Candy Cane Roll Cake

Christmas holiday is not too far away now. The shops are well stocked with Christmas related things since August. And am I hearing Christmas carols playing ever so subtly in the background the other day?

According to an online survey, most of us start planning for (or at least think about) our Christmas baking/cooking in November. I know I certainly start collecting ideas around this time of the year.

So here's one for Christmas; a delicious candy cane roll cake. It is more interesting than a Christmas log, just as festive, and will make you look like a baking genius. There is nothing too tricky about making this beautiful roll cake except having steady hands to pipe very straight lines.





Candy Cane Roll Cake
(Adapted from Roll Cake by Junko)

Serves 4

For the roll sponge

Part A- egg yolk mixture:
3 egg yolks
30 grams caster sugar
60ml milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
40ml vegetable oil
80 grams cake flour
1 teaspoon red food colouring

Part B- meringue:
3 egg whites
30 grams caster sugar
1 teaspoon cornstarch

Sugar syrup
50 grams caster sugar
50 grams water
1 tablespoon cherry liqueur (or kirsch)- Optional

Filling
200ml thickened cream, chilled (Note: do not use low fat cream.)
25 grams caster sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
4-5 small strawberries

To make Part A- egg yolk mixture:
Preheat the oven to 170 degrees celsius (or 150 degrees celsius fan-forced). Grease and line a 28cm x 28cm flat square cake pan with baking paper.

Using an electric mixer, beat egg yolks and sugar on medium-high speed until pale and creamy.

Combine milk, vanilla extract and oil in a small bowl. Add to beaten egg yolk mixture and whisk at low speed until just combined. Sift flour over egg mixture, and whisk at low speed until smooth and well-combined.

Divide egg yolk mixture equally into two seperate bowls. Add red food colouring into one portion of the egg yolk mixture, and stir until colour is uniform. Set aside.

To make Part B- meringue:
Combine sugar and cornstarch.

Clean and dry the whisk thoroughly, and in a clean bowl, whisk the egg whites until foamy. Add half the sugar-cornstarch mixture and continue beating for a few minutes, then add remaining sugar-cornstarch mixture and beat until egg whites are glossy and stiff peak form.

Divide meringue equally between the coloured and non-coloured egg yolk mixture prepared earlier. Fold in lightly with a spatula to incorporate completely.

Fill two piping bags fitted with 1cm plain round tips; one with the coloured cake batter, and the other with the non-coloured cake batter. Pipe with the red cake batter first, diagonally on prepared pan, about 3cm-4cm apart. Then fill in-between the piped red cake batter and any gaps with the non-coloured cake batter. Tip: If you are not too confident about getting even spacing, draw lines on the baking paper first, flip baking paper over before you pipe (so that the ink does not touch the batter), then pipe batter along the lines.

Bake for 14 minutes until the cake has risen and feels springy to the touch. Remove from oven. Turn sponge straight from oven onto a sheet of baking paper. Peel off baking paper from the bottom of the sponge. Cover with baking paper, then a tea towel. Set aside to cool completely.

To make sugar syrup:
Combine the sugar and water in a small saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring, until the sugar dissolves. Allow to boil for 5 seconds. Remove from the heat, let cool, and stir in kirsch.

To make filling:
Combine cream, sugar and vanilla extract in a clean bowl. Using an electric mixer, whip cream at medium speed until stiff peaks form but cream is still smooth.

To assemble:
When the cake is completely cool, make very shallow cuts along the cake, 2 cm apart, in the crust on top of the cake with a small sharp knife. Brush sugar syrup over the cake, followed by the whipped cream and strawberries. Roll up the cake around the filling. Wrap the cake, first in baking paper, then with cling film, refrigerate for at least 1 hour.