As soon as the really hot days begin, our bodies seem to beg for cool, refreshing foods and drinks. Fresh and frozen fruit or yogurt desserts are great, healthy, everyday options, but when we are looking for something a bit more special and indulgent, this sponge cake roll stuffed with whipped cream and strawberry jam is just the thing! It’s sweet enough to feel like a real treat, but still cool and fresh, with the taste of delicious summer strawberries!

The kids, of course love this fancy looking dessert, but if you wanted to use a liquor, instead of juice, to wet the sponge cake, well, that would certainly make for a fun twist for the adults at your party!

The thing I love most about this dessert is the refreshing, creamy taste of the frozen whipped cream, which when mixed with the jam and the sponge cake, create a particular texture that is both delicate and rich at the same time.

You will need to start this dessert at least 3 hours before you want to serve it. However, less than an hour of that is actual “hands on” time. The sponge cake takes 20 minutes to bake, you will need around 30 minutes to make the roll, and the roll needs to be in the freezer for at least two hours for the best flavor and texture.

INGREDIENTS

4 eggs – 4 uova

2 tsp. vanilla extract – 1 bustina vanillina

3.5 oz. sugar – 100 gr. zucchero

3.5 oz. all purpose flour – 100 gr. farina

Strawberry juice or a sweet pink liquor like Alchermes

half a pint whipping cream – una confezione di panna montata

powdered sugar to dust – zucchero a velo per decorare

 

DIRECTIONS:

Separate the egg yolks from the egg whites.

Beat the egg whites until they form stiff peaks, then set aside. In a separate bowl, whip the whipping cream, then place it in the refrigerator until you are ready to assemble the cake roll.

In a third bowl, add the sugar and the vanilla extract to the yolks and beat with an electric whisk for few minutes to allow the mixture to incorporate as much air as possible.

Gradually sift the flour into the egg yolk mixture, blending it in with a wire whisk a little at a time.

 

Next, add the beaten egg whites, gently folding them in using a whisk. Be careful not to lose the frothiness.

Preheat the oven at 320 degrees F (160 C).

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and pour the mixture, leveling evenly to about half inch.  Be sure to use a baking sheet with at least a 1-inch high edge, sometimes called a jelly-roll pan.

Bake for about 20 minutes. 

In the meantime, find a clean cloth (one at least as large as your pan), soak it in water, and then wring it out well.

When the sponge cake is cooked, take it out of the oven, and gently turn it out onto the clean damp cloth.

Peel back the parchment paper, being very careful not to break the sponge cake. Then wet the sponge cake with the strawberry juice (or with a sweet pink liquor like Alchermes). You want to use enough liquid so that it becomes uniformly pink, but to avoid soaking it too much.

Fold the towel over the long edge of the cake, and then roll the cake and towel up together (the towel will be rolled up inside the layers of cake to keep them from sticking together). Allow it to cool.

When cooled, gently unroll the cake onto a piece of aluminum foil, and coat with jam.

Spread the whipped cream on top of the jam layer.

Again, roll the sponge cake the long way (top/bottom in these pictures), wrap the aluminum foil around it, and place in the freezer for at least two hours.

Before serving, leave it at room temperature for about half an hour and sprinkle with powdered sugar.

YUMMMM, I need a piece right now!

LEARNT IT, MADE IT, LOVED IT!

 

TIPS: Since this is a frozen dessert, you can make it at any time you have a free spot in your daily schedule, keep it frozen, and just take it out of the freezer half an hour before you’re ready to eat it. And of course, once you have thawed it, please do not freeze it again- the whipping cream could go bad!

 

I really hope you like this recipe, and please, if you do,

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Much thanks,

Silvia