Here’s a recipe that’s both elegant and simple to make: the vanilla and strawberry rolled cake. This particularly indulgent version of the roulade is made up of a soft Viennese sponge, a strawberry compote, a fresh strawberry insert and a vanilla chantilly cream.
The Viennese sponge, light and airy, serves as the perfect base to hold a strawberry compote made slightly tangy thanks to lime. At the heart of the roulade, an insert of fresh strawberries brings a touch of freshness and texture (but also a nice little look), making every bite even more enjoyable. To top it all off, a generous layer of vanilla chantilly cream adds a smooth, fragrant note.
To make this recipe, I was inspired by the roulade of Christelle (aka Chouquette2904 on Instagram).
Génoise or Viennese sponge for the roulade?
The génoise sponge, like the Viennese sponge, is a fairly simple sponge to make that requires only 3 ingredients: eggs, sugar and flour.
- To make a génoise sponge, you start by whisking the eggs and sugar over a bain-marie for several minutes so that the mixture doubles in volume. Once the temperature of 50°C is reached (approximately), you continue whisking, but off the bain-marie, until cooled. You then add the sifted flour. After baking, you get a soft and extremely light sponge, but with a rather dry mouthfeel (I advise you to soak it with a sugar syrup). When you want to roll a génoise sponge, it’s often said that you should turn the sponge out onto a slightly damp tea towel and then roll it up to prevent it from breaking later. Personally, I don’t like the bain-marie and the rolling in a tea towel… now I use the Viennese sponge, which I find much easier to make.
- The Viennese sponge is an ultra-soft sponge that’s very easy to roll, even after cooling. No risk of breaking it. What’s more, it’s not as “dry” as the génoise sponge. I’ve got into the habit of soaking it lightly, but it’s not essential at all; the sponge will stay soft even without being soaked. The difference also lies in the preparation. You need to whisk the eggs and yolks with the sugar (no need for a bain-marie) and, at the same time, whisk egg whites to stiff peaks with a little sugar. Then you need to fold the two mixtures together and add the sifted flour.
As you’ll have gathered, I swear by the Viennese sponge when it comes to making a rolled sponge (but it can just as well be used in an entremets). In this recipe, you then spread the strawberry compote and the vanilla chantilly cream, and then comes the moment to roll the sponge, but you’ll see, you’ll manage it without any trouble!
Ingredients & method
4 components · Full recipe
Strawberry compote (can be made the day before)
Ingredients
- 200 g (7.1 oz) strawberry purée
- 100 g (3.5 oz) fresh strawberries
- 16 g (0.6 oz) lemon juice
- 30 g (1.1 oz) sugar
- 6 g (0.2 oz) NH pectin
Method
1
Wash the strawberries. Cut 100 g (3.5 oz) of strawberries into small dice.
2
Heat the strawberry purée, lemon juice and diced strawberries in a saucepan. Cook for a few minutes over low heat.
3
Remove from the heat, add the pre-mixed sugar and pectin, then bring everything to the boil for one minute, whisking continuously.
4
Pour into a wide dish, cover with cling film pressed against the surface, and place in the freezer for 30 minutes (or in the fridge for several hours). The compote must be set by the action of the pectin. Once set, place it in a tall jug and blend with a hand blender.
5
Transfer to a piping bag without a nozzle and keep refrigerated until assembly.
Viennese sponge
Ingredients
- 45 g (1.6 oz) egg yolks (2 to 3 yolks)
- 75 g (2.6 oz) whole eggs
- 50 g (1.8 oz) sugar (1)
- 90 g (3.2 oz) egg whites
- 25 g (0.9 oz) sugar (2)
- 50 g (1.8 oz) T55 flour
Method
1
Preheat the oven to 170°C / 340°F.
2
In the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk the whole eggs, yolks and 50 g (1.8 oz) of sugar together. The mixture will gain volume and become slightly foamy.
3
At the same time, whip the egg whites, adding the 25 g (0.9 oz) of sugar in 3 additions.
4
Pour half the whipped whites into the egg-based mixture. Fold in gently with a spatula.
5
Add the remaining whites and the sifted flour, then fold in gently once more.
6
Spread the batter onto a baking-paper-lined tray to form a 30 x 40 cm (15.7 in) rectangle.
7
Bake for approximately 12 minutes until a light golden colour appears on the top of the sponge.
8
Leave the sponge to cool, then peel it off the paper and trim the dry edges.
9
Flip the sponge onto a large sheet of baking paper and leave to cool.
Whipped cream
Ingredients
- 300 g (10.6 oz) full-fat whipping cream
- 100 g (3.5 oz) mascarpone
- 3 to 4 tablespoons icing sugar (to taste)
- 1 vanilla pod (1/2 may suffice if good quality)
Method
1
Place the mixing bowl and the beaters of the electric mixer in the freezer for at least 15 minutes.
2
Pour the cream, mascarpone and vanilla seeds into the bowl and start whisking at low speed, then as the cream begins to thicken slightly, increase the speed.
3
Add the icing sugar and tighten a little more. The whipped cream should still remain soft.
Assembly
Ingredients
- a few strawberries
- small basil leaves
Method
1
Smooth the compote with a whisk or a hand blender, then spread it in a thin layer over the sponge.
2
Spread the strawberry compote over the entire sponge, making sure to spread it evenly.
3
Pipe 3/4 of the whipped cream over the compote, then smooth everything with an offset spatula. Make sure to leave 2 cm (0.8 in) without cream on one of the two sides.
4
Place the remaining 1/4 of whipped cream in a piping bag fitted with a Saint-Honoré nozzle. Keep the bag at room temperature.
5
Cut the strawberries into thick slices (about 1 cm (0.4 in)) then arrange them along one of the short sides, one after another, to form a fruit insert.
6
Roll the cake gently, starting from the short side of the sponge. Do not hesitate to use the baking paper to help you roll. Once the cake is fully rolled, tighten it firmly using the sheet of baking paper and a baking tray. I recommend watching this video which clearly shows the technique. Refrigerate for 15 minutes so the whipped cream firms up, then trim both ends (cut a small slice to get a clean cross-section).
7
Pipe the remaining whipped cream over the cake, then decorate with a few fresh strawberries and small basil leaves.
8
Keep refrigerated until ready to serve.
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