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If there’s one dessert which ALWAYS makes it to our Christmas dinner table each year, it’s a toffee and pecan roulade. And yes, it might be a little early for the C-word, but a toffee and pecan roulade is now more a year-round thing than a one-a-year occasion. Recently, I’ve discovered a meringue roulade isn’t actually that difficult to make! It’s a real show-stopper, so I’m sharing my recipe with you all!
Want to get straight to it? Skip to the recipe.
As you know I’ve been following Bake Off with some gluten free bakes. This week was bread week but gluten free bread has never been my speciality. I don’t eat a lot of it so thought I’d leave the bread-baking to the experts and skip ahead to dessert week!
This toffee and pecan roulade is sweet and sticky, and the perfect dessert for sharing. You basically bake a tray of meringue, cool it, roll it with whipped-up cream and toffee sauce, and then slice it up and serve. Sorted!
For my meringue I added a little apple cider vinegar. A lot of recipes use white wine vinegar – apple cider vinegar was all I had in the cupboard and it worked just as well. It just helps to strengthen the meringue, and you can’t taste it when it’s cooked.
This is definitely the perfect showstopper bake for a special occasion. I decorated mine with some extra pecans, toffee sauce and white chocolate stars. The roulade makes for a beautiful centrepiece and toffee and pecan is the ultimate flavour combination.
However, you could try all sorts of flavour combinations! Fresh berries and lemon curd works really well, or at Christmas try using Bailey’s cream instead of normal cream for a festive touch. Ok, I’ll stop mentioning Christmas now!
My gluten free toffee and pecan roulade recipe
Toffee and pecan roulade
This toffee and pecan roulade is the perfect gluten free dessert. Crunchy meringue, sweet toffee sauce and crunchy pecans. It would be a perfect gluten free Christmas dessert too.
Ingredients
For the meringue:
- 4 large egg whites
- 250 g caster sugar
- 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
- 50 g pecan halves, (roughly chopped)
For the filling:
- 300 ml double cream
- 4 tbsp toffee sauce
- 20 g pecan halves, (roughly chopped)
- White chocolate stars , (optional)
Instructions
To make the meringue:
- Preheat the oven to 190'C/Gas 5. Line a 33cm x 23cm swiss roll tin or roasting tray with baking paper. You want this to cover the base and the sides.
- Whisk the egg whites in a large bowl until they form stiff peaks. You should be able to tip the bowl upside down and they won't move.
- While still whisking, add the sugar to the egg white mixture, one dessert spoon at a time. The mixture will thicken and become glossy as you do this. Whisk for an extra minute after all the sugar is added.
- Gently fold in the apple cider vinegar. Spoon the meringue into the lined tin, gently easing it into an even layer. You want to be careful not to knock too much air out of it.
- Sprinkle with the chopped pecans and place in the centre of the oven for 10 minutes until it is well risen and beginning to colour. Turn the oven down to 160'C / Gas 3 and cook for a further five minutes. The meringue should be beginning to crack and just firm to the touch.
- Put a teacloth on the worktop and cover with a sheet of non-stick baking paper. Sprinkle a little extra sugar on the paper, then gently turn the hot meringue out onto it. Remove the tin and leave to cool for around one hour.
To finish:
- Add the cream to a large bowl and whisk for a couple of minutes until it thickens.
- Peel the lining paper from the cool meringue and spread the cream evenly on top. Drizzle over the toffee sauce and then, using the baking paper and tea towel to assist you, roll the meringue from one of the narrow sides.
- Place on a serving plate and decorate with extra toffee sauce, chopped pecans, and the white chocolate stars if using. Serve in thick slices. Best eaten immediately.
Need some more baking inspiration?
If you’ve made this gluten free toffee and pecan roulade and still have Bake Off fever, I have plenty of recipe inspiration for you! For some more gluten free bakes, check out my…
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