Cooking my way through the Great British Baking Show Masterclass: Swiss Roll

I wish I had pictures of myself watching this show for the first time! I was so into the recipes, the fun-hearted competition, and drama; I was instantly hooked. I've watched all seasons, even all the masterclasses. After I was done and there were no more episodes left, I was missing the drama and competition in the white tent.

I decided I was going to "give it a go," and try cooking my way through the Masterclass recipes. I sat there longingly thinking, "I can do this! I can get a handshake (or a DOUBLE handshake!) from Paul. I can hear Mary Berry's voice saying, 'that's a nice bake.'" That's it, I've decided I am going to start practicing for their American tour! (I'm still in my daydream here ...)

Initially I noticed several problems: the recipes are not in US measurements, I do not have advanced baking supplies and tools, and I'm lacking expert baking skills. I was still convinced and started converting the recipes, and made minor changes to make up for the lack of tools (and skills)! So with the measurements ready, and a good amount of over-confidence, I dove in head first to make my first Swiss Roll.

Oh. my. gawd. My very first attempt is a finicky roll that requires a gentle touch to avoid cracking?! Well, this is the first one they do on the show, so I better get cracking (oh... not the word I should have used).

Why I like this recipe:

• Doing the coloring stripes allows for a beautiful decoration without much decorating skills. 
• A piping bag is not necessary, as a large ziplock with the corner trimmed will do. I had no piping experience and was able to pull off the stripes. 
• I use water in the icing if I do not have milk as the main purpose is for the sugar not to get everywhere.

Ingredients (for Paul's original recipe):

Stripe Sponge

• 5 Tbsp unsalted butter (softened) 
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar 
• 2 egg whites
• 2/3 cup flour, sifted 
• 1 tsp licorice essence - I used orange blossom water, but do not suggest it
• 1 tsp black food color - I used orange, but do not suggest it

Sponge

• 3 eggs, room temperature
• 1/3 cup sugar 
• 1/2 cup flour 
• 1 tsp baking powder

Icing

• 6 Tbsp unsalted butter (softened) 
• 1 1/2 cup powdered sugar 
• 1 Tbsp water or milk
• 1/2 tsp licorice essence - I used orange blossom water, but do not suggest it
• 7 oz of black currant jam

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees, and line a Swiss Roll pan (9in x 13in) with parchment paper. I took a piece of parchment and cut diagonal slits in all four corners. Then lightly greased the pan to get the paper to lay flat and smooth.

Next whisk the striped sponge by creaming together the butter and sugar. Once it is light and fluffy, slowly add the beaten egg whites to the mixture. Then thoroughly mix the flour, essence, and coloring until there are no longer any pockets or lumps.  Spoon the mixture into a ziplock and trim the corner to be a half inch. Pipe six diagonal lines going up and over the opposite edges of the lined tin. Refrigerate while preparing the next step.

Whisk together the eggs and sugar until frothy, and it leaves a ribbon trial when the whisk is removed, about 5 minutes. Mix the flour and baking powder together, then sift over the mixture. Gently fold by hand until the flour is completely mixed together. 

Pour the sponge into the lined tin over your stripe design, tipping the tin side to side so the mixture is evenly coated throughout. Bake for 10 -12 minutes, until the sponge is lightly golden brown and pulling away from the edges of the pan. I suggest putting a larger pan under the sponge tin, in case any of the excess stripe drips off the side.

While the sponge is cooling, mix together all the ingredients for the icing until it has reached a buttercream icing consistency, about 5 minutes.

Once cool, flip the sponge out on a smooth surface or parchment paper, then reflip it onto a parchment paper sprinkled with sugar. This will insure the sugar is on the top of the Swiss Roll. Trim the sponge edges so they are perfectly straight, and about an inch in from the shorter edge, score a line across the cake, about half way deep. Spread a thin layer buttercream on the bottom side of the cake, and then spread another very thin layer of jam on top of the icing. 

Starting at the short end with a score, begin tightly rolling the sponge, using the parchment paper to guide you. It is important to try to get the very first roll as tight and close together as possible without cracking as it will give you the customary swirl.

Recap:

• I forgot my cardinal rule of you can add more in, but you can't take it out. I added too much food coloring and was worried that it would look strange once cooked (it indeed does). Add the dye slowly when mixing and gauge the color. It shouldn't be as bright as mine. 
• Everything was going well (even with the food coloring issue) until I started to roll. I didn't use the parchment paper on the bottom to help guide the roll. Instead I man-handled it and tried rolling with my hands, consequently cracking the cake. As I continued to roll, it was apparent I added way too much filling, and it turned into a huge "mess."
• All the cracking happened on the striped part of my cake. Makes me think that the striped batter can be a bit temperamental and the food coloring could have an adverse effect on it. Next Swiss Roll, I might skip using two different batters to reduce the risk of them cooking at different speeds. 
• The Swiss Roll wins this one. It probably wasn't the best one to start off with, since I had never made one. I will be practicing my rolling skills and will be revisiting this one again. Stay tuned for an update! 

Here is a side by side of Paul's bake and mine. It is "a bit of a mess!" I enjoyed stretching myself slightly in my baking abilities and learned a ton from this bake. I am telling myself I got to the next round by the skin of my teeth and will be looking to improve!