Summer is here, so it’s time for “lighter” cakes that show off summer fruits. In Germany, I’ve enjoyed the Erdbeer Biskuitrolle mostly with süße Sahne (sweetened whipped cream), some homemade Erdbeermarmelade (strawberry jam), and fresh berries rolled up inside. The vanilla cake gets its lift from eggs so that you can feel less guilty about all that cream! Fresh strawberries and strawberry jam add a fresh, summery flavor to the cake. Best of all, it bakes quickly!
This cake is pretty on a plate and “light” enough that you can enjoy a second piece without feeling too much guilt (as if any of us feel guilty about a second piece of cake.. hee hee). You can even use the basic recipe for making a Biskuitrolle and then experiment with other fillings.
The Biskuitrolle (Swiss Roll, Roulade Cake) may originate from Austria rather than Germany, but like Schnitzel and Kaiserschmorrn, you will find it in most German Recipe books. The recipe first appears in “Universallexikon der Kochkunst” von 1886 (Universal Encyclopedia of Cooking of 1886), so it’s not the oldest cake recipe, but it is certainly one of the most versatile cake recipes that any home baker could have in their back pocket. AND (thankfully) because we have electric mixers, bakers no longer have to “beat the eggs for 30 minutes in one direction” by hand.
How to make a Biskuitrolle
Rolle or Roulade means “rolled,” so essentially, this is a rolled cake. Biskuitrolle can be dressed up with a “frosting“, or served simply with a dusting of sugar. You can fill it with jam, fruit, or whipped cream. Fancy it up for company, or serve it simply to the kids for an afternoon treat.
You make the cake part of the Biskuitrolle without any leavening (so, no baking powder, baking soda, or yeast). Instead, the air and lightness come from beating air into the egg. Then, the batter is carefully spread onto a lined baking sheet. You don’t want to squish out the air you just added. Once it’s baked, you roll it up to cool. Unroll, fill, roll back up, and serve!
How to make a Swiss Roll with Strawberries- Erdbeer-Biskuitrolle
Equipment
- 1 11 x 17 inch baking pan Approx. 28 x 43m
- 1 sheet parchment paper to fit pan
- 1 clean dish towel
Ingredients
Cake Batter
- 6 Eggs 3 separated
- 1/8 tsp Cream of Tartar
- 4 tsp Granulated Sugar
- ¾ cup Granulated Sugar 180 gr
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 2/3 cup Sifted Flour 90 gr
- 2-3 tsp Sugar For Towel
Filling
- 3/4 cup Strawberry Jam approx. 250 gr
- 1 1/2 cup Heavy Cream approx. 350 gr.
- 2-3 tsp sugar
- 1 1/2 cup Strawberries- Sliced
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit
- Line a 11 x 17 inch baking pan with parchment paper- It's ok if it overhangs the sides
For the batter:
- Divide 3 of the 6 eggs... You will be whipping up 3 egg whites, set aside the yolks for a moment.
- In a very clean mixing bowl, whip up the 3 egg whites with the Cream of Tartar with an electric mixer until stiff. As they stiffen, slowly add 4 teaspoons of granulated sugar. The egg white will look a bit glossy. Remove the whipped egg white from the mixing bowl and set aside.I do the egg whites first so that I don't have to wash the bowl between whipping the egg whites and egg yolks. If you have a second mixing bowl, even better.
- In the mixing bowl, use the Whisk attachment of the stand mixer (or hand mixer) to beat the 3/4 cup sugar, Vanilla, 3 whole eggs and remaining 3 egg yolks for 4-5 minutes. You want it to look pale, and thicken up a bit.
- Remove the bowl from the mixer. Sprinkle the flour through a sieve into the egg yolk mixture, and then gently fold it in to the egg yolk mixture. (Fold is sort of scooping through the batter with a spatula and bringing the bottom up over the top. You don't want to MIX it, just sort of combine it.)
- Now, fold 1/3 of the egg whites into the egg yolk mixture, then fold in another 1/3, and then the last 1/3. Again, you don't want to mix it. You want to lightly fold it in to keep as much volume as possible in the batter.
- Spread the batter into the prepared pan. Edge to edge... spread it smooth.
- Put the pan into the oven for 12 - 13 minutes. It should start to lightly brown on top. Add another minute if needed.
- Let cool in the pan on a rack for 5 minutes.
- Prepare a cake landing place. Lay a clean dish towel on the counter, and sprinkle it with a few more teaspoons of sugar.
- After 5 minutes of cooling, cut along the edges of the pan to loosen the cake, and flip the cake out onto the prepared towel.
- Peel the baking paper off of the top (previously the bottom) of the cake. Then with the help of the towel, roll the cake up. You want to roll from the short end, not the long.Let the cake cool completely all rolled up in the towel.
Filling the Cake
- Warm the Strawberry Jam slightly to make it easier to spread (I put it in the microwave for 25 seconds)
- Whip the Cream with 2-3 teaspoons of sugar.
- Hull and slice the strawberries.
- Carefully unroll the cake.
- Spread the strawberry jam over the cake from edge to edge.
- Spread the whipped cream over the jam from edge to edge.
- Sprinkle the strawberry pieces evenly over the whipped cream.
- Roll the cake back up. You can use the towel to help you get started, just don't roll it into the cake.Don't squeeze! Some filling will leak out. This is ok.
- Before serving, trim the ends with a serrated so they are neat and tidy
- Transfer to a serving plate
- I prefer to leave the outside plain, with just the sugar from the towel. You can sprinkle the top of the cake with Powdered Sugar (shake it on through a sieve), or "frost" with whipped cream.
- Store in the refrigerator
Notes
-Blueberries, Raspberries, Boysenberries
-Lemon Curd
-Use chocolate sauce instead of Strawberry Jam
Filling Ideas for your Biskuitrolle
- Strawberries sliced, Raspberries, Mandarins, any fruit- use about a cup (maybe more). Best if you also add whipped cream or pudding
- Lemon Curd (This is so good)
- Pudding (chocolate, vanilla… any)
- ANY flavor of Jam, especially Strawberry. I love the combination of Strawberry Jam and whipped cream. NOTE- spread the jam on first. You can just use a thick layer of jam
Step by Step Images
After whipping up the egg whites, whisk the remaining eggs, egg yolks and sugar until pale.
See the air bubbles?
Let the flour go into the egg mixture through a sieve.
Spread the batter into a prepared pan
Roll up the baked cake in a sugared towel or parchment
(yes… I left it in the oven a minute too long!)
Unroll, and Spread on your filling
Add cream and fruit
Roll back up
You will need to trim up the edges to make them neat
(The chef eats that part)
Sprinkle with Powdered Sugar, Frost, or just leave it with the sugar from the towel…
