Strawberry Meringue Roulade

This is a light yet decadent dessert. The crisp and chewy meringue encases a rich strawberry and mascarpone cream filling, and almonds around the outside add a delicious crunch.

• Preheat the oven to 200°C and place the oven rack quite near the top. Line a standard Swiss roll baking tin, or a shallow baking tray with baking parchment and brush with vegetable oil.
• In a big, clean bowl, whisk the egg whites till they are quite stiff. Add the caster sugar slowly. Continue whisking until the meringue mixture is stiff and shiny, forming peaks.
• Spread the meringue mixture in the Swiss roll tin and sprinkle the flaked almonds on top, evenly. Place in the oven and bake the meringue for 8 minutes. After 8 minutes lower the oven temperature to 160°C and bake the meringue until golden brown, which will take approximately another 8 minutes.
• When the meringue is cooked, remove from the oven and turn it almond-side down on a big, clean sheet of baking parchment. Peel off the paper from the base and leave the meringue to cool completely.
• Whisk the mascarpone cream cheese and the icing sugar till stiff. Spread the mascarpone cream and three quarters of the strawberries, sliced in halves lengthways, evenly over the cold meringue. Use the sides of the parchment paper to roll the meringue roulade onto a serving tray or platter. Keep the meringue roulade in the fridge until you are ready to serve it. Decorate the top with the remaining strawberries and serve.

Cooks tip: To freeze the roulade, simply put the finished but undecorated roulade on a large sheet of greaseproof paper. Wrap the roulade up like a present, completely covering it and slide onto a tray. Freeze for up to one month. To serve, thaw completely at room temperature.