Roulades

(All Recipes have Gluten-Free Options)

Pistachio Roulade with Raspberries and White Chocolate

This is one of those ‘wow’ desserts! It would make a fantastic centre piece on any celebratory table. Naturally it tastes wonderful too, so your guests will be asking for the recipe – we have the talented Mr ‘Ottolenghi’ to thank for this delicious recipe (but put a tag in for ‘Menu Mistress’ too!). Make sure that you follow the instructions to roll the cake when it is still warm as in this way the roulade shouldn’t crack too much!

70g shelled pistachio kernals, plus 15g extra, roughly chopped

4 large eggs, whites and yolks separated

130g caster sugar

2 tablespoons hot water

80g self-raising flour (gluten free if required – I use Doves)

⅛ teaspoon salt

⅛ teaspoon almond extract

20g icing sugar

300g fresh raspberries

For the white chocolate cream:

200g white cooking chocolate roughly chopped into 1cm pieces

75g unsalted butter, soft but not oily

280g cream cheese

270ml double cream

 ⅛ teaspoon almond extract

You will also need: 35 x 30cm shallow baking tray greased and lined with baking paper.

  1. Place 70g of the pistachios in a food processor and grind until fine but not oily; don’t worry if there are some medium-sized pieces it will not affect the cake. Set aside until needed.
  2. Place the egg yolks and sugar in a large bowl and whisk for about 4 minutes until thick and creamy. Add the hot water by dribbling it down the sides of the bowl. Sprinkle over the ground pistachios and gently fold through to combine.
  3. Sift the flour and salt together and add to the egg yolk mixture. Fold to combine.
  4. Whisk the egg whites in a clean bowl to form soft peaks then fold into the yolk mixture along with the almond extract.
  5. Pour the mixture into the lined baking tray and bake in a preheated oven, 180’c fan, for 15-18 minutes until the cake springs back when lightly touched in the centre. Remove from the oven and leave to rest for 5 minutes.
  6. Sift half the icing sugar over the surface of the cake and cover with a clean tea towel. Place a wire rack on top, then flip the cake over so that the wire rack is now underneath the tea towel and cake. Lift off the tray and carefully peel off the baking paper and lightly dust the cake with the remaining sifted icing sugar.
  7. With one of the short ends of the sponge facing towards you, roll up the still-warm cake with the tea towel inside. Allow the cake to rest for 10 minutes in the rolled up tea towel (this ‘trains’ the cake for its final roll). Then unroll the cake and set aside to come to room temperature.
  8. Meanwhile prepare the white chocolate cream; Place the chocolate in a bowl set over (but not touching) a pan of simmering water. Stir from time to time until melted then remove from the heat and set aside to cool slightly.
  9. Place the butter a bowl and use an electric mixer to beat until smooth then add the cream cheese and beat again until well combined. Now add the white chocolate and continue to beat until smooth. Finally, add the double cream and almond extract and beat until the mixture forms soft waves (you may want to put the mixture in the fridge to thicken up a little).
  10. To assemble, use a spatula to spread about two-thirds of the white chocolate cream evenly over the surface of the cake. Leave a border of about 2cm without any cream at the short end of the cake furthest away from you. Place all but twelve of the raspberries over evenly over the top of the cream, then roll up the cake.
  11. Carefully transfer the rolled up cake to a serving plate and spread the remaining cream all over the cake – this can be a little messy, you will probably have to wipe around the plate before serving! Finally, place the remaining raspberries along the centre of the cake and sprinkle with the extra pistachio nuts.

Chocolate Mousse Roulade

I found this recipe in Rachel Allen’s cookbook, ‘Entertaining at Home’. You will definitely thank me for sharing it – with its chocolate mousse and cream filling, it is incredibly delicious and surprisingly light. It also makes a great centrepiece for a Christmas celebration, you could add a sprig of holly to make it really festive! Roulades have a reputation for being difficult to make as they are renowned for cracking, but this is their nature and once you accept this outcome you will realise just how easy they are to bake – personally, I think their cracked style adds to their beauty and deliciousness! Indeed, when I was making this roulade I asked myself why I don’t make them more often, especially as many are naturally gluten-free. So, I have decided to start searching out more roulade recipes (watch this space!), in the meantime, you really should try this one!!… It will keep in the fridge for a couple of days but bring it to room temperature before serving.

6 eggs separated

150g caster sugar

50g cocoa powder

Icing sugar, for dusting

225ml double cream

For the chocolate mousse:

125ml double cream

125g dark chocolate, roughly chopped

2 tablespoons brandy or dark rum (optional)

2 eggs, separated

*You will also need a 20 x 30cm Swiss roll tin, lined

  1. Place the egg yolks and sugar in a bowl and whisk until the mixture starts to thicken, then whisk in the cocoa powder.
  2. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites until they are just stiff, then carefully fold these into the chocolate mixture. Pour into the prepared tin and bake in a preheated oven, 180’c for 15-20 minutes until the sponge feels springy to touch. Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the tin.
  3. To make the mousse filling, pour the cream into a saucepan and bring to the boil. Remove from the heat and stir in the chocolate until it has all melted. Add the brandy or rum (if using) and whisk in the egg yolks.
  4. In a clean bowl, whisk the egg whites until stiff, then stir in a quarter of the egg whites into the chocolate mixture, then pour the chocolate mixture into the remaining egg whites and fold in gently. Cover the bowl with clingfilm and chill in the fridge for 1-2 hours to set.
  5. When the roulade sponge has cooled turn it out onto an oblong sheet of greaseproof paper liberally dusted with icing sugar (or you could use cocoa powder if desired).
  6. Carefully pull away the lining paper. Spread the chocolate mousse over the sponge. Now whip up the cream and spread this over the chocolate mousse.
  7. With one long side facing you, gently roll up the roulade into the shape of a log. Transfer to a serving plate with the join facing down – this can be tricky, I usually use both a frying pan spatula and a palette knife to do this!
  8. Finally, dust with a little more icing sugar (or cocoa powder) and enjoy!