Strawberry and Champagne Roll

Name: Strawberry and Champagne Roll
Yield: 10
Cuisine: American

Photo: Kimberly Espinel

June 07, 2024

A sweet treat for summer.

George Hepher, founder of popular British bakery George’s Bakery, has amassed a huge following on social media by sharing unique and fun-to-follow recipes, such as a triple chocolate brownie roll and a chocolate orange loaf cake. Now all his recipes are easy to find in his new book, Rebel Bakes: 80+ Deliciously Creative Cakes, Bakes + Treats For Every Occasion. For the perfect dog-day afternoon treat, Hepher recommends his strawberry and Champagne roll made with strawberry and Champagne jelly, Champagne buttercream, and white chocolate ganache. “You don’t have to stick with Champagne in this recipe if you’re not a wannabe upper-middle classhole like me,” he writes. “Sub your champers for rosé, prosecco or, hell, even a Lambrini [a British cider] to make this special, sweet swirl I most associate with a sybaritic summer.”

Ingredients

Yield:8

Jelly
50g (2 oz.) granulated sugar
100ml (3 1⁄2 fl oz.) water
6 gelatine leaves
400ml (13 1⁄2 fl oz.) Champagne
200g (7 oz.) strawberries
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Cake
6 eggs, separated
125g (4 1⁄2 oz.) granulated sugar, (25g/1 oz. extra, set aside)
50g (2 oz.) all-purpose flour
1 tsp. powdered sugar
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Buttercream
150g (5 1⁄4 oz.) butter
300g (10 1⁄2 oz.) powdered sugar
2 Tbsp. Champagne
Red oil-based food coloring, as desired
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White Chocolate Ganache
200g (7 oz.) white chocolate
100ml (3 1⁄2 fl oz.) heavy cream
Red oil-based food coloring, as desired

Preparation

JellyTo make the jelly, start by placing the sugar and water in a saucepan on a medium heat until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture is steaming. Meanwhile, soak the gelatine leaves in cold water. Pour the Champagne into a measuring jug. When the sugar syrup is steaming, remove the gelatine leaves from the cold water and squeeze out any excess liquid, then place in the syrup and stir to dissolve. Pour this mixture into the Champagne and set aside.

Line a 30 x 40cm (12 x 16 in) grill pan (you’ll also use this for the sponge, to ensure that your jelly and cake are the same size) with several layers of cling film to stop any jelly leakage. For the last cling-film layer, try to use one large piece that’s smooth and covers the sides of the pan to stop jelly solution pouring out. To make it easier to roll the dessert later on, slice the strawberries very thinly (2mm/1⁄8 in), then cover the surface of the cling-filmed grill pan with them (I tesselate them as best I can). Place on a shelf in the fridge and very gently pour in the Champagne jelly solution. Leave to set for 4 hours or, preferably, overnight.

When the jelly has set, use the cling film to carefully lift it out of the grill pan and on to a chopping board large enough to facilitate it, and place back in the fridge. Clean the grill pan and line it with parchment paper. Preheat your oven to 180°C/160°C fan/350°F/Gas 4.

CakeTo make the cake, place the egg whites into one mixing bowl, then egg yolks and 125g (4 1⁄2 oz.) of granulated sugar in another. Whisk the yolks and sugar until thick and pale. Whisk the egg whites, and once at the foaming stage sprinkle in the remaining 25g (1 oz.) of granulated sugar and continue to whisk until soft peaks are formed.

Fold one-third of the egg-white mixture into the yolk mixture to loosen it, before gently pouring in the rest. Next, sieve the flour into your mixture and fold everything together very gently, so as not to lose any air. Pour your mixture on to your lined grill pan, spread evenly and bake for 10–12 minutes until lightly golden on top.

As soon as the cake leaves the oven, cut a sheet of parchment paper slightly larger than the size of your tin and sieve a teaspoon of icing sugar on top of the paper to stop the cake from sticking.

When you’re able to touch the hot cake tin (after about 1–2 minutes), flip the cake out on to the icing-sugar coated parchment paper and carefully peel off the parchment paper it was cooked in. Use the parchment paper on which the cake is now sitting to roll it up into the familiar spiral pattern (the parchment paper can stay in between the cake layers for now). Leave to cool. It only takes 20 minutes.

ButtercreamBeat the butter until softened and add in the powdered sugar. Beat until pale and soft. Next, set the mixer to low and slowly drizzle in the Champagne. Then add your red food coloring, incorporating it into the buttercream until it is your desired shade.

Assemble the CakeUnroll your sponge and spread over the buttercream. Lift the jelly out of the fridge and flip it on to the buttercream before peeling off the cling film. To roll up the cake, use the parchment paper to help the cake roll into itself, making sure you’re now peeling the paper away from the cake as you roll it up. Once rolled, discard the paper and place the cake on a tray in the fridge to solidify.

GanacheIf starting with a bar of chocolate, break it up into equal-sized chunks and pop into a mixing bowl. Melt the chocolate in a microwave on a medium setting in 30-second intervals—stirring between each—until completely melted. White chocolate has a much higher percentage of cocoa butter than milk or dark chocolate, so will result in a runnier ganache. To reduce the risk of the ganache splitting, allow the white chocolate to cool for a lot longer before adding cream that’s just above fridge temperature. Place the bowl on a tea towel and use a spatula to slowly beat the mixture as you gradually pour in the cream to form a ganache. You’re basically whipping it (without a whisk!) to form part way between a whipped texture and a flowing, silky texture.

Next, color your ganache to your likening by adding a few drops of red food coloring. Coat the roll in the ganache and chill for 10 minutes before serving.