cornstarch and gently mix with a large metal spoon or a large rubber spatula (photo 1).

Step 5. Line a 13 x 9.5 inches rimmed baking sheet (33 x 24 cm) with non-stick baking paper extending 1 inch (2.5 cm) over each side of the pan. Secure parchment paper to the pan with meringue drops at the corners (photo 2).

Step 6. Spread the meringue mixture into the prepared pan and level it with an offset spatula or a dough scraper (photo 3).

Step 7. Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes. The meringue is ready when it forms a crust on top. Remove the pan from the oven, slide the meringue on a work surface, and let it cool (photo 4). 

Step 8. Flip the meringue onto a clean sheet of parchment larger than the longest side of the pan and gently peel off the lining paper from the base.

Step 9. To make the stabilized whipped cream, place cold heavy cream, cold sour cream, icing (powdered) sugar, rose water, and vanilla extract in a clean oil-free bowl.

Step 10. Whisk with a hand whisk for about 5-6 minutes until soft peaks: the cream will start holding its shape (photo 5). 

Step 11. To assemble the meringue roll, spread the cream in an even layer over the top of the meringue, and set aside a few spoons of cream for decoration.

Step 12. Arrange raspberries (reserve a few for the decor) on top of the cream, and sprinkle with chopped pistachios (photo 6).

Step 13. Roll the meringue into a log, starting from the long end. Use parchment paper as a guide to help you roll it (photo 7).

Step 14. Transfer the roulade onto a serving plate with the seam side down. Decorate the top of the cake with the cream, making waves with a spatula. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

Step 15. Once ready to serve, decorate the roulade with the remaining cream, fresh raspberries, and chopped toasted pistachios (photo 8). Sprinkle with icing (powdered) sugar.

Expert Tips

1. Ensure to use a clean and dry bowl. Any remaining moisture or grease will interfere with whisking.
2. Add sugar in a slow stream or one spoonful at a time. Whisk for 10 seconds before adding the next spoonful.
3. Check the meringue's texture by rubbing it between your fingers to confirm sugar is incorporated and dissolved.
4. Avoid opening the oven door while baking.
5. Don't trim the edge of the meringue roulade: it isn't a sponge cake roll.
6. Use an electric mixer to whip the cream, but keep your eye on it, don't over-whisk. 
7. Make sure to spread the cream filling onto the cooled meringue.
8. To recalculate the amount of ingredients for a classic Swiss roll tin, use this simple cake pan calculator.

Storing and freezing

Pavlova roll is best eaten on the day of making, but you can store any leftovers in the refrigerator for up to two days.

Can you freeze a meringue roulade? It is not recommended to freeze it due to the cream filling: it doesn't stand freezing.

Recipe FAQ

Love cake rolls? Try these next!

After discovering the best Pavlova roll recipe, explore the perfection of other rolled cakes on the website:

• Vanilla Swiss roll
• Nutella Swiss roll
• Coffee Swiss roll
• Pavlova roll cake
• Pistachio roulade
• Or browse all the cake recipes

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Recipe card

The recipe was adapted from Ottolenghi Raspberry Meringue Roulade at https://thehappyfoodie.co.uk/. It was originally published on November 04, 2018. The recipe has been revised to include improved content and photos.

The nutritional information has been calculated using an online recipe nutrition calculator such as Verywellfit.com and is intended for informational purposes only. These figures should be used as a general guideline and not be construed as a guarantee.