This is the first time that I have made up a recipe for anything official. I usually manage to make something from ‘the nothing’ that is the fridge and cupboards etc for dinner, but it’s never really anything to write about, although it still manages to impress my boyfriend!
As I mentioned previously I had been thinking about this version of swiss roll for a while. I originally wanted to give it go for my sisters birthday, but I didn’t really get the time. Instead, the idea has been developing over a period of months, while I cycle to work. The main inspiration is that delicious cool drink that is a big hitter over the summer months, Pimms. It always reminds me of family BBQ’s when I was younger. I used to look in wonder at this colourful and aromatic drink, and longed to taste it.
Anyway, enough of the day dreaming, back to the reality that is the first signature bake. Pimms with its delicate flavours usually served with citrus fruits, cucumber, strawberries and the refreshing mint, and it’s these flavours that are the main focus for the cake. The Idea for this bake is to have a citrus sponge filled with a strawberry jam, and minted cream.
The first thing for this was to figure out the recipe for the sponge. I was looking for a plain sponge that I could make a few additions too, namely the citrus flavours. After a scrawl through the web, the two recognisable chef recipes that I can found for inspiration were from Rachel Allen and James Martin. I decided to go with Rachel Allens, as I’ve had success from her recipes before, especially her scones that are made with ’00’ flour.
The first stage was to whisk the eggs with the caster sugar, until it was light and fluffy. Other recipes state that this could take a while, as you want it to reach the ribbon stage. I chose to whisk by hand on this one, in hindsight I maybe shouldn’t have, not only because of arm ache but also the future results. When I reached the point at which I think it was at the right stage, it was time to sift and fold in the plain flour and add my first addition. For the citrus element of a glass of Pimms, I’m choosing to add the zest of 1/2 a lemon and 1/4 of an orange. I only want it to have a subtle hint of the flavours, but enough so that you get a hint of it amongst the other flavours in the cake.
Once everything is mixed together , it was time to pour it into the pre-lined tin. To be honest I’m a little nervous at this point because it looks a pretty thin layer of cake, and I’m worried about the rise.
This time when pre-heating the oven, again at my sisters, I have remembered to bring my own oven thermometer so that can keep a close eye on the temperature.
As in the Bake Off episode I kept a beady eye on the sponge, not wanting it to over bake in the short amount of time its in the oven. With one eye on the sponge, I have to prep the next stage for the sponge, which means unrolling more baking parchment, and sprinkling it with a thin layer of caster sugar. When the sponge is done it is then tipped out onto this sugar, then very quickly rolled up. Easier said than done, when it is steaming hot, and you don’t have asbestos fingers! It was at this point, after it was rolled that I looked down ‘the barrel’ of the roll and the swirl inside the paper and thought that the sponge itself was not particularly thick. Thinking back to the show I remember that some of the sponges were considerably thicker. Looking at mine was like looking at a foam roll mat used for camping or yoga!
With my spirits deflated as much as my sponge I decided to give it another go, after all I had everything out and it only take 12-15 mins to cook! This time I decided to go with the James Martin recipe, which used self-raising flour instead of Allens’ plain. I also decided to use the electric whisk for the eggs and sugar mixture. It was once the eggs and sugar got to the ribbon stages, that I realised that I probably didn’t whisk the first mixture enough, as it was no way near as light and fluffy as this new mix. Everything else in this second recipe was the same as the first, and baked for the same amount of time. The end result gave a slightly thicker sponge and a lighter texture than the first, the real test would be in the tasting!
The next element of the Pimms to consider was the strawberries. I didn’t want to use just your bog standard jam, it had to have something different about it. It need to have a bit of a kick, and what better kick than spiking it with the inspiration for the whole cake? I decided to buy, rather than make, my jam this time round, purely for ease. I bought my favourite strawberry jam, Bonne Maman, not only because it tastes lovely, but because it brings back happy memories. I remember the camping holidays in France with my family and slathering the jam on freshly baked baguettes at breakfast…heavenly! To mix the jam with the Pimms, I heated it in a pan so the strong taste of the alcohol would be cooked off. After it was heated for about 5 minutes on a low heat, I left it to cool and thicken back up.
While everything was cooling down, the jam and the sponge, I moved onto the final component, the minted cream. I’ve not had the best history with whipping cream, so I refuse to use it, opting instead for the more indulgent double cream. Why is it that some days you can whip cream for less than a minute and get soft peaks whereas the next time it takes well over 5 minutes? This time it was more like the latter. About half way though whipping I added the finely chopped mint leaves giving time for the leaves to release their aromatics, helping to infuse the flavour of the cream. The aim was to allow the flavour to come through without making it too over powering.
Now for the build! With the jam now cool, it as at this point I could see that it was not particularly thick, and was probably going to run out to the roll! Not the result I was hoping for, but maybe this is because the fancy french ‘jam’ was actually conserve? It not really something that I have thought about before, but apparently there is a difference. A conserve is more European and a softer set, where as our native British jam has a higher pectin/sugar content, therefore making it thicker. Who knew?!
Cream or Jam first? Why not do both?
I started with the first sponge, I mean I couldn’t let it go to waste could I? The whole point of deciding to do these Signature bakes is to test myself and make up recipes, and that means trial and error, and tasting every attempt! This sponge had the jam spread first and then the cream. This was the first batch of whisked cream, which to be honest I think I over whipped by 1 or 2 turns. Spreading cream onto jam is not the easiest of things to do, whether or not the cream is over whipped or not.
When rolling, my suspicions about the jam were proved, but I continued the rolling and moved the final roll onto its serving dish. With the second sponge, I reversed the cream (this time not over whipped) and the jam. The jam still oozed out at the roll but as you can see for the pictures, the definition between the layers is definitely more clear.
Judgement time
To present the finished product it was time for a tidy up, and not just in the kitchen! Trimming both ends of the rolls, not only provided me with a neater edge but also the obligatory chefs perks!
Key points and room for improvement
1. Use an electric whisk, for a lighter and fluffier sponge
The hand whisked, plain flour sponge ended up being more like the foam roll mat than just looking like one! It had a slightly rubbery like texture, rather than a light sponge. I’ll have to try this one again to be able to give a fair and honest comparison but next time, use an electric whisk!
2. Use Jam not conserve for the strawberry filling, or better still, make fresh homemade jam with added Pimms. This should also make make it less likely to ooze out when the cake is rolled. In hindsight, there is a tighter roll with the the first sponge by spreading the jam first them adding the cream. The cream acts more as a glue for the sponge to stick to the jam just makes it slide and move.
3. Develop a way of incorporating cucumber….more to come on this one!
I did attempt to candy some cucumber for the decoration, but it was not a great success and definitely needs some development before I present my results to you. Plus apparently swiss roll is not typically decorated so feel happy to omit it for this time.
Overall opinions of the bake were positive, someone even said that it was like eating a glass of pimms! I’ll be developing this one for sure, so stay tuned for a recipe in the future!
