The July 2010 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Sunita of Sunita’s world – life and food. Sunita challenged everyone to make an ice-cream filled Swiss roll that’s then used to make a bombe with hot fudge. Her recipe is based on an ice cream cake recipe from Taste of Home.
I was, once again, not looking forward to the month's challenge. What can I say? Ice cream cake is not my favorite, and the prospect of swiss rolls on ice cream cake did not improve things. But that's what's great about the Daring Bakers--it gets me to try things I would never do on my own. For this challenge, Sunita allowed us to choose our own flavors and our own recipes for the components, so long as we made them all from scratch. I asked B what flavors he'd like in the cake and he requested blackberry and stracciatella. Again, I wasn't feeling inspired. I have never cared for blackberries (inferior raspberries, imo) and stracciatella is just gross. Little chocolate bits in ice cream are always waxy and disappointing.
I'm happy to report that all my preconceptions about this challenge were wrong. Wrong, wrong, wrong. First I made the blackberry ice cream, using David Lebovitz's raspberry ice cream recipe. It was fantastic. So, so good. The blackberries give the ice cream this wonderful tang. Then I made the stracciatella, again using David's recipe. The vanilla base was out of this world and when I added the chocolate, it only got better. (These ice creams were so good they deserve their own posts, so I'm going to wait to give them the attention their merit.)
For the swiss rolls, I used Martha Stewart's mocha roulade and filled it with a blackberry cream. While both are good on their own, they weren't the most inspired combination--the roulade had a much stronger coffee flavor than I had expected and the blackberries didn't complement it. I was in a hurry to get it put together, so I didn't let the roulade chill and it got a little smudgy when I lined the bowl with it. I kind of liked the effect, though.
Despite the initial roulade/cream mismatch, when the cake was put together, all the flavors blended nicely. A little extra hot fudge on top, and it was a dessert that I can't get enough of. Kudos to Sunita on her choice and to B on his inspired choice of flavors.
blackberry cream
1 C heavy whipping cream
3 TB strained blackberry puree
.75-1 C sugar
Whip cream to soft peaks. Mix in sugar and puree and whip to firm peaks.
mocha roulade (Martha Stewart's Baking Handbook)
1/4 cup Dutch-process cocoa powder, sifted, plus more for dusting
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon instant espresso powder
1 tablespoon hot water
6 large eggs, separated, room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
1. Preheat oven to 325 F. Line a 17 x 12" rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside.
2. Dust a large kitchen towel with cocoa; set aside.
3. Sift together cocoa and flour. In another bowl, stir together the espresso powder and hot water until dissolved; set aside.
4. Beat the egg yolks on high speed until thick and pale (using a mixer); it should hold a ribbon-like trail on the surface when the whisk is raised, about 5 min. Set aside.
5. On another bowl, whip the egg hites on low speed until foamy. Raise speed to medium-high, and add the sugar in a slow, steady stream, beating until stiff peaks form.
6. Fold a third of the egg-white mixture into the egg-yolk mixture to lighten. Gently fold in the remaining egg whites until just combined. Fold in the espresso mixture, then gradually fold in the cocoa mixture until just combined. Do not overmix.
7. Pour the batter onto prepared sheet; using an offset spatula, spread evenly and smooth the top. Bake rotating pan halfway through, until the cake springs back when lightly touched, 10-12 min.
8. Immediately invert the cake onto prepared towel; carefully lift off pan and peel off parchment paper. Starting on the long side, roll towel and cake into a log, incorporating towel as you go. Transfer the cake, seam side don to a wire rack to cool completely.
9. Unroll the cake, leaving it on the kitchen towel. Using an offset spatula, spread mocha mousse evenly over the cake. Gently roll the cake again into a log (do not incorporate the towel).
10. Wrap with the towel; refrigerate on a baking sheet until filling is well chilled; for at least 2 hours.
hot fudge sauce (Cook's Illustrated's New Best Recipe)
10 oz bittersweet chocolate
1/3 cocoa
1/3 sugar
1/3 cream
1/3 corn syrup
1/3 water
pinch salt
1 tsp vanilla
3 TB unsalted butter
1. Melt the chocolate. Mix in the cocoa and set aside.
2. Place the sugar, cream, corn syrup, water, and salt in a nonreactive pan. Heat on low without stirring until the sugar has dissolved. Turn the heat up to medium high. Simmer for four minutes.
3. Remove from heat. Add vanilla and butter.
4. Cool to minutes. Whisk in chocolate mixture.
assembly:
Slice the roulade into swiss rolls and line a bowl with the rolls. Soften the first flavor of ice cream and place in the bowl. Freeze. Pour 1 C of the fudge onto the ice cream and freeze. Soften the second flavor of ice cream, place in the bowl and refreeze.
