”You have to taste a culture to understand it.”

– Deborah Cater

Strawberry roll cake

This sponge cake roll is made using a very simple recipe, which can be remembered by heart, does not need weighting of ingredients and can be easily adjusted depending on the size of the tray you use or how much of cake you want to make. To make the batter we use 1 tbsp of flour and 1 tbsp of sugar per each egg.

Serving Size:
–
Time:
Prep time: 30 min
Bake time: 15 min
Rest time: 2h +
Difficulty:
Medium

Ingredients

  • 5 eggs (room temperature)
  • 5 tbsp sugar
  • 5 tbsp all-purpose flour
  • a pinch of salt
  • lemon zest (optional)
For the filling (change the filling ingredients and amounts as you like):
  • 200 g (1.2 cups) strawberries (washed, hulled and cut in small pieces)
  • 150 ml (0.6 cups) whipping cream
  • 4 tbsp sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 100 g (0.4 cups) ricotta or cottage cheese

Directions

  1. Insert parchment paper in a baking tray and grease it with a bit of cooking oil.
  2. Set the oven to heat to 180°C or 400°F.
  3. Separate egg yolks from egg whites in two big bowls.
  4. Add sugar to the egg yolks and beat them with an electric mixer or a whisk till they are light, fluffy and increase in volume.
  5. Sift and mix in flour in the batter, as well as about a teaspoon of lemon zest.
  6. Add a pinch of salt to the egg whites and beat them till the egg whites are stiff. Gradually add and fold the egg whites in the batter.
  7. Pour the batter in the baking tray and level it to form a rectangle.
  8. Bake for 10 – 15 minutes till the sponge is lightly brown.
  9. After removing from the oven, pull the cake together with the parchment paper on a clean towel and gently roll it. Cover the roll with the towel and leave it to cool.
  10. Pour in a bowl whipping cream, add sugar and vanilla, and beat the whipping cream till its creamy and foamy. Add and mix in ricotta or cottage cheese.
  11. Unroll the cooled cake and separate the parchment paper.
  12. Spread the whipped cream mix on top of it, leaving a few cm at one of the ends free as the cream will be pushed there while rolling the cake.
  13. Spread strawberries in a layer on top of the whipped cream mix and gently roll it again.
  14. Wrap the roll in the parchment paper and the towel. Put it on a cutting board and in the fridge for at least a few hours (best overnight) for it to stiffen and hold together.
  15. Sprinkle with some powdered sugar, decorate as you wish and enjoy!