This post was originally published at Novelicious.com and is now at WritingTipsOasis.com. WritingTipsOasis.com acquired Novelicious.com in June 2022.
There is a chocolate mini roll on Nicola's desk. She is staring at it longingly as she tucks into her no-dressing avocado and pine nut salad. It makes her mouth water just looking at it. She is fantasising about the 'smooth case of chocolate', the 'succulent sponge underneath' and 'the spiral of cream'.
She is going to eat it at 1.15pm precisely. Not a minute before and not a minute after. Her colleague, Caroline, likes to tease her. To dare her to eat it at 1:30pm. Just to leave it for fifteen more minutes. But Nicola won't. She can't. Nicola has her set routines you see as well as set meals, which are to be eaten just so.
This chocolate mini roll is the daily highlight of Nicola's meals. It is such a shame that she goes for a factory made one instead of homemade. So, especially for Nicola, I am giving her the recipe for a homemade mini roll. Yes, it is bigger than the one from a packet. No, it doesn't come wrapped. But by goodness it is tasty.
It's a shame Nicola probably won't eat it. It is such a change from her norm after all. Still, that leaves more for me, and more for the author Rosie Blake…
Recipe
Makes 4 mini swiss rolls (though when I say mini…)
Equipment
Electric whisk, sieve, swiss roll tray lined with baking parchment, plus extra baking parchment.
Ingredients
For the sponge
4 eggs
100g caster sugar
75g self-raising flour
25g cocoa powder
For the buttercream filling
100g softened butter
200g icing sugar
1 tsp vanilla powder, paste or seeds from pod
Splash milk
For the outer layer (optional)
Milk chocolate
Method
- Pre-heat the oven to 200 degrees or 180 fan.
- Crack the eggs into a mixing bowl and add the sugar.
- Whisk for a few minutes. The mixture will become lighter in colour, increase in volume and become thick.
- Using the sieve, sift in the flour and cocoa powder. Don't whisk this in, but use a spatula or spoon to fold it into the mixture until well mixed (always check the bottom, there is always some unmixed mixture at the bottom).
- Pour out into your lined tin making sure it goes all the way to the edges and into the corners.
- Place in the oven for 10 minutes.
- Whilst the sponge is baking, take another piece of baking parchment – slightly bigger than the baking tray – and sprinkle with caster sugar.
- When the sponge is done, it'll come away from the sides.
- Take it out the oven and flip onto the baking parchment.
- Take a sharp knife and cut into four equal pieces.
- Then, leaving the sponge on the paper, cut the paper underneath too, so each quarter is on a piece of baking parchment.
- Whilst warm, roll up with the baking parchment and allow to cool in that shape.
- Whilst it is cooling, mix the butter, icing sugar and splash of milk. Add the vanilla.
- Take each cooled quarter, unwrap and spread all over with buttercream. Re-roll but remove the paper.
- Melt some chocolate and paint a little over the top with a pastry brush.
And there you go. Mini rolls. I bet you cannot make them without licking your fingers.