It barely ever happens, but this does coincide. This recipe is the same in Germany as well as Colombia. Today I am presenting a strawberry sponge roll from Germany or brazo de reina from Colombia. This sponge roll is super easy to make and is filled with heavy cream and cubed strawberries. If you are expecting guests, I highly recommend this roll as it is easy to prepare and fast to make. So far every single person has loved this recipe, Colombians and Germans alike.
My husband asked for a raspberry sponge roll for his birthday. Since I love sponge rolls, his wish was my command. Simple as that. I honestly have no idea why sponge rolls seem to be very much out of fashion. They are super quick to make and usually are gone with in seconds. Everybody seems to enjoy them. However, for some reason nobody makes them. Go figure. If you look for sponge rolls on my blog, you will find plenty.
This is a fairy dream come true. I made this fruity raspberry sponge roll the first time for our ten-year anniversary. Sooo good. This is a light and fluffy sponge base, filled with lots of raspberries and whipping cream infused with raspberry jam. This recipe is so delicious, I felt like filming it. So far there is only one more recipe video on my blog, if you would like to check out my brownie cookies, it has been the most popular recipe for a long time now. But let’s get back to this fruity raspberry sponge roll. I love sponge rolls because they only need between 8-9 minutes to bake. I find them perfect if you have company coming over. If you are a seasoned baker, you will be able to present a super delicious sponge roll in no time.
Guys, I don’t know if I will ever be able to eat regular tiramisu, seriously tiramisu sponge roll is the best! I have to admit, I have not been a big fan of ladyfingers. At least the store-bought ones. They are so dry! For tiramisu to taste great, you have to wait for the ladyfingers to moisten properly. And I am too lazy to actually make the ladyfingers myself.
But then I finally knew it. You need to know that I am a big fan of sponge rolls. For that reason you will find a share of sponge rolls on my blog. Try this pumpkin roll with apple cream, this roll with blueberries or this strawberry roll. Sponge cake is so light and fluffy, I really love its texture. And one day while I was checking out Pinterest, it suddenly hit me. Of course this is the solution! Why not make tiramisu in a roll instead? Why not omit the dry ladyfingers and instead replace them with my favorite sponge cake? Yes, I had to try this out immediately.
Guys, this blueberry sponge roll is my new summer favorite. Really. Hamburg has decided to participate in summer this year. Whereas last year summer was on a Tuesday, we have had very nice and sunny weather since May, that’s already three months and it doesn’t look like it is going to change soon. So finally I also got into the “It’s too hot, I don’t want to turn on the oven” mode. I decided I needed something light and fluffy. With fruits preferably. Simple, yet elegant.
And decided to stick to something I love and which has served me well in the past: sponge roll. Sponge roll with an ultra creamy, yet refreshing filling. So I decided blueberries would serve me well. Yes, you have to turn on the oven, but it is for a mere ten minutes and this cake really doesn’t take that much time to prepare anyway. Trust me. Continue Reading…
It’s about high time for another sponge roll. This time I am offering a refreshing lemon sponge roll, which is perfect for winter days. The vanilla sponge contains lemon zest as well as lemon juice and obiously the same holds true to the filling as well. For the extra kick, we will brush the roll with some lemon syrup.
It has been a while since I last did a how to post. Shame on me. For that reason I wanted to give you twelve tips today to produce the fluffiest, lightest and best sponge batter. I love cakes with sponge batter, I especially love sponge rolls. If you would like to check out my recipes, please scroll down. I love sponge rolls, because they are fast to prepare, look all fancy and are perfect if you have company coming over. Sponge is also a nice and unassuming companion for any layer cake you want to create. It does not take over flavorwise, it holds back and nicely complements whichever buttercream or frosting you have in mind to fill it with. But sponge batter can be a bit hard to prepare. If you are not careful, it can get dry and it may not rise as much as you had hoped while baking. For that reason I have twelve helpful tips for you how your sponge batter is going to turn out perfect.
