Blueberry Mascarpone Roulade – Guest Post from Joanne Eats Well With Others

I’m taking a much needed day off from blogging day, but lucky for you my friend Joanne from Eats Well With Others is taking over.  I don’t remember how I discovered Joanne’s blog, but I am so glad I did!  She makes some of the best looking food across the blogosphere, and her posts always make me smile with her story telling ability and great sense of humor.  Seriously, go take a look at her site.  Your stomach will be growling and your bookmarks full of recipes to try.  If you need some inspiration, check out this Apple Spice Layer Cake with Caramel Swirl Frosting, these Peanut Butter Sandwich Cookies, or this Zucchini Walnut Cake with Cinnamon Honey Buttercream – you’ll be seeing a version of it here on my blog soon! Also don’t forget to follow Joanne on Twitter and Pinterest!  Now I’ll let Joanne tell you about her amazing recipe!

Tis the season for fancy foods.

Or, you know. Foods that we can slap a French name onto to make them seem infinitely more fancy than they actually are.

(Which, to be honest, is my favorite kind of fancy.)

A roulade, for instance, is actually just a cake roll! The seemingly more exotic brethren of a Yodel, HoHo, or Swiss Roll (depending on whether you’re more of a Drake’s, Hostess, or Little Debbie kinda person). And how fancy schmany can something really be when it’s related to something you can buy in the “Buy One, Get Three Free” aisle?

This version earns its high class name with its filling, which is made up of juicy bursts of blueberry and creamy rich mascarpone whipped cream filling. Definitely a step up from any synthetic chemical fluff nonsense you can buy in the store, and rich enough to complement its airy sponge cake exterior.

Definitely be sure to get this on your holiday table this season and remember not to judge a cake by its name…or by its low class snack cake relatives.

Blueberry Mascarpone Roulade

Serves 8-10, adapted from Around My French Table

Ingredients

For the berries

·         2 cups water

·         1 cup sugar

·         1 pint blueberries

For the roulade

·         ½ cup flour

·         ¼ cup cornstarch

·         6 large eggs, separated, at room temperature

·         2/3 cup sugar

For the filling

·         ½ cup mascarpone

·         1/3 cup confectioners’ sugar

·         ½ tsp vanilla extract

·         ¾ cup cold heavy cream

Instructions

1.       To make the berries, bring the water and sugar to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add the blueberries and remove the pan from the heat immediately. Let cool to room temperature and then chill until ready to use.

2.       To make the roulade, preheat the oven to 400. Line a 12×17-inch rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.

3.       Sift the flour and cornstarch onto a piece of parchment paper.

4.       Put the egg whites into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Whip the whites until they are just starting to hold their shape. Slowly pour in the sugar and beat on high speed for another couple of minutes. The meringue should be very firm.

5.       Put the yolks in a separate bowl and whisk them for about 1 minute, until smooth.

6.       Whisk about ¼ of the meringue into the yolks. Scrape the yolks onto the meringue and then put the dry ingredients on top of them. Gently fold all of the ingredients together. Blend the batter as best as possible without totally deflating the whites. It is okay to have a few patches of egg whites that aren’t totally mixed in. Turn the batter onto the prepared pan and spread evenly.

7.       Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until the sponge is uniformly puffed and lightly golden. Transfer to a cooling rack.

8.      Dust a kitchen towel with powdered sugar and invert the cake onto the sugared cloth. Gently peel away the parchment paper.

9.       Position the cake so that there is a long side closest to you, and roll the cake up in the towel. Allow to cool.

10.   Drain the blueberries so that they are as dry as possible.

11.    Put the mascarpone in a bowl and sift the powdered sugar over it. Gently whisk the two together and then stir in the vanilla.

12.    Whip the cream in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment until it holds firm peaks. Stir a quarter of the cream into the mascarpone to loosen it, then gently fold in the rest. Fold the berries into the whipped cream.

13.    To assemble the cake, unroll it. Scoop the filling onto the cake and spread it evenly, leaving an inch perimeter around it. Use the towel to help you lift and roll the cake, starting with the long side farthest from you and finishing so that the seam is on the bottom. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Sprinkle with powdered sugar before serving.