Lemon Berry Roulade

Summertime requires spongy cake and lemon and berries. So how about a Lemon Berry Roulade? The combination of light sponge cake, lemon cream and fresh berries seems perfect for the season.

A roulade is a great dessert when you’re looking for a celebratory cake that doesn’t require rich frosting or too much heavy filling. The thin sheet cake bakes very quickly and the plain simplicity of the cake means you can fill it with just about any flavored cream you desire. One of the best complementary flavors for tart berries is tart lemon and since berries are looking so good right now, I opted to go with some luscious raspberries and blackberries along with a layer of lemon curd and lemon cream. Presto, a simple and great no fuss gift for any summer table.


Bench notes:
- This sponge cake is very easy to roll. It doesn’t crack and doesn’t require pre-rolling in a towel when you take it out of the oven. The teaspoon of baking powder gives it a great flexibility.
- Lemon curd can be made ahead and stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container for a day or two.
- When spreading the cream filling on the cake, leave about an inch around the sides and the edge nearest you and about 2 inches at the edge furthest from you. This will prevent the filling from squishing out as you roll the cake.
- The fun of this is that you can fill the sponge cake with whatever filling you like. The possibilities and combinations are endless. It’s great simply unadorned or you can pour chocolate glaze over it.
- Be sure to chill the roulade thoroughly before slicing. If you’re worried about handling it, you can also freeze it for a few hours. When ready to serve, remove the plastic and parchment and trim the ends. Bring to room temperature.


Lemon Berry Roulade

Lemon Curd, recipe below
Hot Milk Sponge Cake, recipe below
3/4 C heavy cream, chilled
1/2 pint raspberries
1/2 pint blackberries
powdered sugar for dusting
parchment paper

Lemon Curd

1/2 C lemon juice
zest of 3 lemons
1/2 C sugar
2 egg yolks
1 egg
3 oz (6T) butter, cut into small pieces

Combine lemon juice, zest, sugar, and eggs in a heatproof bowl and place over a bain marie on a low simmer, making sure the bowl does not touch the water. Cook for 6 to 8 minutes until thickened, whisking to cook evenly. Take off the heat and add butter. Whisk until smooth. Pour through a strainer into a clean bowl. Cool. Place a piece of plastic wrap on the surface and chill thoroughly.

Hot Milk Sponge Cake
adapted from Cocolat by Alice Medrich

3/4 C cake flour
1 t baking powder
1/4 C milk
1 oz (2 T) butter, cut into small pieces
3/4 C sugar
3 eggs
3 egg yolks

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Prepare a half-sheet baking pan (roughly 17 3/4” x 12 3/4”) with a piece of parchment paper, butter and a dusting of flour.
Sift cake flour and baking powder together.
Warm milk and butter together until butter melts. Cover to keep warm.
Place eggs and sugar in mixer bowl and heat over simmering water until sugar dissolves and mixture is warm to the touch.
Beat until the mixture is thickened and tripled in volume. A ribbon should hold for at least a second.
Sift flour over batter in thirds, folding gently after each addition.
Add warm milk and fold gently.
Pour into prepared half-sheet pan, spreading evenly.
Bake @ 400 degrees for 10 minutes. The cake should spring to the touch.
Let the cake cool completely.

Sprinkle the top of the cake with a light dusting of powdered sugar to prevent sticking. Turn out the sponge cake onto a large piece of parchment paper. Carefully peel off the bottom parchment paper and place another clean piece of large parchment paper on top of the cake. Then, placing the baking pan on top of the parchment paper to help steady the cake, flip the cake back over so the top is facing up.

Assembly:

Divide the lemon curd into two equal parts. Whip the heavy cream to soft peaks. Fold gently into half of the lemon curd.

Place the cake before you so the long edges form the top and bottom.
Spread the lemon curd onto the sponge cake, stopping about 2” from the edge furthest from you.
Now top the lemon curd with the lemon cream, stopping about 1" to 2” from all the edges.
Sprinkle the lemon cream evenly with berries.

Using the parchment paper to help control the process, carefully roll up the sponge cake tightly, applying very light even pressure. Roll the cake up in the parchment and place the cake seam side down. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill thoroughly.

When ready to serve, carefully remove the plastic and parchment. Trim the ends and place on a serving platter. Dust lightly with powdered sugar.