'Swiss roll' is a type of
sponge cake baked in a very shallow rectangular baking tray, and then filled, rolled up, and served in circular slices. The origins of the term ''"swiss"'' roll are unclear.
Preparation
For preparation, in most cases, it is rolled up in a clean tea towel as soon as it comes out of the oven, while it is still flexible enough to roll without cracking. It is left to cool in this shape, then unrolled, filled with
jam,
jelly,
lemon curd, or other filling, and then rolled up again. The preliminary rolling is important if a
cream or
buttercream filling is used, as such fillings would melt if spread directly onto a hot cake. It can be spread quickly onto the cake, which is then rolled immediately after, before it has cooled down and become less flexible.
Regional
United States
The most common method of making a swiss roll is to use a basic sponge cake recipe. A jam swiss roll is sometimes known as a '''jam roll''', or, in the
United States, a '''jelly roll'''. A chocolate swiss roll is made in the same way, but
cocoa powder is substituted for some of the flour, and the cake is filled either with
whipped cream or with buttercream, sometimes flavoured with
vanilla,
chocolate, or a chocolate-flavoured
liqueur. A chocolate swiss roll is sometimes called a '''chocolate log'''.
United Kingdom
In the
U.K the "collapsed swiss roll" is a popular variety of the sponge dessert. Cream and jam will often be used to fill the roll, with berries often embedded into the sponge to add weight to the sponge layers, and hence collapse the roll shape.
The Chinese swiss roll looks identical to its Western counterpart, except that it is much lighter in taste.
Hong Kong
The origin of this pastry is likely from the U.K., since Hong Kong was a
British colony in the
19th century. The cake is never packaged as it is sold fresh daily in
Chinese bakeries. Overall, this cake has been sold next to other Chinese pastries well before the popularizing of western-style bakeries such as
Maxim. There are a couple of popular variations.
★ The first is the '''Egg Roll''' version (Chinese: 卷蛋糕 or 蛋卷). The roll is made of an egg recipe, and a light whip cream filling is standard.
★ The second is the '''Chocolate Egg Roll''' version (Chinese: 朱古力蛋卷). The roll is made of egg in combination with chocolate flavoring. It also has a whip cream filling.
★ Some bakeries offer their own variations, such as combo layer made of egg and chocolate swirl. Other variations include
strawberry,
coffee, and
orange.
Overseas Chinatowns
Most U.S
Chinatown bakeries sell the basic Hong Kong '''Egg Roll''' version. It essentially looks and taste identical to the one sold in Hong Kong.
Japan
Japan have green tea powder versions, such as
matcha.
Philippines
Philippines uses
purple yam and
mango.
Switzerland
The swiss roll is not widely eaten in
Switzerland.
Other
★ The shape of the swiss roll has inspired usage of the term in other fields, such as
optics.
See also
★
HoHos
External links
★
A Traditional Swiss Roll Recipe from 1970
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