Berry, Coconut and Lemon Roulade with Rosewater Cream

. October, 2015
Photography by Claire Aldous.
Berry, Coconut and Lemon Roulade with Rosewater Cream

This roulade combines a moist coconut sponge with luscious berries and the jewel-like seeds of the pomegranate. Don’t worry if the sponge splits when rolling, it will still be delicious and you can disguise it with berries – it’s not a competition!

Serves: 8–10

INGREDIENTS

6 x #7 eggs at room temperature, separated
⅔ cup caster sugar
1½ cups desiccated coconut
½ teaspoon baking powder
pinch of salt
finely grated zest and juice 1 lemon
Filling
200 ml cream
200 ml mascarpone
2 tablespoons icing sugar
1-2 teaspoons rose water, optional
1 punnet raspberries
Topping
2 tablespoons lemon curd or warm apricot jam
combination of strawberries, raspberries and blueberries
¼ cup seeds from a fresh pomegranate
edible flowers

METHOD

Grease a swiss roll tin (approx 38cm x 26cm) and line fully with baking paper. Preheat the oven to 170˚C fan bake.

Whisk the egg yolks and ⅓ cup of the sugar until thick and pale.

Combine the coconut, baking powder, salt and lemon zest. Add to the yolks along with the lemon juice and gently combine.

Whisk the egg whites to soft peaks then gradually whisk in the remaining sugar until stiff peaks.

Using a large metal spoon, gently but thoroughly fold the egg whites into the yolk mixture then pour the mixture into the tin and spread evenly.

Bake for 15–20 minutes until the sponge springs back when pressed with a finger and is a good golden colour.

Leave in the tin to cool and immediately cover the top with a clean, damp tea towel. (This helps prevent the sponge from forming a crust, making it easier to roll.)

When the sponge is cold, replace the tea towel with a piece of baking paper.

Filling: Whip the cream to soft peaks. Whisk the mascarpone, icing sugar and rosewater together then whisk into the cream. Fold in the raspberries.

To assemble: Invert the roulade onto a fresh sheet of baking paper and carefully lift off the tin and peel off the paper in which the roulade was baked. Spread the cream evenly over the whole roulade. With the longest side towards you and using the baking paper as a guide, carefully begin to lift and roll the sponge. As you finish rolling, lift up the roulade on the paper and tip gently onto your serving platter so the seam of the roulade ends up underneath.

Brush the top with curd or jam (this helps the berries to stay on). Arrange the fruit and flowers on top and if you want the berries to have a shine, carefully brush with warm apricot jam or honey.