The Spanish Rolled Sponge Cake Recipe In this sophisticated Spanish take on Swiss roll, a tangy lemon sponge is rolled around a smooth filling of chocolate-rum ganache, forming a pretty spiral for slicing. Impressive as a dinner party dessert.

Ingredients

butter, for greasing

2.3 cup sugar

5 eggs, separated

finely grated zest of 2 lemons

1.3 cup all-purpose flour, sifted

pinch of salt

1.2 cup confectionerfs sugar

1 tsp ground cinnamon

candied lemon zest, to serve (optional)

For the ganache:

41.2oz (125g) dark chocolate, coarsely chopped

2.3 cup heavy cream

1.2 tsp ground cinnamon

11.2 tbsp dark rum

Method

1 Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C). Grease and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Mix 1⁄2 cup sugar with the egg yolks and zest. With an electric mixer, beat for 3–5 minutes until thick. In a metal bowl, whisk the egg whites until stiff. Sprinkle in the remaining sugar and whisk until glossy. Add the salt to the yolk mix, then sift and fold in the flour and the egg whites.

2 Pour the mixture on to the prepared baking sheet and spread it almost to the edges. Bake near the bottom of the oven for 7–9 minutes, until firm and golden brown. Remove the cake from the oven, remove the parchment, and roll up. Let cool.

3 For the ganache, put the chocolate in a large bowl. Heat the cream with the cinnamon in a small saucepan until almost boiling. Add to the chocolate and stir until melted. Let cool and add the rum. Beat the ganache with an electric whisk for 5–10 minutes, until thick and fluffy.

4 Mix half the confectioner’s sugar with cinnamon in a small sieve. Sprinkle the mixture evenly over a large sheet of parchment paper. Place the cake on the sugared paper and gently unroll it.

5 Spread the ganache evenly over the cake. Carefully roll up the filled cake as before and chill for about 6 hours, or until the filling is firm. Unwrap the cake, trim each end, sift over the remaining confectioner’s sugar, and scatter with candied lemon zest (if using).

Spanish Rolled Sponge Cake