Swiss roll

It took a few tries before I got the knack of making a Swiss roll, and could tick the next item on the Great British Bake-off signature bake list.

A few things I learned the hard way:

1. Unless you whip eggs and sugar together until they have tripled in volume, your sponge will resemble an omelette in texture. (That one went straight in the bin.)
2. Do not over-cook the sponge, or it will not roll without cracking. (I converted that one into a flat, mangled Victoria sponge.)
3. Do not over-fill the sponge (or spread the filling too close to the edges) – all that extra filling just oozes out the end of the roll (and was dolloped on top when I sliced and served it.)

The fourth one worked like a charm…;-)

Swiss roll

• 3 large eggs (at room temperature)
• 75g caster sugar (plus extra for sprinkling)
• 75g plain flour
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup raspberry jam
• 200ml double cream, whipped

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C.
2. Butter a 20×30 cm Swiss roll tin, and line with greaseproof paper.
3. Whisk the eggs and sugar on high speed for a good five minutes until they are thick, light and foamy, and tripled in volume.
4. Carefully fold in the flour and salt, then spread the mixture evenly in the prepared tin.
5. Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until the sponge is just golden and springy to the touch. (Be careful not to overbake the sponge.)
6. While the sponge is baking, sprinkle a sheet of greaseproof paper with caster sugar.
7. As soon as the sponge is cooked, flip it onto the paper and remove the tin.
8. Make a shallow cut across one short end of the sponge, about 2cm from the edge. Gently roll the sponge from this end, and leave to cool completely on a wire rack.
9. Carefully unroll the cooled sponge. Spread the surface with jam, stopping 4cm from the edges. Top the jam with whipped cream.
10. Re-roll the filled sponge, sprinkle the top with sugar, and serve.

Tags: Great British Bake-off, raspberry jam, roulade, vegetarian, whipped cream