My Imperfectly Perfect Swiss Roll
Love this imperfectly perfect Swiss roll. Why imperfect? Because I didn’t level it flawlessly smooth. Yet it baked perfectly soft fluffy and light, and rolled beautifully. Filled with fresh cream … just the best!
Servings: 9 inch roll
Ingredients
6 eggs separated
I) Yolk mixture
- 6 yolks
- 55 g milk
- 50 g oil
- 60 g cake flour
II) Meringue
- 6 whites
- 50 g sugar
- ~ 1 tsp lemon juice
III) Filling
- 1 cup heavy cream
Instructions
- Separate 6 eggs. Freeze the whites for 10-15min and start on the yolk mixture.
Yolk Mixture
- In a medium size bowl, add oil and milk and mix till it is combined. Then sift in the cake flour and mix into a paste. At this point, add in the yolks and gently mix in with a whisk. The batter will be lumpy at first but keep mixing gently till the batter becomes smooth and ribbony. Set aside.
Meringue
- Remove the egg whites from the freezer. They should be super chilled and maybe just a little icy at the edges. Add a few drops of lemon juice to the whites and whisk on low. When it turns white and foamy, add in the sugar in 3 parts. Once the sugar is completely added, whisk on medium high speed until the smooth shiny firm peaks.
Combining the batter and baking
- Add 1/3 of the meringue into the yolk mixture and whisk gently to loosen it. Once the meringue is incorporated and the yolk mixture is light and fluffy, add it to the remaining meringue and incorporate gently by hand with a spatula. Always mix with a gentle hand to not deflate the meringue and stop when the batter is just nicely combined. *Do not over-mix*
- Pour the batter into a 28x28cm lined square pan. Spread it out evenly and smooth the top as much as you like. Note: I did not level mine perfectly. I was happy with a basic spread and swirl on top and put it bake that way since the top will be the inside of the Swiss roll.
- Once happy with your levelling, tap the pan a few times on the table top to remove air bubbles and bake at 150C (lower middle rack) for ~ 25 minutes.
- Once removed from the oven, tap the pan on the table top to slightly deflate the sponge and slide it out of the pan to cool for 5-10 minutes. Once cooled for ~ 10min, flip the cake out and remove the base lining to show a smooth clean crumb. Note: sometimes there may be some remnant skin that doesn’t come off completely with the base lining. Simply lift them gently with a small knife and they will come off clean.
- The smooth crumb side will be the outer side of the Swiss roll. Flip the cake once more, back to the original topside for the filling. Set aside to cool and start on the filling.
Filling and rolling
- Whisk the cold heavy cream until stiff peaks. Spread the whipped cream generously on the topside of the cake. Leave ~1-2 cm at the top and bottom of the side you intend to roll from. Once filled, use the parchment as a guide to help gently roll up the cake. Note: the cake is still slightly warm at this point and should roll nicely. Once the cake is rolled up, bring a rolling pin against the parchment to tighten up the roll. Chill for 2 hours for the roll to set.
- Once the Swiss roll is chilled and nicely set, slice off the ends (about an inch) to get a beautiful neat roll. Make your cuppa tea or coffee, slice and enjoy!
Video
Notes
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#1 How level and smooth must the top of the sponge be?
It can be as level and flawless as you want it to be! Because a perfectly level sponge roll is not a strict requirement! IMHO, whilst a perfectly baked and level Swiss roll sponge is a great goal, it's never essential for it to be perfect … especially when the topside will be filled and rolled as the inner of the Swiss roll.
That’s why I almost never try and level my sponge batter perfectly. I am usually happy with a basic spread and swirl on top. Any imperfections in leveling can be concealed during filling and rolling and it will not be detected. What is more important is the texture of the sponge. It should bake perfectly soft and fluffy and roll without cracking (See tip #5 below).
#2 Why add lemon juice to the egg whites?
Adding acidity when whipping egg whites helps to stabilize the foam and create a firmer meringue or whipped egg white structure. For my Imperfectly Perfect Swiss Roll, if you don’t have lemon juice on hand, you can substitute it with 1/2 tsp cream of tartare or vinegar. In essence, lemon juice (or other acids) acts as a stabilizing agent, helping the egg whites to hold their shape and volume while being whipped, resulting in a more stable and desirable meringue.
#3 Chilled egg whites vs egg whites @room temperature
Ok, there are really two schools of thought on this. In the beginning when I started to bake, it is always recommended to bring your egg whites to room temperature. Why? Because it will whisk up more stable, more voluminous and also melts and absorbs the sugar more easily. In recent years, I find that there is a 2nd school of thought advocating using cold or highly chilled whites for meringue which whips up more gradually and therefore gives a more stable structure.
So which is right?
From my experience, both works. I used room temperature egg whites for my Genoise Strawberry Shortcake, Coriander Chiffon Cake, and even my Putu Piring Cake (which incorporates a gluten free sponge using rice flour) and they baked beautifully.
Since my curiosity was piqued about chilled egg whites, I started using them (sometimes even slightly icy at the edges) to whisk my meringue for sponge cakes and it similarly produces a lovely and fluffy bake. I find the main difference is the chilled whites whip up more gradually (takes a longer time) and hence provides a more stable albeit less voluminous meringue. One is also less likely to over-whisk the meringue as the whites whip up more gradually.
Whichever one you choose, mind these tips and your meringue should turn out nicely!
- Fat-free please. As yolks contain fats, be careful when separating the eggs to not get any yolk in the whites. Make sure your whisking gear and bowl are clean and free of grease. Any hint of fat or grease can cause the meringue to fail to whip up properly.
- Slow and steady does it. This is the key rule for whisking a stable meringue. Start slow whipping the whites until foamy. Up the speed slowly so that you do not over-beat and gradually add the sugar. Once the sugar is added, switch to high speed and whip until the meringue is thick and glossy.
- Be careful not to under or over whisk the meringue. The ideal stiff peak stage for making chiffon cake is somewhere between medium and firm stiffness. How do you recognize that? As you lift the whisk with the meringue, it should hold a firm shape and droop just a bit, a small but firm half curl.