Swiss roll with zesty grapefruit curd
Do not be put off by the grapefruit filling – it offers a really good contrast to the sweetness of the sponge. However, if it is too much for you, you can substitute orange which is a gentler flavour.
Ingredients:
100g (4oz) Denise’s Delicious flour blend
1 teaspoon GF baking powder
¼ teaspoon guar gum
4 large eggs, at room temperature
100g (4oz) caster sugar
Grapefruit curd:
Juice of 1 small pink grapefruit
3 large eggs
50g (2oz) sugar
1 tablespoon pink grapefruit zest, finely grated
Pinch of salt
4 tablespoons butter/ margarine, cut into small pieces and softened
Method:
1. Preheat the oven to Gas Mark 5/190°C/375°F. Grease and line a 25cm x 30cm/10in x 12in Swiss roll tin with baking parchment.
2. Sieve the flour, baking powder and guar gum and mix well.
3. Separate the eggs and whisk the whites until stiff, then add 25g (1oz) of the sugar.
4. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg yolks and remaining 75g (3oz) sugar until pale and creamy. When you lift the beaters out of the mixture, they should hold a trail in the mixture for 3–4 seconds.
5. Now carefully fold the egg yolk mixture into the egg white mixture. Use a metal spoon and do this by hand, not by machine.
6. Add several tablespoons of flour to the mix and fold in gently by hand with a metal spoon. Repeat until all the flour is added and ensure that no flour is lodged at the bottom of the bowl.
7. Pour into the Swiss roll tin. Once it is all in, tilt the tin back and forth until the mixture has filled the four corners.
8. Gently place in the centre of the oven and allow to bake for 12–15 minutes until golden brown and springy.
9. While the sponge is cooking, prepare everything for the rolling operation. Spread a damp tea towel on a flat surface (and have a second one ready for later). On top of the tea towel place a sheet of baking parchment that is slightly larger than the baking tin.
10. As soon as the Swiss roll is baked, lift it out holding the sides of the lining and turn it out onto the paper immediately.
11. Now carefully and gently strip off the lining parchment.
12. Cover with a clean damp towel and leave for a couple of minutes, then remove the damp towel. Then with one of the shorter edges of the cake nearest to you, make a small incision about 2½cm (1in) from the edge, cutting right across the cake, but not too deeply; this will help you when you start to roll.
13. Start to roll this 2½cm/1in piece over and away from you and continue to roll, using the sugared paper to help you roll the whole cake up by pulling it up behind it as it rolls. When it is completely rolled up, hold the paper around the cake for a few seconds, then transfer the rolled cake to a wire cooling tray.
14. Make the grapefruit curd (see below) and allow to cool.
15. When the Swiss roll is cool, gently unroll it. Do not force the unrolling – it will not be completely flat.
16. With a palette knife, gently spread the grapefruit curd filling inside the Swiss roll and then roll the Swiss roll back into its rolled position.
17. Trim 2cm off the edge of the Swiss roll with a sharp serrated knife, to tidy the edges.
18. Dust with icing sugar and serve.
Grapefruit curd:
1. Bring the grapefruit juice to a boil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Reduce the heat and simmer until the juice is reduced by half. Allow to cool.
2. Whisk together the eggs, sugar, reduced grapefruit juice, grapefruit zest and salt in a bowl over a pot of water on a medium heat, whisking constantly, until thickened. This will take 6–7 minutes. If your curd is not thickening (due to too much fruit juice), then add another egg yolk and beat in well whilst over the heat.
3. Remove from the heat, and whisk in the butter/margarine until melted.
4. Pour the mixture through a fine sieve into a bowl. This will remove any fleshy parts of the grapefruit.
5. Cover the surface of the curd with piece of greaseproof paper, and refrigerate until cool.
