Sunday Spoil: Rose and raspberry gateau

You’ll need: For the almond roll cake: 160ml castor sugar; 4 large eggs, separated; 30ml hot water; a few drops almond essence; 140ml self-rising flour; 70g ground almonds or pistachios; 30ml icing sugar; 60 – 80 ml raspberry jam.

For the rose cream cheese mousse: 25ml gelatine powder; 80ml cold water; 125ml milk; 125ml sugar; 1 x 80 g white chocolate slab, broken into pieces; 1 x 250g Lancewood Full Fat Plain Cream Cheese, room temperature; 500ml fresh cream; 45ml rose water; a few drops red food colouring.

To finish: 1 x 80g white chocolate slab, melted; 45ml fresh cream; a few drops red food colouring; fresh raspberries; chopped almonds or pistachios.

How to:

Preheat the oven to 180°C. Grease and line a rectangular baking tray of 29.5 cm (L) x 20 cm (W) x 1.5 cm (D).

Beat the castor sugar and egg yolks together until thick, pale and creamy. Add the hot water and almond essence and beat for another minute.

Sift the flour and gently fold it into the mixture along with the ground almonds or pistachios. Whisk the egg whites until soft peaks form and gently fold into the mixture.

Spread into the prepared pan and bake for 10 – 15 minutes or until the cake springs back when lightly touched. Remove from the oven and leave to stand for 5 minutes. Cover with a clean tea towel.

Do not remove the tea towel and gently flip it over onto a wire rack. The wire rack will now be at the bottom, then the tea towel and then the cake. Peel the baking paper away and dust lightly with icing sugar.

Gently roll the cake (with the tea towel) from the short edge and allow it to cool.

Unroll and spread with raspberry jam. Trim the edges and cut into 3 long strips, each about 6.5 cm wide. Take one strip at the short edge and roll up tightly. Once completed, join with the next strip and continue rolling. Repeat these steps for the remaining strips. You should now have a large, coiled roll. Set aside.

Rose cream cheese mousse:

Use a springform pan without the base. Clamp to close. Cover the top with plastic wrap and secure with an elastic band. The band should slip into the lip of the pan. Pull plastic wrap to increase tension.

Turn over so that the plastic wrap is at the bottom. Spray pan with non-stick spray and place on a baking sheet.

Pour the water into a bowl, sprinkle the gelatine over the water and leave to stand until spongy.

Heat the milk, sugar and chocolate together. Stir until the chocolate is melted. Leave to cool slightly.

Microwave the gelatine for 10 seconds. Remove and stir. Repeat. Do not allow the gelatine to boil. Cool slightly.

While beating the chocolate and milk mixture, add gelatine slowly in a thin stream. Leave to cool.

Beat the cream cheese, 125ml of the fresh cream and rose water together until smooth. Add a few drops of food colouring.

Add the chocolate and milk mixture in a thin stream to the cream cheese mixture and beat for 3 minutes. Whip the remaining fresh cream until soft peaks form and fold it into the cream cheese mixture.

Spoon half into the prepared pan. Place the rolled cake inside and pour the remaining cream cheese mixture over. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 4 hours.

Remove the plastic wrap from the top and bottom and place it on a serving plate. Run a knife carefully along the edges of the pan to loosen. Unclamp and carefully remove the ring.

To finish:

Mix the melted chocolate with the fresh cream until smooth. Add a drop of food colouring and mix in. Spoon on top of the cake and spread out evenly. Top with fresh raspberries and almonds.

Hints & tips: Use a toothpick dipped in red food colouring and add little by little until you get the shade of pink you prefer.

Recipe inspired and adapted from Faaiza Omar, 2018 Lancewood Cake-Off winner.

* Recipe & image by Lancewood.