Blueberry Swiss Roll
You can use fresh or frozen berries for this one!
I’m sharing a blueberry recipe today! This blueberry Swiss roll cake makes a stunning dessert. It has an airy sponge roll filled with cooked blueberry filling and whipped mascarpone cream.
The sponge is airy, light, pliable, and perfect for rolling. It’s a bit plain by itself but pairs wonderfully with the fruity blueberry filling. If blueberries aren’t your thing, you could use other berries and fillings too. Lucas, my youngest loves this cake with fresh strawberries instead of a cooked blueberry filling - I macerate strawberries in a bit of sugar first to get them all juicy and extra delicious. Or, lemon curd is perfect as a filling alongside the mascarpone cream too!
Equipment
Ideally, you’ll have a stand mixer with a whisk attachment for the sponge. You could use a handheld electric mixer too, but be prepared to whisk for a long time. This recipe is not suitable to make by hand.
You’ll also need a clean kitchen towel to roll the sponge in and a 15x10x1 inch Swiss roll tin/jelly roll pan.
Blueberry Swiss Roll
Ingredients
Find the printable recipe here
SPONGE
4 large eggs
100g (½ cup) granulated sugar
28g (2 tablespoons) neutral vegetable oil
½ teaspoon vanilla paste or extract
⅛ teaspoon salt
90g (¾ cup) cake flour* (If you don't have cake flour, you can make your own by combining 80g of all-purpose flour with 10g of cornstarch.)
BLUEBERRY FILLING
1/2 Tablespoon cornstarch
1/2 Tablespoon water
1/2 Tablespoon lemon juice
125g (1 cup) fresh or frozen blueberries
25g (2 Tablespoons) granulated sugar
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Pinch of salt
MASCARPONE CREAM
140g (5oz) mascarpone cheese
3 tablespoons powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
300g (1 1/4 cup) heavy cream
TOPPING
More blueberries
Powdered sugar
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C with a rack in the center. Grease a jelly roll cake pan with oil or non-stick cooking spray and line the bottom of the pan with a sheet of parchment paper.
Separate the eggs. Place the egg yolks in a small bowl and set them aside. Add the egg whites to the large stand mixer bowl.
Whisk the egg whites at high speed until they become foamy. Add half the sugar while whisking until the egg whites form medium-stiff peaks. Transfer the whipped egg whites to a clean mixing bowl and set them aside.
Using the same stand mixer bowl, add the egg yolks, remaining sugar, vanilla, oil, and salt. Whisk the egg yolks on high speed for approximately 4 minutes until they triple in volume and become thick and pale. When the beater is lifted out of the light yellow egg mixture, it should drop thick, flowing ribbons back into the bowl.
Using a rubber spatula, fold a third of the egg whites into the beaten yolk mixture, careful not to deflate the air bubbles in the egg whites. Repeat this process two more times with the remaining egg whites.
Balance a sieve over the bowl of eggs and sieve in roughly half of the flour mixture. Using a gentle folding motion, carefully incorporate the flour mixture into the egg mixture, being cautious not to deflate it too much. Repeat this process once more with the remaining flour.
Pour the thick batter into a prepared pan and use an offset spatula or dough scraper to carefully spread the batter out into an even layer on the tray.
Bake the sponge for around 10-12 minutes until lightly golden brown on the top and the tip of the cake springs back when gently pressed.
While baking the cake, lay a clean kitchen towel horizontally on a work surface so the long edge is closest to you. Generously dust it with powdered sugar. Once the sponge has finished baking, carefully tip it upside down onto the towel with the long edge closest to you. Carefully peel off the parchment paper.
Dust the cake with more powdered sugar, then starting from the short side, roll the cake and the towel up together into a spiral. Leave it to cool on a rack until it's at room temperature.
THE BLUEBERRY FILLING
Combine cold water, lemon juice, and cornstarch in a small saucepan. Mix it into a slurry. Add the blueberries, sugar, lemon zest vanilla, and salt.
Place the saucepan over medium heat and stir regularly as the mixture begins to warm up. As the mixture boils, it will thicken, become jelly-like, and lose its cloudy appearance. Let it boil for around 2 minutes, stirring continuously before removing the heat.
Tip it into a bowl and let it cool to room temperature, then store it in the refrigerator until needed.
MASCARPONE CREAM
Combine the mascarpone, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract in a medium bowl. Use a hand or stand mixer with a paddle attachment, starting on low speed, to mix until everything is combined.
Slowly increase the speed to medium and gradually pour in the heavy cream while continuing to whisk until the mixture becomes thick and holds stiff peaks, but don't overbeat it.
ASSEMBLING
On a clean work surface, carefully unroll the cooled cake. Spread over 3/4 of the mascarpone cream mixture and use an offset spatula to spread it out, leaving a ½ inch border on all sides. Keep the remaining mascarpone cream for the topping.
Dollop over the cooled blueberry filling, then spread it over the cream with an offset spatula.
Carefully re-roll the blueberry cake roll, without the tea towel, back into a spiral.
Now gently wrap the towel around the rolled cake and let it chill in the refrigerator for 30-60 minutes.
SERVING
Remove the cake from the refrigerator and cut off the ends of the roll with a serrated knife (about ¼ inch of each end) to neaten them up. Scoop the remaining mascarpone cream into a piping bag and pipe dollops on top of the cake.
Add on some extra berries, and dust with powdered sugar.
Happy baking!