Read The Pink Whisk Brilliant Baking Step-by-Step Cake Making Online
Authors: Ruth Clemens
The Pink Whisk Brilliant Baking Step-by-Step Cake Making (11 page)
10 Spread the cake with a good layer of jam. Using a sharp knife, cut a line going halfway through the depth of the cake about 2cm (
3
⁄
4
in) from the short end of the cake, all the way along. Fold this small section directly over onto the jam.
11 Take a firm hold of the baking paper along the short side and begin to roll up the cake. Use your free hand to encourage it to roll. Once it starts simply continue lifting the paper and the cake will roll itself up.
TIP
Rolling a Swiss Roll whilst warm is the best way to avoid it cracking excessively but that means you can’t fill it with cream as it would melt – see my chocolate, cream and strawberry version for tips on rolling a cold Swiss Roll.
12 Once you reach the end turn the cake so that the seam sits underneath, transfer to a serving plate and try to fend off the hungry masses or you’ll just be left with a plate of crumbs!
TIP
Because Swiss Rolls are so aerated they should be cut with a sharp serrated knife in a gentle sawing motion to avoid compressing the cake as it is cut.
Chocloate, Cream & Strawberry Roll
Chocolate, cream and strawberries is a combination made in heaven, though all sorts of fruits could be used instead – just pick your favourite. If you want to add cream to a Swiss Roll you’ll need to let the cake cool completely first. There’s a knack to not letting the cake dry out completely and causing serious crackage when you roll it – here’s how!
Makes one swiss roll
Prep: 30 minutes plus cooling
Bake: 15 minutes
Oven: 160°c (fan)/180°c/350°F/Gas Mark 4
Ingredients
Cake
4 eggs, large
100g (3
1
⁄
2
oz) caster (superfine) sugar
60g (2
1
⁄
4
oz) plain (all-purpose) flour
35g (1
1
⁄
4
oz) cocoa powder
Filling and rolling
A little caster (superfine) sugar for rolling
300ml (10fl oz) double (heavy) cream
1 tbsp icing (confectioners) sugar
30g (1oz) grated dark chocolate
200g (7oz) strawberries
Equipment
Electric handmixer
Swiss Roll tin (pan) or shallow-sided roasting tray approx. 33 × 23cm (13 × 9in)
Spreader
1 Follow the same method for the Swiss Roll, but sifting in 60g (2
1
⁄
4
oz) plain (all-purpose) flour and 35g cocoa powder.
2 Bake for 15 minutes. Remove it from the oven and set the tin on a cooling rack, don’t take out the cake but throw a clean tea towel over the top. This keeps in the moisture whilst the Swiss Roll cools. Allow to cool completely, but don’t leave it hours and hours or the moisture will have gone. Keep the Swiss Roll in the tin under the teatowel until you’re ready for assembly.
3 Lightly whip the double cream with the icing sugar and hull and quarter the strawberries.
4 Place a sheet of baking paper on the work surface, slightly larger than the Swiss Roll and sprinkle well with caster sugar. Take the Swiss Roll from the tin and loosen the paper from the edges. Flip the cake onto the caster sugar and remove the paper from the base.
5 Spread liberally with the whipped cream, make an incision halfway through the depth of the cake all the way along one short side, about 2cm (
3
⁄
4
in) from the left short end of the cake. To the right of the cut add in a line of strawberries and a sprinkle of the chocolate.
6 Take the short end of the baking paper and start to roll up the cake, first folding over the piece to the left of the incision. Roll it over until the line of strawberries and chocolate are tucked inside. Add another row of strawberries and chocolate and continue rolling. Add in more fruit and chocolate as soon as the last line disappears. Once you get to the end of the cake, turn the Swiss Roll over until the seam sits underneath. Transfer to a serving plate and serve.
Angel Cake
If you think melt in the mouth meringues but in a soft, lighter than air cake form that just about sums up an Angel Cake. Go on, make yourself an Angel today – you’ll be pleased you did!
Makes one 27cm (10
3
⁄
4
in) round cake
Prep: 40 minutes plus cooling
Bake: 45 minutes
Oven: 160°c (fan)/180°c/350°F/Gas Mark 4
Ingredients
Cake
100g (3
1
⁄
2
oz) plain (all-purpose) flour
9 egg whites (approx. 310ml/10fl oz)
1
1
⁄
2
tsp vanilla extract
1
1
⁄
2
tsp vinegar (malt or white wine)
220g (8oz) caster (superfine) sugar
Topping
220g (8oz) jar Raspberry Coulis
220g (8oz) strawberries
100g (3
1
⁄
2
oz) raspberries
100g (3
1
⁄
2
oz) redcurrants
Equipment
Angel Cake/Tube/Ring tin (pan) approx. 27cm (10
3
⁄
4
in) diameter, 11.5cm (4
1
⁄
2
in) depth
Stand / electric whisk
Chopping board
Glass beer bottle
1 Preheat the oven to 160°C (fan)/180°C/350°F/Gas Mark 4. Starting with the prep, sift the flour three times. Yes, three times, and set to one side.
2 Now for the egg whites: scrupulously clean bowl and whisk please, any trace of grease and they won’t whip up for you. Place them in a large bowl along with the vanilla extract and vinegar, and start to whisk. Whisking by machine is easiest!
TIP
Vinegar works to stabilise the whisked egg whites by lowering the pH. Cream of Tartar will do the same job, as will lemon, and should be added as the start of whisking. The resulting whisked egg whites will be flexible and stable enough to cope with folding, piping and baking – keeping in all the air bubbles that you’ve worked hard to incorporate.
3 Once the egg whites start to go white and frothy, with the whisk still running begin to add the sugar just one spoonful at a time, allowing it to be whisked in before adding the next. Slowly does it. Incorporate all the sugar in this way. Whisk it in fully and then continue to whisk until the egg whites will stand in stiff peaks.
