For Father's Day last weekend Dad requested something lemon-y. I sense people may groan at the amount of lemon bakes I produce on this blog, but hey, my family *loves* lemon. Rather than bake my fail safe lemon drizzle I thought I'd go for something slightly different, a swiss roll.
A swiss roll filled with homemade lemon curd. Mmmmmmm.
Every time I make a fruit curd I think "I should make curd more often!" It's so easy and tastes so much better than shop bought which for some reason I always seem to forget. It's just taking the time for that extra little step in baking. I'd like to try making pineapple curd next to fully embrace summer flavours.
I had forgotten how wonderfully airy fatless sponges were. This swiss roll was so light! I loved the contrast of the crunchy, sugary crust with the fluffy sponge and tangy, sweet curd filling.
Admittedly my swiss roll isn't the most technically proficient. I rolled mine a bit slack which caused a massive, unsightly crack. I sneakily hid this on the underside so all was ok. I also added so much curd that it squidged out everywhere, but then again I don't think that's a bad thing. Nobody likes a stingey filling.
I can happily report that Dad was delighted with his Father's Day swiss roll and we polished it off within two days. It's worth noting that swiss rolls are best eaten on the day of making as it did lose its freshness the following day (although still perfectly edible.) If there are a few of you eating I'm sure this won't be a problem!
Swiss roll with homemade lemon curd
Swiss roll recipe by Mary Berry. Lemon curd recipe by Delia Smith. Those ladies are the best.
For the lemon curd:
grated rind and juice of 1 large, juicy lemon
75g (3oz) caster sugar
2 large eggs
50g (2oz) butter (I used slightly salted)
Place the grated lemon rind and sugar in a heatproof bowl. In another bowl whisk together the lemon juice and eggs then pour this mixture over the sugar. Add the butter cut into small pieces and place the bowl over a pan of barely simmering water. Stir frequently until thickened (about 20 minutes) and leave to cool whilst making the swiss roll.
For the swiss roll:
3 large eggs
75g (3oz) caster sugar
75g (3oz) self-raising flour
grated rind of 1 small lemon
grated rind of 1 small lemon
Preheat the oven to 220C/Fan 200C/Gas 7 and line a 28 x 18cm (11 x 7 inch) tin with baking parchment. Whisk the lemon zest, eggs and sugar until the mixture increases in size and the whisk leaves a smooth trail when lifted. This takes a good 3-5 minutes and it's best to put your whisk at its highest/fastest setting as you want to add as much air into the mixture as possible. Sift in the flour and very carefully fold it into the mixture, taking great care not to knock out all the lovely air you just beat into it. Once incorporated, pour the mixture into the tray, tipping it gently from side to side to evenly spread the mixture into corners and level out. Don't be tempted to spread it with a knife!
Bake in the centre of the oven for 10 minutes or until the surface is golden and the sides come away from the edges of the tin. While the cake is in the oven, unroll a piece of baking parchment slightly larger than the tin onto a work surface and sprinkle liberally with caster sugar. Once the swiss roll is cooked, invert it straight onto the sugared surface and quickly loosen and remove the parchment from the bottom of the cake. Trim the edges of the sponge (if needed) and mark a score about an inch in from one of the shorter ends (but don't cut right through) as it will help to roll up the cake.
Leave to cool slightly before spreading with curd then roll up the cake firmly from the scored end. Don't try and answer the phone whilst doing this like I did. It wasn't a good idea, you need both hands! Eat whilst fresh and fluffy :)
Bake in the centre of the oven for 10 minutes or until the surface is golden and the sides come away from the edges of the tin. While the cake is in the oven, unroll a piece of baking parchment slightly larger than the tin onto a work surface and sprinkle liberally with caster sugar. Once the swiss roll is cooked, invert it straight onto the sugared surface and quickly loosen and remove the parchment from the bottom of the cake. Trim the edges of the sponge (if needed) and mark a score about an inch in from one of the shorter ends (but don't cut right through) as it will help to roll up the cake.
Leave to cool slightly before spreading with curd then roll up the cake firmly from the scored end. Don't try and answer the phone whilst doing this like I did. It wasn't a good idea, you need both hands! Eat whilst fresh and fluffy :)