DB Challenge & Bday wishes: Swiss swirl ice cream cake

Today is my birthday. I’m getting older, I’m 29 today, but I’m not scared at all. I love birthdays, the 27th of July is one of my favourite days throughout the year, along with Christmas and the first Monday of holidays! I love those 5 minutes when you stretch yourself under the blankets, savouring each and every single moment, the upcoming hours filled with birthday wishes, smiles, fun notes and people giving you love and affection. It’s not a matter of birthday gifts, I swear, it’s a matter of possibilities. It’s your birthday, c’mon, you can do what you want, something beautiful will come your way (as Robbie Williams keeps singing, God bless him!).

So today it’s my personal glorious day: it’s a day to celebrate, 29 years of a beautiful and interesting life spent walking on a sunny country road together with a great family, loving friends and burning passions. Nobody will be able to spoil my day, my smile will be wider than ever today!

There couldn’t be a better recipe than this to celebrate my birthday with my foodie friends, this month’s Daring Bakers’ Challenge happens on the perfect day! 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 followed the recipe step by step as regards Swiss roll and hot fudge. When I came to ice cream, I decided to give a twist of colour and citrus feeling, using matcha and lime instead of vanilla and chocolate.

The Swiss rolls

Ingredients:

• 6 medium sized eggs
• 225 gr caster sugar + extra for rolling
• 45 gr of all purpose (plain) flour + 40 gr of natural unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted together
• 30 ml of boiling water
• a little oil for brushing the pans

For the filling:

• 500 ml of whipping cream
• 1 vanilla pod, cut into small pieces of about ½ cm (or 1 tsp vanilla extract) (I used scraped seeds of vanilla pod)
  
• 70gms of caster sugar

Method:

1. Pre heat the oven at 200 deg C approximately. Brush the baking pans (11 inches by 9 inches) with a little oil and line with greaseproof baking paper. If you have just one pan, bake one cake and then let the pan cool completely before using it for the next cake.
2. In a large mixing bowl, add the eggs and sugar and beat till very thick; when the beaters are lifted, it should leave a trail on the surface for at least 10 seconds.
3. Add the flour mixture, in three batches and fold in gently with a spatula. Fold in the water.
4. Divide the mixture among the two baking pans and spread it out evenly, into the corners of the pans.
5. Place a pan in the centre of the pre heated oven and bake for about 10-12 minutes or till the centre is springy to the touch.
6. Starting from one of the shorter sides, start to make a roll with the towel going inside. Cool the wrapped roll on a rack, seam side down.
7. Repeat the same for the next cake as well.
8. Grind together the vanilla pieces and sugar in a food processer till nicely mixed together. If you are using vanilla extract, just grind the sugar on its own and then add the sugar and extract to the cream.
9. In a large bowl, add the cream and vanilla-sugar mixture and beat till very thick.
10. Divide the cream mixture between the completely cooled cakes.
11. Open the rolls and spread the cream mixture, making sure it does not go right to the edges (a border of ½ an inch should be fine).
12. Roll the cakes up again, this time without the towel. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill in the fridge till needed, seam side down.

The matcha ice cream

Ingredients:

• 500 ml of whipping cream
• 100 gr of granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon of Matcha tea
  

Method

1. Grind together the sugar and matcha tea in a food processor.
2. In a saucepan, add all the ingredients and whisk lightly.
3. Place the pan over heat and keep stirring till it begins to bubble around the edges.
4. Remove from heat and cool completely before transferring to a freezer friendly container till firm around the edges. If you are using an ice cream maker, churn the ice cream according to the manufacturer’s instruction, after the mixture has cooled completely.
5. Remove from the freezer, beat till smooth and return to the freezer. Do this 3-4 times and then set completely.

