Cherry meringue roulade recipe

With its wonderfully light and soft mallowy texture and a delicious filling, this roulade tastes just as good as it looks

Ingredients

• 4 large egg whites225g (8oz) caster sugar
• 1tsp cornflour
• 1tsp white wine vinegar
• 2tsp vanilla essence
• 150g (5oz) cherries
• 2tbsp cherry conserve
• 284g carton double cream
• Toasted flaked almonds
• Icing sugar to dust
• Before you start. Lightly grease and line a 33x23cm (13x9in) Swiss roll tin with baking parchment. Preheat the oven to 180°C, 350°F, Gas 4.

Method

1. Whisk the egg whites in a grease-free bowl until they form stiff peaks. Whisk in the sugar, one tbsp at a time, to make a firm glossy meringue. Blend together the cornflour, vinegar and half the vanilla essence and fold into the meringue. Spread in the tin and level the surface with a palette knife.
2. Bake for 12 -15 mins until the top is just golden and firm to touch. Cool for 5 mins, then turn out onto a sheet of greaseproof paper; remove the lining paper. Leave to cool completely. Stone and chop the cherries and mix into the conserve, then softly whip the cream with remaining vanilla essence.
3. Spread cream over the meringue and top with the cherry mix. Gently roll the meringue up from one short end using the paper as a guide (don't worry if it cracks a little). Transfer to a plate, scatter over the toasted almonds and dust with icing sugar.