Cheesecake and Raspberry Meringue Roulade
A crispy, marshmallowy Meringue Roulade filled with Cheesecake cream, raspberry sauce, and crunchy roasted pecans. This meringue roll has it all – crunchy, creamy, sweet, all while super light and decadent. It looks stunning and tastes exquisite! It will come together easily if you know how to work with meringue. If you do not, I’ll walk you through it step by step to ensure success.
I shared a video of this meringue roulade a while ago on Instagram and got an overwhelming number of requests to share the recipe. I have since perfected the recipe and worked out all the kinks so you too, can make this delicious roll.
Meringue with Nuts
A typical meringue roulade has almond flakes over the top. This meringue roll has pecans, not on top but on the bottom. This does several things. First, the pecans impart a richer flavor to the roll than almonds, and secondly, they also take away from the sweetness.
Adding them to the bottom means they have no chance of falling off when the roll is rolled up, as is the case when added to the top. This is aesthetically beneficial since the outside stays nice and smooth without gaps that fallen nuts would otherwise leave.
Also, I have found that the flavor of this meringue roulade can change by making the raspberry sauce with a different fruit or berry. Some of the ones that will work wonderfully are strawberry, blackberry, passionfruit, and mango.
Learning this one meringue roulade recipe will set you up to create many other variations.
Tips for success:Â
- It’s easiest to separate the egg whites from the yolks while the egg whites are cold.
- Leave the egg whites at room temperature before whipping for the best volume. Microwave them for 30 seconds, stirring every 10 seconds to quickly get them to room temperature. Or leave them on the table for an hour or so.
- The secret to successful meringue roulade is stable meringue. If you haven’t worked much with meringue, you’ll think it is whipped enough as soon as it’s white and fluffy, which only takes several minutes. But, at that point, the meringue is fluffy but not stable. My professional 7 quarts KitchenAid mixer takes 20 minutes to stabilize the meringue. If you’re using a handheld mixer, whipping will take well over 20 minutes. You might find it helpful to read this Basic Meringue post, where I talk about all things meringue.
- Bake the meringue right away. Leaving meringue out for too long can degrade its stability and thus affect how it bakes. So, once whipped, pipe the meringue right away and bake.
- You can make the cheesecake filling and the raspberry sauce several days ahead. If you work better breaking down the tasks, keep that in mind.
- The whole meringue roulade, assembled, can also be made up to 2 days ahead. If the meringue is not prepared correctly, the meringue might weep or soften once refrigerated. The pictures of the meringue roulade in this post are from a roll that has been in the fridge for 24 hours.
Overview of the Meringue Roulade Recipe:
Ingredients for the meringue roulade:Â
- Eggs:Â we will be using only egg whites. Be careful to separate the egg yolks from the egg whites without any trace of egg yolks in the egg whites. The fat in the egg yolks hinders the whipping of the egg whites. It’s easiest to separate the eggs while they’re fridge-cold. But you’ll need to leave them at room temp for the fluffiest meringue. So after separating them, either warm them up in the microwave or leave them at room temp for an hour.
- Granulated sugar adds sweetness and stabilizes the egg whites as they are whipped.
- Lemon Juice helps to stabilize the meringue.
- Cornstarch traps moisture in the egg whites, stabilizing the meringue while baking and keeping it pliable for rolling the meringue roulade.
How to make the Meringue with pecans
- Roast pecans in the oven at 350F for about 15 minutes. Allow to cool, then chop them.
- Whip egg whites with sugar until stiff peaks, about 20 minutes.
- Fold in the lemon juice and cornstarch.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment and spread chopped pecans evenly.
- Pipe the prepared meringue in diagonal lines on top of pecans.
- Bake the meringue for 30 minutes at 285F, then turn off the oven, insert a wooden spoon into the oven door, and leave the meringue for 15 minutes. Then remove from the oven and cool.
Make the Raspberry Sauce:Â
Ingredients: raspberries, sugar, corn starch.
- Crush the raspberries with a potato masher or a hand blender. Mix in sugar and the cornstarch. Set over medium heat and cook for 60 seconds after it comes to a boil while continuously stirring. Cover with plastic wrap and cool. Transfer to a piping bag.
Make the cheesecake cream:
Ingredients: cream cheese, heavy whipping cream, sugar, vanilla.
- Whip the cream cheese until smooth. Add sugar and vanilla and whip to combine. Add heavy cream in thirds and whip until fluffy.
Assemble the Meringue Roulade
- Flip the meringue and set it back onto the baking sheet.