I was, once again, not looking forward to the month's challenge. What can I say? Ice cream cake is not my favorite, and the prospect of swiss rolls on ice cream cake did not improve things. But that's what's great about the Daring Bakers--it gets me to try things I would never do on my own. For this challenge, Sunita allowed us to choose our own flavors and our own recipes for the components, so long as we made them all from scratch. I asked B what flavors he'd like in the cake and he requested blackberry and stracciatella. Again, I wasn't feeling inspired. I have never cared for blackberries (inferior raspberries, imo) and stracciatella is just gross. Little chocolate bits in ice cream are always waxy and disappointing.
I'm happy to report that all my preconceptions about this challenge were wrong. Wrong, wrong, wrong. First I made the blackberry ice cream, using David Lebovitz's raspberry ice cream recipe. It was fantastic. So, so good. The blackberries give the ice cream this wonderful tang. Then I made the stracciatella, again using David's recipe. The vanilla base was out of this world and when I added the chocolate, it only got better. (These ice creams were so good they deserve their own posts, so I'm going to wait to give them the attention their merit.)
For the swiss rolls, I used Martha Stewart's mocha roulade and filled it with a blackberry cream. While both are good on their own, they weren't the most inspired combination--the roulade had a much stronger coffee flavor than I had expected and the blackberries didn't complement it. I was in a hurry to get it put together, so I didn't let the roulade chill and it got a little smudgy when I lined the bowl with it. I kind of liked the effect, though.
Despite the initial roulade/cream mismatch, when the cake was put together, all the flavors blended nicely. A little extra hot fudge on top, and it was a dessert that I can't get enough of. Kudos to Sunita on her choice and to B on his inspired choice of flavors.
blackberry cream
1 C heavy whipping cream
3 TB strained blackberry puree
.75-1 C sugar
Whip cream to soft peaks. Mix in sugar and puree and whip to firm peaks.
mocha roulade (Martha Stewart's Baking Handbook)
1/4 cup Dutch-process cocoa powder, sifted, plus more for dusting
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon instant espresso powder
1 tablespoon hot water
6 large eggs, separated, room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
1. Preheat oven to 325 F. Line a 17 x 12" rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside.
2. Dust a large kitchen towel with cocoa; set aside.
3. Sift together cocoa and flour. In another bowl, stir together the espresso powder and hot water until dissolved; set aside.
4. Beat the egg yolks on high speed until thick and pale (using a mixer); it should hold a ribbon-like trail on the surface when the whisk is raised, about 5 min. Set aside.
5. On another bowl, whip the egg hites on low speed until foamy. Raise speed to medium-high, and add the sugar in a slow, steady stream, beating until stiff peaks form.
6. Fold a third of the egg-white mixture into the egg-yolk mixture to lighten. Gently fold in the remaining egg whites until just combined. Fold in the espresso mixture, then gradually fold in the cocoa mixture until just combined. Do not overmix.
7. Pour the batter onto prepared sheet; using an offset spatula, spread evenly and smooth the top. Bake rotating pan halfway through, until the cake springs back when lightly touched, 10-12 min.
8. Immediately invert the cake onto prepared towel; carefully lift off pan and peel off parchment paper. Starting on the long side, roll towel and cake into a log, incorporating towel as you go. Transfer the cake, seam side don to a wire rack to cool completely.
9. Unroll the cake, leaving it on the kitchen towel. Using an offset spatula, spread mocha mousse evenly over the cake. Gently roll the cake again into a log (do not incorporate the towel).
10. Wrap with the towel; refrigerate on a baking sheet until filling is well chilled; for at least 2 hours.
hot fudge sauce (Cook's Illustrated's New Best Recipe)
10 oz bittersweet chocolate
1/3 cocoa
1/3 sugar
1/3 cream
1/3 corn syrup
1/3 water
pinch salt
1 tsp vanilla
3 TB unsalted butter
1. Melt the chocolate. Mix in the cocoa and set aside.
2. Place the sugar, cream, corn syrup, water, and salt in a nonreactive pan. Heat on low without stirring until the sugar has dissolved. Turn the heat up to medium high. Simmer for four minutes.
3. Remove from heat. Add vanilla and butter.
4. Cool to minutes. Whisk in chocolate mixture.
assembly:
Slice the roulade into swiss rolls and line a bowl with the rolls. Soften the first flavor of ice cream and place in the bowl. Freeze. Pour 1 C of the fudge onto the ice cream and freeze. Soften the second flavor of ice cream, place in the bowl and refreeze.
