End of Summer Swiss Roll

Let's make something sweet and pretty and full of summer fruit to snack on as we wave our last goodbyes to summer.  

If you have not yet had a chance to make this jam, now is the time because it is going to be the star of this swiss roll show. 

This is another one of those recipes that was inspired by British television.  It is my end-of-summer showstopper and it is worth every bit of effort. 

My swiss roll has three components - an airy sponge cake, creamy mascarpone, and homemade jam.  

First, we make the sponge.  Rather than relying solely upon chemical leavening, sponge cakes get much of their lift from airy, whipped eggs.  The key component is delicacy.  We want to keep as much air in the mixture as possible, so careful mixing is essential.  

In an attempt to make this swiss roll extra impressive, I decided to use my television knowledge to stripe this cake with pink.  The colored mixture is stiff so it will stay in place and maintain its shape as the sponge bakes.  You could adapt this technique to do any pattern or color you like.  

While swiss rolls are fabulously simple, there are a few pitfalls to avoid.

Your first care is over-baking.  Due to the thinness of the sponge cake, it only takes a few minutes to bake, so do not choose this moment to start watching singing toddlers on YouTube.  Stay close to the oven. 

After the cake has been baked and flipped out of the pan, you can consider your second worry - cracking.  Cracking may occur during the rolling process, especially if you have over-baked it even the tiniest bit.  We can help ourselves by scoring the sponge to ease it into the first roll, but if you are still left with a few cracks, well, that is why you stocked up on confectioner's sugar. 

If you use the portions suggested, you should not have any problems with over-filling.  It will look skimpy, but remember that this is going to be rolled so each of those tiny little layers of filling will build upon each other.  If you try to cover this with a generous amount of filling you will not be able to achieve those coveted swirls. 

Roll it up, sprinkle with sugar, and top with some fanned strawberries because we are fancy. 

The best part?  This looks every bit as gorgeous as a layer cake, but it can be made in an eighth of the time and without any crumb coat business.

The sponge is so soft and airy that it feels as if it were melting in your mouth.  If you dig angel food cake, you are going to be all over this. 

Because we have quite a few textures and flavors going on here, I found that this roll was best after it had had an hour to rest in the refrigerator.  This will give the flavors a chance to meld and will also make the roll a bit easier to slice. 

Farewell, dear summer.  You've been a doll. 

Sincerely, 

Pedantic Foodie

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Summer Fruit Swiss Roll

serves 8 / sponge recipe adapted from Paul Hollywood

for the jam

You can find the full jam recipe here.  

Cook's Note:  While this recipe calls for homemade jam, you could really use any thick, store-bought jam you like.  I think raspberry would be fantastic.

for the pink stripes

• 2 1/2 ounces unsalted butter, softened 
• 2  1/2 ounces confectioner's sugar 
• 2 large egg whites
• 3 ounces all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon almond extract 
• pink food coloring (you may use any color you like) 

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F and line a 10x15-inch baking sheet or swiss roll pan with parchment paper. 

Using an electric mixer, cream together butter and confectioner's sugar until light and fluffy. Slowly beat in egg whites; mix well.  Fold the flour into the mixture and then add extract and coloring; mix until the mixture is smooth and the color even.  

Transfer the mixture to a disposable piping bag with the tip snipped so it is about 1/2-inch wide, and pipe six diagonal lines across the prepared pan. Refrigerate while you prepare the sponge. 

for the sponge

• 3 large eggs 
• 2 1/2 ounces fine or "caster" sugar*
• 2 1/2 ounces self rising flour 

*Cook's Note: Rather than buying "caster" sugar, place 1 cup of granulated sugar in the work bowl of your food processor and pulse for several minutes; until very fine.  Allow the sugar to sit for a few minutes before removing the lid from the processor to avoid the sugary cloud that will follow, and measure out 2 1/2 ounces. 

In a large mixing bowl, combine eggs and caster sugar.  Using an electric mixer, whisk the mixture until it has become light and frothy.  It should leave a trail when the whisks are removed.  Sift the flour over the egg mixture and gently fold it in using a spatula. 

Carefully pour the sponge mixture over the prepared pan and bake for 10-12 minutes, being very careful not to over-bake.  The sponge should be just golden and the edges should have begun to shrink away from the sides of the pan. 

While the sponge bakes, lay a large sheet of parchment on a flat surface and dust with confectioner's sugar.  As soon as you remove the pan from the oven, flip the sponge upside down onto the prepared sheet of parchment.  Then, lay another sheet of parchment atop the sponge and flip it back over so that the stripes are on the bottom.  Allow the sponge to cool completely and prepare the filling.  

filling and assembly

• 5 ounces mascarpone 
• 3 ounces confectioner's sugar 
• 1 tablespoon heavy cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 
• 1 cup strawberry peach mango jam or other jam of choice

Combine mascarpone, confectioner's sugar, heavy cream, and vanilla in a medium mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer until smooth.  

Once the sponge has cooled, use a sharp knife to trim away the rough edges, creating clean, sharp lines.  Working lengthwise, carefully score the sponge once (being careful not to cut all the way through), about 1-inch in.  This will make the rolling process much easier and hopefully prevent cracking. 

Use a spatula to spread an even layer of the mascarpone mixture over the sponge and then layer with jam.  Carefully roll the sponge lengthwise, creating a clean, tight, spiral.  Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour before serving. 

To serve: Dust with confectioner's sugar and decorate with fresh berries.  Enjoy! 

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