Eggs are what makes a sponge cake fluffy and light, so be sure to use the best eggs you can find and have them at room temperature. Why? Because they will be much easier to beat and will take less time. So be sure to use them at room temperature. If you are anything like me, you will most likely forget to take them out on time. So here is a little trick, put them in a mug with warm water while you take care of step two and you will be good to go.
#2 Measure all ingredients BEFORE you start beating the eggsBeating the eggs is one of the most important steps for fluffy sponge batter. This is because you are beating in air into the eggs so that they can lift the batter while it is baking. So if you don’t want your beaten eggs to deflate while you are rushing around finding utensils and measuring all remaining ingredients, prepare and measure out everything beforehand. Believe me, your batter will come together much better and you will be less stressed out when you start beating the eggs.
There are different ways of creating fluffy sponge batter. You can either beat the eggs as a whole or you can do it separately. I seem to always get better results beating the egg parts separately, so this is why I recommend you doing it, too. I didn’t own a KitchenAid for many years, so I had to use a handheld mixer and believe me, if you want to beat the whole eggs, you will need to beat them for at least ten minutes or longer. Not so much fun with a handheld mixer, is it? Also, if you beat your egg yolks and egg whites separately, the total amount you need to beat is still much lower, so I still do it that why. And here is another tip, if you use a handheld mixer, start with the egg whites, you can then just continue beating the egg yolks without washing anything.
You need to be absolutely sure that your bowl and mixer are completely fatfree before you start beating the egg whites. If there is a little bit of egg white in your egg yolk, that’s no problem, but if you have egg yolk in your egg white, it may not get stiff. To help stabilize your egg white, I always recommend a pinch of salt or a teaspoon of vinegar or lemon juice. Here in Germany we don’t have cream of tartar, so this is our way to stabilize it. I usually add the salt when the egg white is foaming and changes color, becomin white, which usually happens after a minute or so. Originally I thought I had to beat the egg white until stiff peaks form, but I learned recently that that was a little over the top, you only need to beat it until soft peaks form (see picture below). This is another reason for me why I prefer beating egg whites and egg yolks seperately, it doesn’t take that long.
Pumpkin roll with apple buttercream? Pumpkin doesn’t play a very important role in baking here in Germany. At least until recently. No, we have not yet discovered its use for cheesecake and the like.
Can I confess something? I have never been a big fan of pumpkin pie. I know, kill me know. But I just don’t like the flavor that much. I have tried my share of pumpkin pies, but still. That’s why I have ignored pumpkin mainly in baking.
But then I met my hubby and hubby is a big fan of pumpkin pie. So I started looking for good recipes. This recipe is currently his favorite. If you like pumpkin pie, try it, it is great. But as stated, I didn’t get excited. Because I don’t like such a dominant pumpkin flavor.
I love to bake with others. Just knowing that somebody else is doing the same thing as me in their kitchen, I don’t know, it gets me excited. For that reason I am part of many baking groups. If you know anyone in Hamburg, Germany who loves to bake, please contact me and let me know.
Needless to say that when Sally, a famous food blogger from the U.S. started her monthly baking challenge, I was very happy to join. I was especially happy when she decided that the May challenge was to include strawberries (any fruit makes me happy, but berries are the best) and a sponge roll. If you would like to learn more about her baking challenge, check it out here. Continue Reading…
This blog post contains advertisement for Braeburn apples, Südtiroler Apfel g.g.A.
Yay, today I am present a recipe from Argentina, an apple cake slash bread pudding, which is prepared similarly to “flan“. I was fortunate enough to make this cake named “tarantella de manzana” with tart apples, the variety Südtiroler Apfel g.g.A. When the package arrived with Braeburn apples, I knew exactly what I wanted to make. But let’s get back to this dessert from Argentina. Legend has it that this cake is named after an Italian dance (tarantella) as a) Italian immigrants supposedly invented this cake in Buenos Aires and b) this cake is a bit wiggly when you take it out of the oven. You either need to dance as you are so excited for being able to eat this delicious cake, or the wiggly movement actually is similar to the movement of the dance. If you are interested in further theories, check out this article in Spanish. Regardless of its origin, this cake is so popular, you will find it basically on every menue of any restaurant in Buenos Aires.
