A very light egg cake filled with the soft texture of cream cheese combined with whipped cream. The sweetness and honey-like taste of persimmon freshened up with the orange scent.
Persimmon - fruit of the winter season
Persimmons are high in important vitamins and minerals, including vitamins A, C and B (thiamine B1 and riboflavin B2), folate, magnesium, and potassium. Just one persimmon contains over half the recommended intake of vitamin A, critical for immune function and vision. They also contain beneficial plant compounds like tannins and flavonoids and carotenoids (source: healthline.com).
I started with the persimmon as an inspirational guideline that is seasonal and adds some colour to the winter season then I thought of a winter traditional cake that will contain the fruit and will be decorated with it. The persimmon colour inspired me to create a deep yellow glaze that will contain fresh orange juice to add flavour and freshness to the cake. Magical soft winter sunlight made its appearance for a few seconds to light up the day and warm up the scenery.
SWISS ROLL CHEESECAKE W/ PERSIMMONS + ORANGE
SWISS ROLL CAKE
75 g cake flour
80 g granulated sugar
4 (medium to large) eggs
40 g melted butter, cooled
vanilla essence
a pinch of salt
2 tablespoons confectioners sugar (to sprinkle on the kitchen towel you will use to fold in the cake until it cools)
WHIPPED CREAM CHEESE FILLING
55 g cream cheese
105 g heavy cream, cold
18 g confectioners sugar
1 persimmon, thinly sliced
ORANGE GLAZE
25 g granulated sugar
18 g heavy cream
2 g powder gelatin + 8 ml cold water to hydrate the gelatin
38 ml fresh orange juice, strained (approximately from 1/2 orange)
PREPARATION
ORANGE GLAZE
In a small bowl, mix the powdered gelatin with 18 ml water and let it hydrate for at least 30 minutes.
Juice the orange and strain the juice. Over medium fire, warm up the heavy cream and the orange juice slightly. Then remove from fire and add the gelatin. Mix well - using a whisk - and let it cool and set at room temperature.
SWISS ROLL
Preheat the oven at 170°C (fan function) or 190°C (conventional).
Separate the egg whites from the egg yolks. Whisk the egg whites - using a stand or hand mixer - for a few seconds until they turn foamy. Then start pouring slowly half of the total sugar portion (40g). Continue whisking for approximately 2 minutes at medium/high speed until stiff peaks are formed. Set aside until later.
In a different bowl, whisk the egg yolks with the rest of the sugar portion. Add the vanilla essence, cooled melted butter (if butter is warm it will cook your egg yolks and we don’t want that because the mix will lose its smooth texture), salt, and whisk until all ingredients emulsify.
Fold the beaten egg whites in the beaten egg yolks mix - using a spatula. Spread the batter evenly on a baking tray lined with a piece of a baking paper.
Bake the cake in a preheated oven for 10-15 min depending on the intensity of your oven. Don’t worry if some parts of the cake rise up due to the steam trapped between the cake and the baking tray. When you remove the cake from the oven it will flatten again. Don’t try to pinch it because the cake sheet has to stay whole. When ready, remove the cake from the oven and let the cake rest for a few seconds on a cooling rack. Flip it upside down with the help of a second tray by placing the second tray on top of the cake and by holding both top and bottom trays (cake in between) flip the cake so that the bottom part with the baking paper is now top side. Remove the baking parchment carefully. Lay the cake on a clean kitchen towel that you have previously sprinkled with confectioners sugar so that the cake doesn't stick on the towel. Roll the cake together with the kitchen towel to a cylinder form, starting from the shorter side, and allow it to cool completely at room temperature. This will help give the cake the final shape we want without running the risk of cracking it as we try to roll it when it is cool.
WHIPPED CREAM CHEESE
In a stand or hand mixer, beat the cream cheese - with the whisk attachment - until smooth. Slowly add the chilled heavy cream and whisk gently at low/medium speed until the ingredients are well combined. When the consistency of the mix is smooth, switch to high speed and beat until stiff peaks of whipped cream cheese are formed.
When the cake is completely cool, roll it out and spread a generous amount of the whipped cream cheese. Lay on top, thin slices of persimmon. Add some more cream and roll the cake starting from the short side of the cake sheet. Cover the cake with a piece of plastic foil and refrigerate it for at least 1 hour until the cream is set.
If the orange glaze is solid, warm it up slightly to become fluid again. It should have a fluid jelly-like consistency so that it holds well on the cake when glazing. The cake should also be chilled so when the glaze hits its surface will solidify quickly and won’t slide off immediately.
After you have glazed the cake, decorate it with some more whipped cream cheese and a few persimmon slices.
Serve + enjoy! Good luck guys!
X
Alexandra