Cinnamon Swiss Roll Cake

Instructions for Cinnamon Roll Cake

1. Preheat an oven to 350°F (175C/155C Fan) and prepare your baking tin. Grease the base and sides and line with parchment paper. Set aside.
2. Place the egg whites in a large mixing bowl with the cream of tarter. Whisk this together using a handheld electric beater until you reach soft peaks.
3. Slowly add the caster sugar a tablespoon at a time, continuing to whisk on high until glossy stiff peaks form. Set aside while you make the cake batter base.
4. In a separate large mixing bowl, stir together the flour, corn starch, brown sugar, baking powder, cinnamon and nutmeg.
5. In a jug, whisk together the egg yolks, water and vanilla extract. Add this to the bowl of dry ingredients and whisk to combine.
6. Add a spoonful of the meringue to the cake batter base and stir to loosen the mixture. Then add the remaining meringue and fold through gently to combine.
7. Pour the mixture into the prepared baking pan and spread carefully into the corners, smoothing the top evenly.
8. Bake in the centre of the preheated oven for about 20 minutes, until well risen and beginning to lightly brown. The sponge should not be sticky and should spring back lightly to the touch.
9. Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the tin for five minutes.
10. Dust the top of the cake with powdered icing sugar and invert onto a piece of parchment paper on a wire cooling rack (see the blog post for step by step tips).
11. Peel the parchment paper lining carefully off of the cake and dust lightly with powdered sugar. This side will be the outside of your finished roll cake. Allow to cool for five minutes.
12. Flip the cake onto a clean sheet of parchment paper, adding another light dusting of powdered sugar if needed. Use the parchment paper to roll the cake from the short edge nearest you ensuring that parchment paper is between the cake in the rolling to avoid the cake sticking to itself. Set aside while you make your cream filling.

Instructions for Homemade Cool Whip Filling

1. Sprinkle the unflavoured gelatine over top the 1½ tablespoons of cool water in a small heatproof bowl and allow to soak for 10 minutes to soften.
2. Meanwhile, scrape the seeds from the vanilla pod and add these to a mixing bowl along with the cream. Place in the refrigerator to chill down while waiting on the gelatine.
3. Pour a little recently boiled water into a shallow saucepan. Once the 10 minute soaking time is done, place the small bowl in the centre of this hot water bath and place over a low heat. The softened gelatine should quickly liquify in a minute or two. When liquified, remove from the hot water bath and set aside.
4. Return your attention to the cream. Remove this from the refrigerator, add the powdered sugar and begin to whisk with either a stand mixer or a handheld electric beater.
5. When the beater begins to leave tracks through the cream (approaching soft peak stage), pause the mixer to take a spoonful of the cream. Add the spoonful to the liquid gelatine and stir. Then slowly pour the bowl of melted gelatine into the cream while continuing to beat. Beat until stiff peaks form, but avoid overmixing.
6. By the time the cream is ready, your cake will be cool enough to fill.

Instructions for Assembly

1. Carefully unroll your cake. The inside may crack a bit, but this will be coated in filling, so don't worry.
2. Spread a layer of the homemade cool whip mixture over the cake and top with a fruit sauce such as plum compote or spiced blackberry jam.
3. Carefully re-roll and wrap in plastic wrap. Place in the refrigerator to set up before slicing.