Firsts are always exciting , be it a life changing event first or just a recipe first !
Oh yes. I have tried a Swiss roll before. Ages back thrice or maybe more times , and then gave up . Too much wasted cake . And too much impatience on my part.
The cakes would either stick to the rolling towel , or crack or be too dry . This time , a new baking pan and a sighting of a picture of an inviting Swiss roll on foodgawker gave me the confidence to try rolling cake again.
So the nice thing about swirl cakes / roll cakes is that they are simpler than they look and quick to make- the cake bakes up quickly and the filling is easy. You can even use jam for the filling. And they are more impressive and fancier than slices of tea cakes (usually !) .
The recipe is a sponge cake recipe , in which the egg whites are whipped up into which the other ingredients are gently aded and that’s what gives the cake its lightness and volume. It bakes up real quick in the oven but keep an eye on it as it can dry out quickly if over baked . The filling is just cream and strawberries ( not a combination I can tire of anytime soon ). There are different ways that people roll up their roll cakes. Some do it on a cloth , some do it on parchment . Some roll the cake , rest it , unroll and then re roll it with the filling.
What worked for me was filling the cake immediately out of the oven , rolling it up and resting it in the fridge before slicing.
Ended up getting some decent swirls . What do you think ?
Strawberries and cream Swiss roll
Ingredients
For the cake :
- 3 eggs
- 70 grams or about 5 tablespoon s granulated or castor sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 65 grams or 1/2 cup all purpose flour or maida
- 1 tablespoon corn flour
For the filling :
- 240 ml or 1 cup whipping or heavy cream cold
- 2 tablespoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 200 grams or about 1 cup strawberries
Instructions
To make the cake :
- Preheat your oven to 180 C / 350 F .
- Line a 13 x 9 inch rectangular pan with parchment paper
- Separate your eggs into yolks and whites
- In the bowl containing the egg whites , add the sugar and beat using an electric beater or whisk until glossy peaks appear. If you upturn the bowl, the whipped whites shouldn't move.
- Now add the yolks into the whipped whites bit by bit while beating .
- Beat in the vanilla.
- Sift the flour and cornflour over the mixture and using a spatula , gently fold into the batter until no flour is seen anymore.
- Immediately pour batter into prepared pan and using a spatula , smooth the surface and push batter into corners. Tap pan against your counter gently
- Bake at 180 C / 350 F for about 13 -15 mins . The top will be set and edges will have started to come away from pan.
To prepare the filling (while cake bakes or beforehand):
- Whip the cream along with sugar until firm peaks appear.
- Beat in the vanilla. Keep refrigerated until using.
- Hull and chop the strawberries.
To assemble :
- Make sure that your whipped cream and chopped strawberries are ready before the cake is out of oven.
- Also , place a large piece of parchment or a clean kitchen cloth/ towel over your counter or table before the cake is out .
- When you get the cake out , quickly run a knife along all the edges of the pan and immediately place the pan upside down over the parchment.
- Remove the pan , and gently peel off the parchment from bake of cake.
- Next , turn the cake over so that the cake is now right side up
- Wait a couple of minutes until cake isn't too hot and then spread your cream over the cake.
- Spread the strawberries over the cream ( Avoid a small edge all around the cake)
- Its time to roll ! Roll the cake gently but firmly along its longer side from one end to other . You can use the parchment to lift it as you roll if needed.
- Once cake is rolled , remove any filling which has bee pushed out.
- Place cake roll on parchment (or towel) with the seam downwards)
- Wrap or roll the parchment or towel over your cake roll and chill for at least 20 minutes.
- Sprinkle top with icing sugar or cover with more whipped cream. Slice and serve !
Notes
Strawberries and cream were like a nobrainer for me this time as the berries are going out of season soon but I would love to try a chocolate Swiss roll next or maybe a soaked one . See if that works ?
What did you bake with strawberries this year ? Let me know !