- Spread the cheesecake filling, then drizzle the raspberry sauce. Finally, spread the raspberries.Â
- Roll the meringue roulade into a tight roll.
Decorate the Meringue Roulade:
- Pipe large, medium, and small dollops over the top of the roll. Use a 1/4 teaspoon measuring spoon to make a divot in some dollops. Fill the divots with raspberry sauce. Add some raspberries and greenery around the piped dollops.
How to store the Meringue Roulade:
Store the meringue roulade in the fridge until ready to serve, up to 2 days.
Meringue Roulade with Raspberries
Crispy, marshmallowy meringue roulade filled with cheesecake, and raspberry filling, and crunchy roasted pecans. This roll is as delicious as it is stunning!
Ingredients
For the meringue layer:
- 6 large egg whites room temperature
- 1 2/3 cups granulated sugar
- 1 tbsp lemon juice (or vinegar)
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
- 1 cup pecans
Raspberry Sauce (optional)
- 6 oz fresh or frozen raspberries
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 3 Tbsp cornstarch
For cream cheese frosting:
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream 33-35%
- 8 oz cream cheese
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract or vanilla emulsion
Also
- 8 oz fresh raspberries
Instructions
Roast the pecans
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Preheat the oven to 350Fâ with the rack centered.
Add the 1 cup pecans to a sheet pan and roast for about 15 minutes or until the nuts are fragrant but not burnt. Mix as needed for even baking. Watch closely as they burn very quickly at the end.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool. Turn down the heat to 285â.
Chop the pecans after cooling.
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Line a 16" x 12" baking sheet pan with parchment.
Spread the nuts evenly on the bottom. Set aside.
Make the meringue
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Whip the Meringue:
To a thoroughly cleaned bowl (no traces of grease, or the egg whites will not up) of a stand mixer add 6 large egg whites and whip on medium-high speed for 2 minutes or until it starts to foam up.
Then, add the 1 2/3 cups granulated sugar 1 tablespoon at a time while whipping.
Once all sugar is added, continue whipping at speed 6-7 out of 10 until the egg whites are shiny and voluminous, or about 15-20 minutes. A whisk dipped into the meringue will hold a thick "beak" that bends.
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Add 1/4 cup cornstarch and the 1 tbsp lemon juice (or vinegar) and gently fold it in.
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Pipe the meringue:
OPTION 1: Fit a large pastry bag with an 807 Ateco round tip (1/2 inch wide). Fill the bag with the meringue.
Now, pipe lines of meringue diagonally, starting from one corner and filling the baking sheet.
OPTION 2: If you do not have a piping bag or the piping tip, you can spread the meringue into an even layer on the baking sheet and sprinkle with the pecans on top instead of having them on the bottom.
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Bake the Meringue:
Bake the meringue for 30 minutes at 300F without opening the oven door. The meringue should have a thin layer of dried meringue on top and be still marshmallowy soft inside.
Then, turn off the heat. Insert a wooden spoon into the oven door and allow to cool for 15-20 minutes in the turned-off oven. Then, remove the meringue from the oven to cool.
Raspberry Sauce
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Mix the ingredients:
Add 6 oz fresh or frozen raspberries to a saucepan and use a hand blender or a potato masher to crush the berries to release the juices.
Add 1/3 cup granulated sugar and 3 Tbsp cornstarch and stir to combine.
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Cook the raspberry sauce:
Set over medium heat and bring to a boil while continuously stirring to prevent scorching.
Keep simmering for about 60 seconds after bringing it to a boil or until it becomes very and the cornstarch taste dissipates. Do not boil too long, or the sauce will thin after thickening.
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Cool the sauce:
Remove the raspberry sauce from the heat and spread on a dinner plate to cool. Cover with plastic wrap, touching the sauce to prevent a film from forming.
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Once the sauce is cool, add it to a ziplock or a piping bag. Twist the end closed.
Make the Cheesecake Frosting
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Whip cream cheese:
To a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whip attachment, add 8 oz cream cheese. Whip until smooth, stopping several times to scrape down the bottom, about 2-3 minutes. This will help to make smooth cream, instead of one with lumps of cream cheese.
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Add 1/3 cup granulated sugar in 2 additions and the 1 tsp vanilla extract or vanilla emulsion and scrape down the sides and bottom in between. Whip until it's incorporated.
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Drizzle 1 cup heavy whipping cream 33-35% in 3 additions, whipping after each addition to incorporate it well into the cream cheese. Scrape down the bottom and sides as needed to prevent lumps.