The Hot fudge sauce

Ingredients:

• 230 gr of caster sugar
• 24 gr of natural unsweetened cocoa powder
• 15 gr of cornflour/cornstarch
• 355 ml of water
• 14 gr of butter
• 5 ml of vanilla extract

Method:

1. In a small saucepan, whisk together the sugar, cocoa powder, cornflour and water.
2. Place the pan over heat, and stir constantly, till it begins to thicken and is smooth (for about 2 minutes).
3. Remove from heat and mix in the butter and vanilla. Keep aside to cool.

The lime ice cream

Ingredients:

• 500 ml whipping cream
• 100 gr caster sugar
• juice of 1 lime
  

Method:

1. In a saucepan, add sugar and lime juice and let them melt completelty. Add cream.
2. Place the pan again over heat and keep stirring till it begins to bubble around the edges.
3. Remove from heat and cool completely before transferring to a freezer friendly container till firm around the edges. If you are using an ice cream maker, churn the ice cream according to the manufacturer’s instruction, after the mixture has cooled completely.
4. Remove from the freezer, beat till smooth and return to the freezer. Do this 3-4 times and then set completely.

Assembly

1. Cut the Swiss rolls into 20 equal slices ( approximately 2 cms each).
2. Cover the bottom and sides of the bowl in which you are going to set the dessert with cling film/plastic wrap.
3. Arrange two slices at the bottom of the pan, with their seam sides facing each other. Arrange the Swiss roll slices up the bowl, with the seam sides facing away from the bottom, to cover the sides of the bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and freeze till the slices are firm (at least 30 minutes).
4. Soften the lime ice cream. Take the bowl out of the freezer, remove the cling film cover and add the ice cream on top of the cake slices. Spread it out to cover the bottom and sides of the bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and freeze till firm (at least 1 hour).
5. Add the fudge sauce over the lime ice cream, cover and freeze till firm (at least an hour).
6. Soften the matcha ice cream and spread it over the fudge sauce. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze for at least 4-5 hours till completely set.
7. Remove the plastic cover, and place the serving plate on top of the bowl. Turn it upside down and remove the bowl and the plastic lining. If the bowl does not come away easily, wipe the outsides of the bowl with a kitchen towel dampened with hot water. The bowl will come away easily.
8. Keep the cake out of the freezer for at least 10 minutes before slicing, depending on how hot your region is. Slice with a sharp knife, dipped in hot water.

Verdict: lovely and scenographic composition, gorgeous and fresh dessert. If you use high quality ingredients, you won’t be disappointed. My family really loved the dessert, deciding to put it on the top of my 10 best desserts ever list along with chocolate and orange cupcakes and corn and limoncello cake. It’s a perfect dessert to finish a classy and posh dinner, a coup de théâtre which will contribute to define you as a super chef!

And now, since this post is not long enough, it’s time to dedicate a song to… ME! I love this one, I think it’s perfect for a birthday wish, so keep in mind that today I’ll be humming it in my mind all day long!

Well surprise, surprise, surprise
Yeah surprise, surprise, surprise
Well surprise, surprise, come on open your eyes
And let your love shine down

Well surprise, surprise, surprise
Yeah surprise, surprise, surprise
Well surprise, surprise, come on open your eyes
And let your love shine down

Well today is your birthday
We’ve traveled so far we two
So let’s blow out the candles on your cake
And we’ll raise a glass or two
And when the sun comes out tomorrow
It’ll be the start of a brand new day
And all that you have wished for I know will come your way

Well surprise, surprise, surprise
Yeah surprise, surprise, surprise
Well surprise, surprise, come on open your eyes
And let your love shine down

In the hollow of the evening, as you lay your head to rest
May the evening stars scatter a shining crown upon your breast
In the darkness of the morning, as the sky struggles to light
May the rising sun caress and bless your soul throughout your life

Well surprise, surprise, surprise
Yeah surprise, surprise, surprise
Well surprise, surprise, come on open your eyes
And let your love shine down

Well surprise, surprise, surprise
Yeah surprise, surprise, surprise
Well surprise, surprise, come on open your eyes
And let your love shine down (let your love shine down)
Let your love shine down (let your love shine down)
Let your love shine down

Surprise, surprise, come on open your eyes
And let your love shine down