Five simple ingredients go into Delia Smith meringue roulade, a toasted hazelnut meringue rolled round dark chocolate cream and whipped cream. One roll gives 10 to 12 slices, and the meringue needs just 20 minutes at 190°C. Plan on about an hour in the kitchen, plus time to cool and chill.
This was one of the fastest-selling desserts ever when it first went on the menu at Delia’s restaurant at Norwich City Football Club. Delia printed it in two books, her Vegetarian Collection of 2002 and her Chocolate Collection a year later, and this card follows the 2003 one.
The base is one crisp-topped hazelnut meringue, rolled up rather than stacked in two layers like her apricot hazelnut meringue cake. Her chocolate roulade is a different dish, a squidgy flourless chocolate sponge filled with mousse.
With 10 to 12 slices, it suits a big Christmas or Easter table, and her website picks it for a party of 10. Roll it up to 4 hours ahead and leave it in the fridge, covered. The fridge suits it far better than the freezer, which softens its crisp top.
Delia Smith Chocolate Hazelnut Roulade
Course: DessertCuisine: BritishDifficulty: Easy12
servings25
minutes35
minutes460
kcalA soft, nutty meringue log filled with a chocolate mousse layer and cream, topped with a chocolate zigzag.
Ingredients
- For the meringue:
110g hazelnuts
4 large egg whites
225g golden caster sugar
- For the filling:
200g dark chocolate (70 to 75 per cent cocoa solids), broken into small pieces
570ml double cream
Directions
- Oven: Heat the oven to 190°C, fan 170°C, gas mark 5. Lightly oil a 25.5 x 35cm baking tray, 2cm deep, and line it with baking parchment that stands 2.5cm above the sides.
- Hazelnuts: Toast the hazelnuts on a baking sheet on the top shelf for 8 minutes. Cool, then grind them in a food processor until very finely chopped, without letting them turn oily.
- Meringue: In a clean, grease-free bowl, whisk the egg whites to soft peaks, then whisk in the sugar a little at a time. Fold in the ground hazelnuts with a metal spoon.
- Bake: Spread the mixture evenly in the tin and bake in the centre of the oven for 20 minutes. Leave it to cool.
- Turn out: Lay a sheet of baking parchment, slightly larger than the roulade, on a clean surface. Turn the meringue out onto it and gently ease away the lining paper.
- Chocolate: Melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl over simmering water, making sure the bowl does not touch the water. Take it off the heat and leave it to cool.
- Cream: Whip the cream and divide it between 2 bowls. Keep back 4 tablespoons of the melted chocolate. Quickly but gently fold the rest into one bowl of cream until it looks evenly mixed and mousse-like.
- Fill: Spread the chocolate cream over the meringue to within 1cm of the edge, then spread the plain whipped cream over the top.
- Roll: With a long side towards you, use the paper to help you roll the meringue into a long log. Don’t worry if it cracks.
- Finish: With the seam underneath, drizzle the reserved chocolate over the top in a zigzag with a spoon. Lift onto a long serving dish, chill, and take it out of the fridge about 15 minutes before serving.
Notes
- A long serving dish holds the whole log, so you can slice it at the table.
- Whip the cream only until it holds soft folds, so it spreads without tearing the meringue.
FAQs
What size tin do I need for meringue roulade?
You need a baking tray of 25.5 x 35cm, about 2cm deep, lightly oiled and lined with baking parchment. Let the paper stand 2.5cm higher than the tray, so there is room for the meringue to puff up.
That paper helps later too, as it peels away cleanly once the cold meringue sits upside down on a fresh sheet. The same meringue without the nuts makes a lemon meringue roulade with her lemon curd filling.
How do I grind the hazelnuts for the roulade?
Toast them first on the top shelf of the oven for 8 minutes, then let them cool completely. Whizz them in the processor only until they look like fine crumbs, as Delia warns that overdoing it turns them oily.
Toasting your own gives the meringue its deep, nutty flavour. Her plain meringue nests are just egg whites and caster sugar.
How stiff should the egg whites be for meringue roulade?
Soft peaks are enough before the sugar goes in, so the whites still bend over at the tip. Add the sugar gradually, whisking well after each spoonful, until the meringue is thick and glossy.
Use a metal spoon to fold in the nuts so you keep the air. It needs 20 minutes on the middle shelf, and her website says it should come out with a crispy top.
Which chocolate is best for chocolate hazelnut meringue roulade?
Use a dark chocolate with 70 to 75 per cent cocoa solids, as her Chocolate Collection asks. Her Vegetarian Collection and her website go for 75 per cent, in two 100g bars.
Let the melted chocolate cool before you fold it into the cream, or it can melt the cream and turn it runny. Save 4 tablespoons for the zigzag on top.
Why does meringue roulade crack when you roll it?
Cracking is quite normal, and Delia tells you not to worry about it at all. The meringue has a crisp top, so it breaks a little as it bends.
Start from one of the long edges and let the paper lift the meringue as you go, then sit it seam-side down. The zigzag of chocolate over the top hides any cracks.
