Swiss roll

Swiss Roll

Your cut-out-and-keep guide to the fundamentals of cooking

It’s amazing how many people think that a Swiss roll should have cracks in it. In my very first job as a pastry chef, we had our wages docked if the Swiss rolls had cracks in them, so I learned how to do the perfect Swiss roll very quickly. With a Swiss roll, the most important thing to remember is that you roll it while it’s hot. If it cools down, I guarantee that it will crack on you. Roll slowly and carefully, but don’t wait for it to cool. The filling goes in when it’s cool, though, so you unroll it very carefully for that. There’s no need to flatten it on your surface; that will definitely make it crack. Just unroll enough that you can fill it, and then roll it up carefully and tightly again. This sponge is made by the Genoese method. It has no raising agent, but the heat over which you whisk together the sugar and eggs causes the sugar to trap the air, and that’s what gives your Swiss roll its lift. But you don’t allow a Swiss roll to rise too much, otherwise it’s hard to roll. Also, fold in your flour very gently or you will lose all that precious air and end up with a flat and brittle sponge. Again, that way, I guarantee it will crack when you roll it. Serves 8.

You will need:

150g (5oz) softened unsalted butter (It should be very soft), plus a little extra for greasing 4 large eggs 115g (4oz) caster sugar, plus 2 tablespoons extra Grated rind and juice of 1 lemon 115g (4oz) plain flour 200g (7oz) icing sugar 250g (9oz) lemon curd

Method:

Preheat oven to 190°C, 375°F, Gas 5. Grease a 25cm x 38cm (10in x 15in) Swissroll tin and line it with baking parchment. Put the eggs, the 115g (40z) of caster sugar and the grated lemon rind into a heatproof bowl. Whisk the mixture over a saucepan of simmering water until it is pale, fluffy and thickened. Then remove it from the heat and continue to whisk until the mixture is cool. Sieve the plain flour. Using one-third of the flour at a time, very gently fold it into the egg, caster sugar and lemon rind mixture. Pour the mixture into the Swiss roll tin and bake it immediately for about 10-12 minutes. It should feel firm to the touch when it is cooked. Place a clean tea towel on a work surface, then put a sheet of baking parchment over the tea towel. Sprinkle the baking parchment with the two extra tablespoons of caster sugar. Once the cake is cooked, quickly turn the cake out onto the parchment paper. Remove the Swiss-roll tin and peel off the baking parchment from the bottom of the cake. With a short side of the Swiss roll closest to you, use a knife to score a shallow cut horizontally along the sponge, starting about 2.5cm away from you (less than 1in). This helps when you’re rolling up the Swiss roll. Roll the sponge away from you while it is still hot. Roll it up tightly, then leave it on a wire rack to cool. To make the buttercream, sieve the icing sugar into a bowl. Add the softened unsalted butter and whip the mixture until it is very light and fluffy. Mix in the lemon juice and 50g of the lemon curd. Once the Swiss-roll sponge is cold, carefully unroll it, but don’t try to flatten it or it may break. Spread the lemon buttercream filling over the sponge, then spread the remaining lemon curd. Gently roll up the Swiss roll and trim the edges.