RECIPE FOR LIFE
Strawberry & mascarpone Swiss roll
A deliciously decadent pud combines light vanilla
sponge with Marsala strawberries and a potently rich
mascarpone cream. This is best eaten on a hot
summer’s day with some fresh lemonade.
Method:
For the strawberry filling, put a
third of the strawberries in a
blender or food processor with
the granulated sugar and blend
well. Transfer the strawberries to
a bowl and add the Marsala or
orange juice. Stir in the
remaining strawberries and chill
in the fridge. (The flavour gets
better the longer you leave it, so
do this a few hours ahead if you
can, though if you are ready to go
now then a minimum of 30
minutes is fine.)
Meanwhile, for the sponge,
preheat the oven to
190C/375F/Gas 5. Grease and
line a 23 x 33cm/9in x 13in Swiss
roll tin or small roasting tin with
greaseproof paper.
Beat the eggs, sugar and
vanilla in a large bowl with an
electric whisk until the mixture is
very pale yellow, foamy and
mousse-like. Fold in the warm
water with a large metal spoon.
(This helps prevent the Swiss roll
from cracking when you roll it
later.)
Sift over the flour and salt and
fold in gently with the metal
spoon. (Don’t over mix here or
you will knock out the air and the
Swiss roll will lose its sponginess.
The trick is to incorporate all the
flour with as few ‘folds’ as
possible.)
Pour the mixture into the
prepared tin and level it gently
with a palette knife or the back of
a large spoon. Bake in the oven
for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the
sponge has shrunk a little from
the sides of the tin and feels
springy to the touch. Remove the
sponge from the oven and turn
the cake out onto a sheet of
baking paper sprinkled with
caster sugar. Leave to cool for 10
minutes, then gently peel the
lining paper off the sponge and
leave to cool completely.
Meanwhile, for the
mascarpone cream, mix all of the
ingredients together in a large
bowl.
To assemble the cake, trim off
any rough edges of the sponge
with a sharp serrated knife to get
the sides nice and tidy. Spread
the mascarpone cream all over
the sponge, leaving a small
margin so it does not squelch out
when it is rolled. Spoon the
macerated strawberries over the
mascarpone filling and drizzle
with a third of the strawberry
purée (reserve the rest).
Then with the shortest side
facing you, begin to roll up the
sponge (away from you) using
the baking paper to help. Try to
do it as tightly as you can for an
impressive-looking finish. Once
you have rolled it all up, make
sure the join is underneath so it
does not come undone. Carefully
lift onto a serving plate - you can
Serves: 6-8
Preparation
time:
Less than 3
0
minutes
Cooking tim
e:
1-2 hours
Ingredients:
For the strawberry filling
• 250g/9oz strawberries,
hulled and sliced, plus extra
to decorate
• 2 table spoons of granulated
sugar
• Splash Marsala or orange juice
For the sponge
• 3 free-range eggs
• 80g/3oz caster sugar, plus
extra for finishing
• ½ vanilla pod or 2 drops
vanilla extract
• 1 table spoon of warm water
• 80g/3oz plain flour
• Pinch salt
For the mascarpone cream
• 250g/9oz mascarpone
• 2 tablespoons of icing sugar
• ½ vanilla pod or 2 drops
vanilla extract
do this with your hands or use
two fish slices or spatulas.
Sprinkle with some caster
sugar and decorate with extra
sliced strawberries. Serve in
slices with the remaining
strawberry sauce drizzled over.
Leek Life May/June 2014 23