COFFEE ROLL CAKE

A big Happy Birthday to my friend Yousrah.  She loves coffee and chocolate and I couldn't think of anything else except a coffee cake with ganache.

The coffee swiss roll recipe is from MonteurRecipe with minor modifications based on the quality of ingredients available in my country.

The ganache is from Stephanie Jaworski (Joy of Baking).  The ganache was wonderful but a bit too thick for my preference.

Ingredients

180 g eggs

105 g sugar

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp cream of tartar

70 g self-raising cake flour

20 g wheat starch

23 g liquid milk 

23 g butter 

2 tsp Espresso Coffee

1 tsp vanilla essence

Filling 

Maltesers 

200 ml whipping cream 

1/2 tsp caramel essence

1/2 tsp vanilla essence 

1/4 tsp salt
4 tablespoon icing sugar

Ganache

227 g chocolate (70 % cocoa)

180 ml whipping cream

28 g butter

Decoration

Maltesers

Sugar paste flowers

Gold dust

Method (Swiss roll making using the plain sponge method)

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1.  Line a Swiss roll tin with baking paper (I did not grease; I used a Swiss roll tin of size 27 cm x 26 cm x 2 cm). 

2.  Sift flour and wheat starch to remove lumps.

3.  Combine the milk, vanilla essence, butter and coffee.  Microwave for 5 seconds or melt over a double boiler.  Allow to cool. 

4.  Combine the eggs, salt, cream of tartar and sugar in a stainless-steel bowl.  Immediately set the bowl over a hot water bath and whisk until the mixture warms to a temperature of about 110°F (43°C).  Beat the eggs at high speed until they are very light and thick or until the ribbon stage is reached.  (At this point, when a figure "8" or an "S" shape is drawn with the egg foam, it should clearly retain its mark and not disappear into the batter). 

5.  Sift in half of the flour and fold the mixture gently.  Sift in the remaining flour and fold again.

6.  Stir two tablespoons of the cake batter into the coffee mixture.  Fold the resulting mixture carefully into the cake batter.  

7.  Pour the cake batter in the prepared Swiss roll pan.  Tap the mould twice or thrice and bake for about 15 minutes at 200°C.

Mix some batter with the coffee mixture; Tap mould before baking to get rid of those big air bubbles rising on top.

8.  Peel the baking paper carefully from the cake.  Place the cake sheet onto a clean wax paper.  Cover with a damp towel.

Filling the Cake:

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1.  Combine whipping cream, icing sugar, caramel essence, vanilla essence and salt together.  Whip until stiff.

2.  Spread the whipped cream over the sponge sheet.  Roll.

Cut the messy ends of the rolled Swiss Roll and eat it while decorating the cake!

Preparing the Ganache:

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1.  Chop the chocolate

2.  Heat the whipping cream and butter together

3.  Add the hot whipping cream to the chocolate.  Cover and allow to stand for 45 seconds.  After 45 seconds, stir until smooth.

4.  Cover the swiss roll with Ganache and decorate with maltesers, sugar paste flowers and gold dust.

Cover generously with ganache

Next time, should add more cream inside!

MARSHMALLOW BUBBLE GUM CAKE ROLL

Inspired by Anncoo Journal's Cherry Polka Dots Swiss Roll and Jen from My Baking Diary's Polka-Dotted Green Tea Swiss Roll, I decided to make a Cake Roll with these little dots.  Oops, all my food colourings were expired with the exception of my bizarre pink food colouring.  After rolling the cake, it was looking like a bubble gum Swiss roll; since it was marshmallow-filled, i called it Marshmallow Bubble Gum Cake Roll.

Ingredients

For cake batter

80 g plain flour
20 g cornstarch
100 g sugar
4 eggs (medium)
2 teaspoon vanilla essence
a pinch of salt
Pink colouring

Marshmallow filling
2 tablespoons jam
Option A: 
150 g marshmallow fluff or creme
Drops of flavouring and colouring
or
Option B: 
150 g good quality marshmallow
5 tablespoon whipping cream or Nestlé cream
2 tsp butter
Drops of flavouring and colouring

Method (Swiss roll making using the plain sponge method)

1. Grease and line Swiss roll baking tin.  I used a Swiss roll tin of size 27 cm x 26 cm x 2 cm but any 4-egg Swiss roll tin will do!  Sift flour and cornflour to remove lumps.

2. Combine the eggs, sugar, and salt in a stainless-steel bowl.  Immediately set the bowl over a hot water bath and stir or beat with a whip until the mixture warms to a temperature of about 110°F (43°C).

Figure 1 - Oops have you noticed that one of my egg had two yolks :-D

3. Add vanilla essence and beat the eggs at high speed until they are very light and thick or until the ribbon stage is reached.  (At this point, when a figure "8" or an "S" shape is drawn with the egg foam, it should clearly retain its mark and not disappear into the batter).

4. Remove 3 tablespoons of the egg foam and mix in 1 tablespoon of the flour mixture.  Add pink colouring.  Place the mixture in a piping bag and pipe small dots onto the lined baking tray.  Bake for 3 minutes at 190°C in a preheated oven.

Figure 2 - Smartiesssssss!

5. Fold the remaining flour mixture in three or four stages in the remaining egg foam, being careful not to deflate the foam.

Figure 3 - Egg foam/ Swiss roll batter/ batter poured over the baked dots

6. Pour and spread out the plain batter quickly and evenly over the dots with a scraper or cranked spatula.  Gently tap the baking tray a few times to release trapped big bubbles of air.

7. Bake at 200°C for 12-15 minutes on the middle rack over a water bath.  Do not place the Swiss roll tin directly in the hot water bath; rather place a tray containing hot boiling water just below the middle shelf.  The diagram below shows how to bake the Swiss roll "Au bain-marie".  (Don't laugh at it, i was never good in arts :-D)

Figure 4 - How to bake Swiss roll 

This may not be an important step for certain Swiss roll bakers, but i personally find this method good in controlling dextrinisation of the bottom side of the Swiss roll.  You can also set your oven like THE LITTLE TEOCHEW described in her Tips & Tricks for making a Japanese Cheesecake.  She is very good in food photography and cooking.  

8. For the filling, you can use marshmallow creme, also called marshmallow fluff, mixed with some pink colouring and flavouring.  If you don't have marshmallow creme then you can melt ingredients in Options B over a boiling water bath until you obtain a gooey mixture  (It will take time.... be patient!!  Chop the marshmallows to speed up the process).

9. Spread the marshmallow filling over the sponge followed by a thin layer of jam and then roll.  If you have problem with the rolling step, then click here for a video which can be of help.

Figure 5 - Swiss roll still in wax paper

10. Slice and serve or store in the refrigerator in a well-covered container.  Isn't it looking like a chicken pox cake!  Make sure you wipe the knife with a kitchen paper between slices.  (Please note that the cake was not yellow as shown in picture 6)

Figure 6 - Next time, i'll make the dots more perfectly!!

Figure 7 - My pound cake fan dad liked it!

Variations 

You can use other food colouring.  Why not a multi-coloured polka dots Swiss roll or a blue polka dots Swiss roll stuffed with blueberries.