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Meringue roulade

Darina Allen from Great Food Bites
Try decorating Darina Allen's pomegranate meringue roulade with berried holly and dredged icing sugar for a fabulous festive cake

Meringue roulade

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180C/gas 4. Line a 30 x 20cm Swiss roll tin with aluminium foil, and brush the foil lightly with oil.

2. Tip the egg whites into a spotlessly clean food mixer bowl. Break them up with the whisk; then add the caster sugar. Whisk at full speed for 4-5 minutes, or until the egg whites hold a stiff peak when the whisk is lifted.

3. Spread the meringue gently over with a palette knife.

4. Bake for 15-20 minutes. When cooked, the meringue should be thick and bouncy, crisp on the outside, but still soft in the centre.

5. While the meringue is cooling, cut the pomegranates in half horizontally, and scoop the seeds out into a bowl. Sprinkle with a few drops of rose water. Taste and add more if preferred. Set aside a teaspoon of seeds to decorate the roulade.

6. To assemble, put a sheet of aluminium foil on your work surface and turn the meringue out on to it. Remove the base foil. Spread the whipped cream and pomegranate seeds over the meringue.

7. Roll up the meringue from the long side and carefully ease it on to a serving plate. Pipe 6-8 rosettes of cream along the top of the roulade, and decorate with the reserved pomegranate seeds and rose petals if available. Serve the roulade cut into slices about 2.5cm thick.