Poppy seed, rose, and raspberry berry roulade
Inspired by a photo I saw in Otto Lenghis's book, the never-ending jar of poppy seeds in the cupboard, and the abundance of raspberries in every market and shop throughout July, I woke up with the idea to make this simple yet truly light and beautiful roulette. The sponge is still the one I learned to make from my husband's grandmother; the rest is me. Plus, the season so generous, and people around me willing to eat. If you wish, you can make the cream more and decorate the top, yet I prefer to serve this roulette on plates, with cut side up, and no extra cream on top, as there is plenty inside.
9 medium eggs, room temperature
100 g golden caster sugar
rose water - quantity depends on the strength of the rose water
vanilla powder or seeds from 1/3 pod
90 g all-purpose wheat flour
pinch of sea salt
90 g poppy seeds
3 tbsp icing sugar
filling:
240 g mascarpone
zest of 1 organic lemon
vanilla seeds or powder
pinch of sea salt
240 ml sweet cream
filling:
raspberries
Heat the oven to 190°. Line a 30x40 cm pan with baking paper.
Beat the eggs with sugar, rose water, and vanilla until light in color and very light, almost our times bigger, about 10 minutes. Add flour, salt, and 70 g poppy seeds and fold in.
Pour into the pan and smooth. Sprinkle with the rest of the poppy seeds. Bake for about 13-15 mins, until lightly browned and a skewer inserted comes out clean.
While the sponge is baking, prepare a tea towel (the size of the cake) by sifting icing sugar on it. When the cake is ready, turn it upside down onto the prepared tea towel. Slowly peel off the baking paper, but leave it on top. Roll the cake tightly with the towel. Leave until cool.
While the roll is cooling, put the mascarpone in a bowl with zest, vanilla, and salt. Whisk gently for a few seconds so that the cream is spreadable. Pour in half of the cream and whisk, just until incorporated. Add the rest of the cream and whip for 2-3 minutes on medium-high speed until the cream is spreadable.
Unroll the cake, spread it with cream, and top with raspberries. Roll it up again. I like to put the cake in a sealed container in the fridge for a few hours or even 24 hours for the flavors to really soak in. Cut and put on plates before serving, decorating with more berries.
