SWISS ROLL

Serves 8

Baked in just 10 minutes, this confection is best eaten on the day of baking since it’s made from a fat-less sponge that doesn’t store particularly well. It’s delicious rolled with homemade jam or lemon curd (or orange curd for the holidays) and sublime with whipped cream, too.

Ingredients

4 large eggs, at room temperature

½ cup granulated sugar, plus extra for sprinkling

¾ cup plus 1 tbsp. all-purpose flour a pinch of salt

½ cup homemade or good-quality fruit jam or lemon or orange curd

1 cup heavy cream, whipped to soft peaks

Tools

9 x 13-inch baking pan, greased, then lined with parchment paper 14-inch sheet of parchment paper

Instructions

1. Heat the oven to 425 degrees F. 2. Whisk the eggs and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment on high speed, until the mixture is thick and mousse-like and leaves a ribbon trail when you lift the whisk.

3. Sift the flour and salt onto a sheet of parchment paper, then sift half of it over the egg mixture. Fold it in with a metal spoon, then sift in the remaining flour and salt and fold until the mixture is smooth and streak-free. Gently scrape down the sides of the bowl and check the bottom of the mixture for any pockets of flour — incorporate them if you find them.

4. Pour the mixture into the prepared pan and gently tip the pan so that the mixture flows into the corners and is level. Bake for 9 to 10 minutes, until golden-brown and springy to the touch.

5. Lay the sheet of parchment paper on the work surface and sprinkle with sugar. As soon as you take the sponge out of the oven, turn it out onto the sugar-coated paper — lift off the pan and peel away the parchment paper that had lined the pan.

6. Turn the sponge so that one of the short ends is closest to you. Using a sharp knife, score a cut ¾ inches in from the short end — this will help the roll. Starting from that end, gently roll up the Swiss roll with the sheet of paper rolled inside. Place the roll on a wire rack and let cool completely.

7. To assemble, gently unroll the roll and trim off the edges with a sharp knife. Spread with jam or lemon curd, leaving a ¾-inch border around the edge. Cover the jam with a layer of whipped cream, keeping the ¾-inch border.

8. Starting again at the scored end of the roll, gently roll up, this time without the parchment paper. Turn the roll seam-side down and sprinkle with sugar before serving.

Recipe courtesy of The Great British Baking Show: The Big Book of Amazing Cakes by the Baking Show Team. Text and recipes copyright © 2019 by Love Productions Ltd. Photography copyright © 2019 by Little, Brown Book Group. Published in the United States by Clarkson Potter, an imprint of Penguin Random House.