It's that time of year again! My mom's birthday is one the highlights of the baking year. I try to woo her with creative confections. Like me, she's not huge on cake so picking the right flavor is critical. My brother noted her current snack of choice is walnuts which is not an ingredient that I usually use in baking sweets. It was sheer luck that I found this recipe for a Walnut Swiss Roll Cake! It was meant to be - the recipe also incorporated two of her other favorite ingredients: espresso and marscapone.
The chocolate ganache on top was on a whim because mom is a big chocolate lover. I'm glad that it was incorporated because the overall roll is not super sweet. It was a thin enough coating that it complimented the other flavors without overpowering them.
The espresso powder added to the filling and cake batter is barely noticeable (in my opinion). I actually added more to try and amplify it in the filling. If you're making this for someone who sneers at coffee - feel free to omit it - I don't think it will make a big difference. It was that subtle.
In my haste, I actually forgot the walnuts in the batter but it worked out just fine. I think it helped prevent any cracking when rolling the cake! The roll was surprisingly sturdy - it wasn't light and fluffy. It's a serious sponge cake that cut beautifully!
Some helpful tips for working with a Swiss Roll Cake:
- Use room temperature eggs
- When the cake is done baking in the jelly roll pan, sprinkle the entire top with confectioners sugar. This will prevent the cake from sticking to the tea towel when you flip it.
- To make flipping the cake easy, place the tea towel on top of a cooling rack and then sandwich against the jelly roll pan. Flip onto tea towel in one smooth motion - the cooling rack provides stability. If you need a reference, check out this video from, "What's Cooking," starting at 2:48.
- Once you roll the cake, let it take as long is it needs to cool down. I tucked in the edges and lef the log to chill for about an hour.
This is a pretty roll with a unique flavor! It was great for a beginner Swiss roll maker like myself!
recipe from Olive Magazine
- I toasted, "sprouted walnuts," for a earthy but sweet flavor
Basic Chocolate Ganache Glaze (optional)
4 ounces semi-sweet chocolate
4 ounces heavy whipping cream
Heat heavy cream in 30 second increments in the microwave or bring to a simmer on the stove top. It should be warm, not boiling. Remove from heat and poor over chocolate chips, swirling with a spoon to make sure all chips are covered. Let it set for about 5 minutes to melt the chips. Gently stir until completely smooth. Let the ganache cool until it's the consistency you need. I used the same ganache for the coating as for the piping on top, with the piped version resting longer to thicken it further.
Decorated with 1M piping tip.
Garnish (optional)
Chocolate covered espresso beans
- or you can try candied walnuts!
