(nutella!) swiss roll

I have a jar of expiring nutella – so be prepared for a deluge of yummy-chocolate-hazelnut-containing recipes! I’ve shared a swiss roll recipe with you guys before, and this one is a little better. less cracks, a finer-and-more-tightly-bound crumb – one step closer to the swiss roll recipe of my dreams.

and I promise, it’s not just better because it’s rolled up tightly with as much nutella as I could pack into it – I admit to a certain amount of sense-numbing induced by nutella consumption. everything else nievitably fades into the background.

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and though I can’t say it’s the perfect recipe as yet – I think it could be my fault. I didn’t know how much batter would fit into my pan, and decided to err on the side of more-than-less (and didn’t want to toss any of it away). I’ve given you my pan’s measurements in the recipe – so I suggest ratioing out the right amount for yours. or, if you’re more diligent than I am, you could dole out a suitable portion for your pan, and throw the remaining into a muffin tin for fairy cakes.

but what I did right was stuffing it with nutella. sticky and dense and chocolatey, it has a more satisfying quality than a whipped cream frosting, and a complex flavour that works with the egginess of this recipe (I like it this way – you could always throw in a little vanilla if you prefer the mild-egginess further masked).

and when this sits in the fridge until cold – it is infinitely more sliceable, and unjustifiably even more snackable than before. but it’s ok – cake is healthier than eating it out of a jar directly, no?

basic swiss roll

4 egg yolks
40g oil
40g milk
16g caster sugar
68g cake flour

4 egg whites
scant 0.25 tsp distilled white vinegar
45g castor sugar

your filling of choice – I used nutella

1. preheat your oven to 160C, and line a shallow pan (mine was 28×23.5cm).
2. combine the yolks, oil, milk and castor sugar until it is thick and blended. fold in the cake flour.
3. whisk the whites, vinegar and 45g of sugar until stiff peaks – if you can overturn the bowl without it moving or spiling out, it’s ready (try this over the sink, please).
4. pour into your prepared pan, smooth the top and bake until lightly golden and a cake tester comes out clean. it will take about 20 minutes – for my oven – try not to take it out too early or it will deflate. I tend to whack the side of my small oven slightly to check if the middle is still jiggly.
5. prepare a tea towel in the meantime – I prefer a muslin one to a terrycloth sort – and sprinkle a tablespoon of sugar over the top. when you remove your cake from the oven, immediately overturn it over the cloth and whip off the baking paper. spread your filling of choice and roll up quickly, using the towel for help. I roll it long-side-wise – before setting it (with the towel wrapped around it) on the wire rack to cool.

the very candid kay was so kind as to give me my third liebster award (thank you!) and here goes:

liebster award rules and requirements

post eleven facts about yourself.
answer the questions the tagger has set for you and create eleven questions for people you’ve nominated.
pass this on!

facts about myself

here, and also an addendum: I have mastered madeleines!

answers to eleven questions from candidkay

1. favorite journey?
   every single tedious plane ride to london – admittedly, it’s anticipation of the destination that so
2. which words or phrases do you most overuse?
   as in – gotta kick that!
3. your most treasured possession?
   a pair of earrings my dad bought me at a christmas market on our first trip to germany – a simple pair with green resin.
4. what do you regard as the lowest depth of misery?
   being hungry with no access to food. (which is why I try, as much as possible, to lose packets of candy and chcooalte in my bags for some future rifling)
5. if heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say as you arrive at the pearly gates?
   come on in – beakfast bar on the right, and the waffle iron’s preheating.
6. your favorite virtue?
   the ability to find humour in everything.
7. your pet peeve?
   people who try too hard.
8. your favorite motto or saying?
   eat and be happy.
9. your most irrational fear?
   sitting at home in bright daylight and attributing every sound to someone breaking in the house – it’s not irrational so much as it would be utterly terrible if it did happen, but it does point to an incredible timidity.
10. on a typical Friday evening, we’ll find you.. where and doing what?
    dinner with the family post-gym/squash.
11. who inspires you?
    incredibly passionate women (and men) who have pursued their passions and found both success and contentment.

eleven questions from myself

what food defines your life?
what do you hope your grandma/mum will teach/had taught you?
what’s one kitchen tool you can’t live without?
if you left only one thing for your children, what would it be?
what’s your pick-me-up? (or is that a pick-you-up)
what’s the last thing you made that made you think: I could sell this?
what would be your secret super power?
chocolate or fruit?
what’s the last book you’ve read?
what’s the last thing you learnt about food?
stay in, or stay out?

my nominations for the liebster award
(I’m not really sure if these are small blogs, but they are the ones I enjoy and so I hope they count!)

twentyfive-ish
itadakimasu
my goodmorning by chelsea