CANDY CANE ROULADE

This eye-catching dessert brings out the big kid in everyone!

Hands-on time 40min. Cooking time 15min. Serves 10

◆ Oil, for greasing

◆ 125g (4oz) caster sugar, plus an extra 3tbsp

◆ 3 medium eggs

◆ 125g (4oz) plain flour

◆ ½tsp Sugarflair Christmas Red food colour paste (from cakecraftshop.co.uk and speciality shops)

◆ 1tsp vanilla extract

◆ 300ml (10fl oz) double cream

◆ 125g (4oz) icing sugar, plus extra to dust

◆ ½tsp peppermint essence

◆ 4 candy canes, to decorate

1 Heat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan) mark 4. Lightly grease and line a Swiss roll tin with baking parchment. Sprinkle the extra caster sugar on a large piece of baking parchment, twice the size of the Swiss roll tin. Set aside. 2 In a large mixing bowl set over a pan of steaming water, beat the caster sugar and eggs for 5min with an electric hand whisk until light and pale – a ribbon trail should remain on the surface when the beaters are lifted from the mixture. Whisk off the heat for another 5min until cool. 3 Sift half the flour over the egg and sugar mixture and stir in. Sift over the remaining flour and gently fold in with a metal spoon,

making sure you keep as much volume in the mixture as possible. 4 Mix 1tsp hot water with the red food colouring and add to the mixture with the vanilla extract. Carefully pour the mixture into the prepared cake tin and bake in the middle of the oven for about 15min until springy to the touch. 5 While still warm, tip the baked Swiss roll out on to the dusted baking parchment. Peel off the parchment used to line the tin and discard. Continuing while still warm, gently roll the sponge up loosely from one short side to the other, using the parchment underneath to help. Set aside so it can cool completely on a baking rack. 6 Whisk the double cream, icing sugar and peppermint essence to soft peaks. Unroll the sponge and discard the baking parchment. Spread sponge with the peppermint cream and roll up again. Transfer to a serving plate, seam side down. 7 To decorate, lightly crush one candy cane in a pestle and mortar. Sprinkle over and around the roulade with the other whole candy canes. GET AHEAD Bake and assemble roulade up to the end of step 6 up to 1 day ahead. Store, covered, in the fridge. Remove 30min before serving and decorate.