Strawberry Swiss Roll

Finally, after many months of icy weather and pouring rain, the sun came out and brought with it the first few lovely red strawberries. Unfortunately, enough to make jam haven't grown yet but I have a small amount of jam left from last year (it keeps very well if the jars are sealed) so I made a strawberry Swiss roll.  It was made slightly more difficult by the fact that I managed to break my finger while helping on the farm this Sunday, but it didn't turn out too badly. This particular recipe makes a very light, meringue-like Swiss roll which is easy to roll and tastes delicious.

Swiss roll with strawberries and cream

The sponge is made with beaten egg whites and has no fat added to it, which gives it a very light, soft inside and a crisp, meringue style outside. If the jam is spread on quickly, it is a perfect mixture to roll while its still warm. If ground almonds are added to the mixture to substitute some of the flour, they also help to keep the Swiss roll moist, making it easier to roll up.
The jam is homemade strawberry jam, made last year which keeps very well. I will write a post on making and preserving jams as soon as the weather warms up and I have enough fruit to make a descent amount. 
The decorations are simply whipped cream, sweetened with icing sugar and flavored with vanilla paste which has been piped with a star nozzle along with sliced strawberries.

Unfortunately, the Swiss roll didn't last till tea time, as my younger brother discovered it and decided it was too good to wait for!

If anyone is interested in or would like me to post about any particular recipes or techniques or step by step instructions to make any of my cakes please post a comment below. Also, I am happy to do a page on any idea that you would love to try but haven't found the prefect recipe yet. 
Thanks for reading! 

2 Chocolate Cakes

Over the weekend, a friend asked me to make her a cake for an afternoon tea party she was throwing. She didn't specify what type of cake she would like, but rather left that decision with me. With the weather still being so cold, I thought that a couple of lovely, warming chocolate cakes  would go down well.
The recipe i have used here produces a very moist cake which is bitter-sweet because of the very dark chocolate used in it. It has a very spongy texture, making it not too heavy.
The first cake I made simply incorporated a simple flower pattern:

piped flower design

Around the outside of the cake, i have piped small rosettes of chocolate ganache  on both the top and the bottom. The flower design is just a simple one using a no. 2 piping nozzle.

The centers of the flowers are made by simply placing a small white chocolate ball where the four petals meet.

The other cake is very similar to the one above, the only difference being in the decoration:

piped rosette design

This cake also has piped rosettes of the same chocolate ganache around both top and bottom, although it uses a larger nozzle. More rosettes have be added for enhanced decoration. I have place a white chocolate ball in their centers to add a flower-like effect to the appearance of the cake. 

For both cakes, two layers have been sandwiched and coated with a smooth chocolate buttercream. The bittersweet of the cake contrasts well with the sweetness of the icing, which makes the cake a lovey afternoon treat. Even so, I'd advise a small slice only - it is quite a rich cake!

Rob's 12th Birthday Cake

It was my brother Rob's 12th birthday a few days ago, and he is slightly obsessed with smarties (well, any kind of chocolate to be honest) so I decided to make him a smarties cake. In order to theme it with his birthday, I thought it would be nice to make it in the shape of a 12 and then cover it in smarties:

The cake used is a very light but moist chocolate cake, from a friends recipe entitled 'troepe koek' meaning a troop cake - a very appropriate title considering the size of the cake it produces. It has to be cooked in a roasting tin because of the huge quantity of mixture!
Both numbers could be cut from the one cake, and are sandwiched with cream and black cherries and then topped with chocolate buttercream and decorated with 5 pack of smarties.
This cake was very well received by all the boys at Rob's party, and the cake is firm enough to be cut up and placed in party bags. Pretty fun to make as well, if a little time consuming.