'N' is for....Nut and Mixed Berry Roulade

A light almond flavored sponge filled with fresh mixed berries and cream. Topped with hazelnut dragees and amaretto flutes

Tea at my Grans was always a feast, 'Sunday high tea' as she called it, included toasted buttered crumpets in the winter and sandwiches, usually egg and cress in the summer. This would be followed by jelly and ice cream or  a home made trifle. More tea would be made and poured from a huge teapot, and cake stands would appear, full of cakes that she would of baked the day before. For some reason known only to herself,  she considered it was not a proper feast without a shop brought swiss roll. I was not keen on it and rarely ate any, we all used to tease her though about the predictability of the swiss roll, the cakes she baked would vary from week to week. One of her regular sayings was 'always keep lots of standbys in the larder, just in case'. As a child I always wondered about this just in case.....just in case of what? But now I completely understand, if she was unwell and could not bake, the swiss roll would be in larder so we could have cake with our cuppa:)
As I grew up she became more and more sophisticated and adventurous with her baking, I seem to of inherited the 'baking' gene from her :). I remember when I was around 15 after carefully laying the table with one of her embroidered tablecloths, out would come all the goodies, all sitting on flowery plates with paper doilies on! This particular Sunday she left a space right in the middle, went back to the kitchen and came back with the most delicious looking cake, and was greeted with oohs and ahhhs from from all of us.She proudly placed it in the saved space, and announced 'there, Grans chocolate roulade' with which my grandfather replied swiftly back 'looks like a bloody swiss roll to me'. Her face fell and although we all thoroughly enjoyed the cake she never baked another roulade ever again!
So Granny Dora Jane wherever you may be I hope you like my version of swiss roll? Love Maxine xx

Ingredients

• Sunflower oil for greasing
• 100g ground almonds
• pinch of salt
• 5 medium eggs, separated
• Few drops of almond oil
• 100g caster sugar, plus extra for dusting
• 3 tbsp icing sugar, plus extra for dusting
• 284ml carton double cream
• 300 gr assorted berries,
• Mixed berries, toasted flaked almonds, chocolate amaretto flutes and hazelnut dragees to decorate

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C, gas mark 4. Line a 27.5cm x 32.5cm swiss roll tin with greaseproof paper and oil lightly.
2. Mix together the ground almonds and salt. Set aside 2 tbsp sugar from the 100g. Whisk the remaining sugar with the egg yolks until they form a pale mousse that holds a trail on the surface when you lift out the whisk.
3. Whisk the egg whites until they form soft peaks. Add the 2 tbsp caster sugar and whisk until thick and slightly glossy. Quickly fold the almond mixture into the egg yolk mousse, followed by the egg whites. Pour into the tin, spread evenly and bake for 12 minutes or until just done and shrinking away from the edges.
4. Once the roulade is cool enough to handle, put a clean tea towel on a flat surface and top with a sheet of greaseproof paper. Sprinkle the paper with caster sugar and invert the roulade onto it. Carefully peel away the paper. Trim the edges of the sponge, and leave until cold.
5. Sift the icing sugar into the cream and whip until it forms soft peaks. Fold in the chopped mixed berries and spread over the cold sponge, leaving a 2cm border all around. Use the paper to carefully roll up the roulade from the short end. Ease on to a serving dish, sprinkle with the almonds, berries, flutes and dragees, dust with icing sugar and serve ..........Enjoy :)  Maxine x

 

A traditional Swiss Roll is a whisked light sponge. The thin cake is made of eggs, flour and sugar and baked in a very shallow rectangular baking tray. The cake is removed from the pan and spread with butter cream or jam  rolled up, and served in circular slices.

The origins of swiss rolls are unclear. The cake originated in Europe, but not in Switzerland  as the name would suggest. It appears to have been invented in the nineteenth century, along with Victoria sponge, doughnuts and battenburg cake.