Heart cake roll
The heart-shaped cake roll gained massive popularity during Valentine's season, amassing over 20 million views. It's amazing to see how widely acclaimed this design has become, and now you too can recreate it.
Ingredients:
Pattern batter - hearts
7g egg whites
7g cake flour
7g icing sugar
7g butter
1-2 drops of red gel
Main batter - part 1
2 large egg yolks
25g caster sugar
50ml water
30ml vegetable oil
1.5 teaspoon vanilla paste
60g cake flour
Main batter - part 2
3 large egg whites
25g caster sugar
Filling
160ml whipping cream
1 teaspoon vanilla paste
15g icing sugar
10 strawberries approximately
Decoration
Frosting of your choice for the top of the roll - I use Swiss meringue frosting as its the most stable to add other elements onto the piping.
Extra strawberries
Sprinkles of your choice
Instructions:
Prepare the 10x10 inch baking pan and heart pattern template. Cut parchment paper larger than the 10-inch baking pan. Make sure the sides are at least 1.5 inches high to prevent the paper from collapsing into the batter. Crease the edges and fold corners together to line the tin. Place the template under the parchment paper.
Prepare the pattern batter. Measure the pattern ingredients and mix well together in a small bowl with a rubber spatula. Add 1-2 drops of gel colours to your desired depth of colour. Mix well to create a paste for piping. This design requires 1 colours. Fill into piping bag.
Trace the pattern. Once the pattern is complete, rest and chill in the fridge whilst you make the main batter.
Make the main batter - part 1 Whisk the egg yolks and caster sugar until mixture is lighter in colour. Add the water, oil, and vanilla paste, and mix well together. Then sieve in the cake flour and mix the batter really well so that it is thickened and ribbon-like.
Main batter - part 2 Whisk the 3 egg whites till foamy and gradually add the caster sugar and whip till stiff peaks. Add the egg whites in 3 parts and keep folding with the spatula until smooth and runny.
Pour the smooth cake batter onto the chilled patterned baking pan. Smooth out the batter to the edges with an offset spatula. Tap the pan on the worktop a few times to release air bubbles. Bake in the preheated 170°C oven for 12 minutes on the middle shelf.
Flip the cake out of the pan onto a clean sheet of parchment paper as soon as it comes out of the oven. Immediately peel the parchment paper off the cake roll to reveal the beautiful pattern. Cover the pattern side with a fresh parchment sheet of paper and a damp tea towel. Slide this onto a wire rack to cool.
Prepare the filling. Cut the strawberries into quarters and set aside.. Add the icing sugar and vanilla paste in a bowl with the whipping cream and start whipping til stiff peaks. Time for assembling!
Assembling:
Take off the tea towel and parchment paper and flip the patterned side of the cake roll onto a new sheet of parchment paper. Make sure the paper is large enough to twist the ends after rolling. Trim the top and bottom edges for a neat finish.
Make parallel cuts on the top of the cake. Not deep cuts, only the surface slightly scoring the cake top. This makes the cake easier to roll.
Spread the whipped cream over the roll, leaving a 1cm gap around the edges.
Lay 3 rows of strawberries.
Start rolling the cake from the end closest to you. Use the parchment paper to help lift and roll the cake firmly and tightly to the other end.
At both ends, twist tightly and place in the fridge for at least an hour to set.
Once set, remove from the fridge. The roll can be sliced and enjoyed chilled.
To make your creation extra special, consider adding a decorative rope border using a 1m star tip. Top with strawberries and sprinkles for a special finishing touch.