Strawberry & Rhubarb Swiss Roll by Maria Jose Rojas

(This recipe appeared in the Spring 2022 issue of Pastry Arts Magazine)

This Swiss roll was inspired by the combination of local strawberries and rhubarb, which is very common here in Denmark. The sweet strawberries together with the tart flavor of rhubarb are an ideal match.

Yield: 12 servings

Strawberry Sponge Cake

• 60 g milk, room temperature (to yield 30 g infused milk)
• 2 g dehydrated strawberries
• 70 g egg yolks
• 70 g granulated sugar, divided
• 133 g egg whites, room temperature
• 57 g all-purpose flour, sifted
• 40 g vegetable oil, room temperature
• Red food coloring

1. Preheat the oven to 356˚F (180˚C).

2. Infuse the 60 g of milk with the dehydrated strawberries for 15 minutes. Pass it through a fine sieve and weigh out 30 g of the infused milk.

3. Whip the egg yolks with 20 g of the granulated sugar until pale.

4. Separately whip the egg whites, and gradually add the remaining 50 g granulated sugar, whipping until soft peaks form.

5. Carefully fold the meringue into the whipped egg yolks. Then sift the flour onto the batter and gently fold in. Add the infused milk and the oil to a small amount of the cake batter. Then transfer this mixture to the rest of the batter, add one drop of red food coloring and mix until combined.

6. Spread the batter evenly on a 12.8ʺ x 12.8ʺ (325 x 325 mm) tapis roulade silicone mat and bake for 10 minutes, or until golden brown.

7. Cool the sponge at room temperature for 30 minutes, and then put in the refrigerator for 12 hours.

Strawberry-Rhubarb Compote

• 50 g fresh strawberries
• 100 g strawberry purée
• 100 g rhubarb purée
• 5 g lemon juice
• 15 g glucose syrup
• 26 g granulated sugar
• 4 g pectin NH

1. Cut the fresh strawberries into small squares and set aside.

2. Heat the strawberry purée, rhubarb purée, lemon juice and glucose syrup to 104˚F (40°C).

3. Mix the granulated sugar with the pectin NH and add it to the fruit purée while stirring constantly. Bring to the boil and cook for 1 minute. Add the chopped fresh strawberries and boil again. Remove from the heat and pour it into a clean container. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to cool to 37˚F (3°C).

Whipped Strawberry Ganache

• 4.2 g gelatin sheets (240 bloom)
• 122 g Callebaut strawberry callets
• 100 g strawberry purée
• 354 g heavy whipping cream

1. Soak the gelatin sheets in cold water for 10 minutes.

2. Melt the chocolate to 104˚F (40°C).

3. Heat the strawberry purée to 176˚F (80°C), add the soften gelatin sheets and pour over the melted chocolate. Mix with a hand blender. When the ganache has cooled to 104˚F (40°C), add the cold cream and stir with a spatula.

4. Divide the ganache in two separate containers (350 g and 230 g). Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 12 hours.

Assembly

• Bordeaux metallic crunchy chocolate pearls

1. Take the sponge cake out of the mold and flip it onto a sheet of parchment paper so that the brown side is up. Stir the Strawberry-Rhubarb Compote with a spatula and spread it over the sponge in a thin layer.

2. Whip 350 g of the Whipped Strawberry Ganache to a firm but soft texture. Transfer the whipped ganache to a piping bag fitted with a 12-mm round nozzle and pipe the whipped ganache onto the compote layer. Spread it evenly and roll the sponge cake into a roll using the parchment paper and a ruler. Press the roll carefully after each roll. Wrap the roll tightly with parchment paper. Let the roll stabilize in the refrigerator for 2 hours.

3. Once the roll sets, take it out of the refrigerator and trim the edges. Then cut the roll in half, so that you have two rolls of about 6ʺ (15 cm) in length.

4. Whip the remaining 230 g of Whipped Strawberry Ganache to a firm but soft texture.

5. Transfer the whipped ganache to a piping bag fitted with an 18-mm St. Honoré nozzle.

6. Decorate each roll with whipped ganache and Bordeaux metallic crunchy chocolate pearls.

About Maria Jose Rojas

Maria Jose Jose is a pastry chef in Copenhagen, Denmark. She loves clean and simple desserts. Decorations must be 100 percent edible and match the dessert’s contents.