Recipes for Swiss roll can often be complicated but this one from the Hairy Bikers has a lemony twist and I found it a breeze to make.
While it does take longer to make than a lot of other desserts, the end result is worth it.
After attempting to make a Swiss roll only once with James Martin’s recipe, I felt like I was more prepared when it came to the rolling element.
To make the sponge and lemon butter icing, I decided to trial Kenwood’s pair of new mixers designed for small kitchens – the Kenwood Go Stand Mixer which is priced at £249.99 and the Kenwood QuickMix Go which retails for £39.99.
These mixers are designed to be as powerful as full-sized appliances but take up far less of your valuable cupboard or worktop space.
Ingredients
For the cake
Butter, for greasing
Three eggs
115g caster sugar, plus four tablespoons extra for dredging
One unwaxed lemon, zest only
115g plain flour
For the lemon butter icing
200g icing sugar, sifted
125g softened butter
Two tablespoons of lemon juice
125g lemon curd
Method
I started by preheating the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6 before greasing and lining a 33cm x 23cm Swiss roll tin with buttered grease-proof paper.
I then added the eggs, sugar and lemon zest in a heatproof bowl that was placed over a pan of gently simmering water. I then whisked it with the Kenwood QuickMix Go until the mixture turned pale, creamy and thick enough to leave a trail when the whisk was lifted.
I loved that there was a slow start-up that prevented the mixture from being flicked across the room and five mixing speeds to choose from.
After several minutes, I carefully removed the bowl from the heat and continued whisking for a further five minutes.
I then sifted in half the flour and, using a large metal spoon, lightly folded it into the egg mixture before adding the rest of the flour and folding it in – it’s important to use gentle movements to retain as much air as possible in the batter.
I poured the mixture slowly into the prepared tin and left it to bake for 10 to 12 minutes until the sponge was well-risen, pale golden brown and firm to the touch.
I then placed a damp tea towel on the work surface and covered it with a sheet of baking paper that had four tablespoons of sugar on it – this will help stop the outside of the sponge from sticking. Working quickly, I turned the cake out onto the sugared paper and carefully removed the lining paper.
Using a sharp knife, I cut off the crusty edges from the two long sides and rolled the Swiss roll from one of the short ends, starting with a tight turn to make a good round shape and keeping the sugared paper inside the roll. I then set it on a wire rack and left it to cool.
To make the icing, I used the Kenwood Go Stand Mixer to beat the sugar and butter until smooth and creamy before adding in the lemon juice and beating again.
Compared to the Kenwood Titanium Chef Baker XL stand mixer I previously tested, this stand mixer does a similar job but is nowhere near as powerful.
When the cake cooled, I gently unrolled the cake, making sure not to flatten it, before spreading the sponge with the lemon butter icing, leaving a 1cm border.
I spooned the lemon curd evenly over the icing and slowly rolled the cake up again, enclosing the filling, and placed it on a serving dish.
This recipe was made far easier with the two Kenwood appliances and how easy they are to use.
The biggest selling point of both of them is how lightweight and compact they are and of course, I have to mention their gorgeous aesthetic – they come in pastel shades of clay red and storm blue.
While the hand mixer is budget-friendly. Households may be looking for alternative stand mixers. If that’s so Express.co.uk tested out the Morphy Richards MixStar which retails for £119.99 down from £189.99 currently on Amazon.