Visuals: The cream should be fluffy, not runny or hard. If the cream is too runny (not whipped enough) you won't be able to pipe the dollops on top of the roll as they'll flop. If the cream is too hard (overwhipped), the dollops will have ripped tops instead of smooth peaks.
If overwhipped, add a little more liquid heavy cream and gently fold it in.
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Add 1 1/2 cups of cream to a clean piping bag fitted with the same large round piping tip as the one you used for piping the meringue (Ateco 807). This will be used to decorate the top of the roll. Set aside.
Assemble the Meringue Roulade
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Flip the meringue:
Set a sheet of parchment over the cooled meringue. Place a cooling rack on top. In one swift motion, flip the meringue onto the cooling rack, holding the baking sheet with the meringue and the cooling rack on the sides.
Now, with the meringue upside down, gently slide the parchment with the meringue back into the baking sheet, being careful not to shatter the tender meringue crust. This will help when rolling the meringue roulade.
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Cheesecake frosting:
Set the baking sheet with the meringue in front of yourself horizontally.
Spread the cream cheese frosting evenly all over the meringue.
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Raspberry sauce:
Now, snip the end off the piping bag with the raspberry sauce, being careful that the tip doesn't get onto the roll.
Make a zig-zag pattern with the sauce all over the cream cheese frosting, reserving 2-3 tablespoons of the sauce for the decoration.
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Add raspberries:
Set aside 20 raspberries from the 8 oz fresh raspberries for decorating the top of the roll.
Spread the rest of the raspberries evenly over the cheesecake frosting, staying off the 2 inches at the far end of the meringue.
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Roll the meringue roulade
Now, gently but firmly roll the meringue into a tight roll, starting from the end closest to yourself and rolling away from yourself. If the baking sheet with the meringue slides away from you as you try to roll you can set a wet kitchen towel underneath the baking sheet to prevent slipping.
Finish the roll seam side on the bottom.
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Spread a small dab of cheesecake frosting in the center of the serving platter to help secure the roulade to the plate.
Now, carefully slide the meringue roulade off the parchment paper onto the dab or frosting. A flat sheet like this is perfect to help with this job, as it's flat and slides like a spatula under the roll. Press gently to adhere.
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Decorate the roll
Use reserved cheesecake frosting in the piping bag to pipe over the top of the meringue roulade.
First, make about 7 extra large dollops, spreading them symmetrically in a zig-zag pattern over the top.
Now, pipe about 12 dollops of medium size in between the extra large dollops. Finally, fill in between with small dollops.
Use the bottom side of a 1/4 teaspoon measuring spoon to create divots in the tops of some dollops. Fill the divots with the raspberry sauce.
Add the reserved raspberries and some boxwood greenery on the sides of the piped dollops.
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Refrigerate until ready to serve.
The Meringue Roulade can be made up to 2 days in advance.
Serve cold.
Recipe Notes
Note:
If you'd like a thicker layer of meringue, use an Ateco 809 plain round tip and only spread the meringue on a 12" x 12" area.Â
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Marina | Let the Baking Begin
Hello, is it possible to reduce the amount of sugar in the cream?
FABULOUS recipe … a huge hit with my family. One question — your actual recipe instructions say to turn the oven down to 285 after roasting the pecans, but then say to bake the meringue at 300. What temp is correct for baking the meringue?
Thanks!
This cake was so delicious, can’t wait to try it again.
Absolutely Delicious! It turned out really tasty and am excited to make it again for the holidays! I did have one question though because my Berry sauce was getting too thick too fast and I wasnât able to drizzle it. Is it really 3 tablespoons of cornstarch? Or did you possibly mean 3 teaspoons? I seemed like a lot of cornstarch for such a small amount of berries
Hi Julie,
Thank you so much!
It should be 3 tablespoons, but you can add less (2 tablespoons instead of 3) if you’d like it to be thinner. Did you blend the raspberries to liquify before making the sauce? Sometimes if the raspberries aren’t blended well it will be thicker.
I did not blend them, I just mashed them up before putting them over heat. They were frozen so would that make a difference? I will try blending them or using fresh ones. I really did love this roll though! Thank you for your help!
Fresh or frozen are fine. You can blend the frozen ones after they start to thaw as they heat.
So happy to hear you loved the roll! Thank you for sharing your feedback!
When I used 3 tbsp cornstarch it was thick like playdough. Wasnât able to use it in the cake so I redid it and used only 1 tablespoon and the consistency was perfect. I used fresh raspberries.