Pavlova roulade is just a roll cake that is putting on airs — quite literally.
The cloudlike, aerated meringue known as a pavlova is most often puffed up high and round, but it can be spread flat and baked, too. An upside for many is that this cakelike dessert is, in fact, not a cake at all and, being flourless, is gluten free (though the amount of sugar herein dispels any health food claims).
Named after the famed ballerina Anna Pavlova, a friendly dispute exists between Australia and New Zealand as to this dish’s true origins. The Kiwis claim that it was invented to commemorate her southern hemisphere tour of 1929, with kiwifruit used to represent the green tea roses that adorned Pavlova’s tutu. The difference with Australian pavlova is just in the fruit topping, which, like the country, is more tropical, often covered with the likes of mango and passionfruit.