Fluffy Swiss Roll

A couple of weeks ago, I was working on a presentation for a job interview. However; I started overthinking it and getting frustrated with myself as it was twice as long as they wanted but at the same time, I couldn’t see how I could present a complete plan in half the time. And, as the helpful comments of my boyfriend were no longer feeling helpful, it was clearly time to stop. I decided I would bake a cake instead! 

 So here I am at 4:30 on a Friday afternoon starting to bake a swiss roll…needless to say, we had takeaway for dinner as the kitchen was not available for making dinner!

In the end, it was not too difficult to make, just very time-consuming. Unlike my favourite cakes to bake, you can’t just throw all the ingredients in a bowl and mix them all together. There are a clear order and timing for each step. First, you beat the eggs so that they are fluffy, then you add the sugar to get a mousse-like consistency and finally you add the flour. You know that you’ve done it properly because as you pour it on the baking sheet it sounds like a bubble bath. You know, the one where you’ve gone a bit OTT with the bubble bath! 

The most unnerving bit is the rolling. You have to roll it when it’s straight out of the oven and let it cool rolled-up. Then you need to unroll it without cracking it. And once you’ve got the jam and cream on, you roll it again.

The best bit about this cake compared to most is the trimmings. Sure like all cakes you can lick the bowl. Batter is yummy. But, because you have to trim the sides if you want a neat roll, you also get cake bits that you can use to mop up the excess cream. 😊

My verdict, totally worth the calories and the time.

What I used:

Great British Bake Off - Bake it Better (No.1): Classic Cakes

I love this book because it has a section dedicated to techniques and the different kinds of base or sponges. And in terms of recipes, it has all the classic cakes arranged by skill level as well as tips for making variations.