Daring Bakers' Challenge - Swiss swirl ice cream cake

The July 2010 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Sunita of Sunita’s world – life and food. Sunita challenged everyone to make an ice-cream filled Swiss roll that’s then used to make a bombe with hot fudge. Her recipe is based on an ice cream cake recipe from Taste of Home.

Swiss roll ice cream cake (inspired by the recipe of the same name from the Taste of Home website)

Caramel swiss rolls

6 medium sized eggs
225 gms brown sugar
85gms GF plain flour
30ml boiling water

Pre-heat the oven at 200 C (180 C fan forced). Brush the baking pans ( 11 inches by 9 inches ) with a little oil and line with greaseproof baking paper. If you have just one pan, bake one cake and then let the pan cool completely before using it for the next cake.

In a large mixing bowl, add the eggs and sugar and beat till very thick; when the beaters are lifted, it should leave a trail on the surface for at least 10 seconds.

Add the flour, in three batches and fold in gently with a spatula. Fold in the water

Divide the mixture among the two baking pans (or only use half of the mixture if you have 1 pan) and spread it out evenly, into the corners of the pans. Place a pan in the centre of the pre-heated oven and bake for about 10-12 minutes or till the centre is springy to the touch. 

Spread a kitchen towel on the counter and sprinkle a little caster sugar over it. Turn the cake on to the towel and peel away the baking paper. Trim any crisp edges. Starting from one of the shorter sides, start to make a roll with the towel going inside. Cool the wrapped roll on a rack, seam side down.

Repeat the same for the next cake as well.

Honeycomb swiss roll filling

500 mls whipping cream

1 vanilla pod, cut into small pieces of about ½ cm (or 1 tsp vanilla extract)
70gms caster sugar
80 gr honeycomb, ground

Grind together the vanilla pieces and sugar in a food processer till nicely mixed together. If you are using vanilla extract, just grind the sugar on its own and then add the sugar and extract to the cream. Place the honeycomb in the food processor and blitz with the sugar and vanilla. Pass the honeycomb, vanilla, sugar mixture through a sieve to remove any husks from the vanilla pod.

In a large bowl, add the cream and vanilla-sugar mixture and beat till very thick.

Divide the cream mixture between the completely cooled cakes. Open the rolls and spread the cream mixture, making sure it does not go right to the edges (a border of 1 cm should be fine).

Roll the cakes up again, this time without the towel. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill in the fridge till needed, seam side down.

Honeycomb ice cream
625 ml cream
1 vanilla bean, minced or 1 tsp vanilla extract
115 gr caster sugar
100 gr honeycomb, ground

I made the ice cream without an ice cream maker.

Grind together the sugar and vanilla in a food processor. Place the honeycomb in the food processor and blitz with the sugar and vanilla. Pass the honeycomb, vanilla, sugar mixture through a sieve to remove any husks from the vanilla pod.

In a mixing bowl, add the cream and vanilla/sugar/honeycomb mixture and whisk lightly until everything is mixed together. If you are using the vanilla extract, grind the sugar on its own and then and the sugar along with the vanilla extract to the cream.

Pour into a freezer friendly container and freeze till firm around the edges. Remove from the freezer after 30 minutes and beat with a balloon whisk until smooth, return to the freezer. Repeat 3-4 times and then set completely.

Caramel Fudge
275 gr caster sugar
1/3 c water
110 gr cream
135 gr unsalted butter

Combine sugar and 1/3 cup water in a saucepan and stir over medium-high heat until the sugar dissolves. Bring to the boil and cook for 8-10 minutes or until medium-caramel in colour, remove from heat.

Meanwhile, heat the cream for 30 seconds on high in a microwave. Carefully add cream and butter to the caramel mixture (be careful as the mixture will bubble and spit), stir to combine. Return to heat and cook for 2 minutes or until smooth. Let the caramel mixture cool before putting it into the bomb.

Note: you do not want the caramel to be hot or it will melt the bomb.

Chocolate ice cream
500 ml cream
230 gr caster sugar
24 gr cocoa powder

Grind together the sugar and the cocoa powder in a food processor . In a saucepan, add all the ingredients and whisk lightly.

Place the pan over heat and keep stirring till it begins to bubble around the edges.

Remove from heat and cool completely before transferring to a freezer friendly container till firm around the edges.

Pour into a freezer friendly container and freeze till firm around the edges. Remove from the freezer after 30 minutes and beat with a balloon whisk until smooth, return to the freezer. Repeat 3-4 times and then set completely.

Assembly
1. Cut the Swiss rolls into 20 equal slices ( approximately 2 cms each ).

2. Cover the bottom and sides of the bowl in which you are going to set the dessert with cling film/plastic wrap.

3. Arrange two slices at the bottom of the pan, with their seam sides facing each other. Arrange the Swiss roll slices up the bowl, with the seam sides facing away from the bottom, to cover the sides of the bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and freeze till the slices are firm (at least 30 minutes).

4. Soften the honeycomb ice cream. Take the bowl out of the freezer, remove the cling film cover and add the ice cream on top of the cake slices. Spread it out to cover the bottom and sides of the bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and freeze till firm ( at least 1 hour).

5. Add the fudge sauce over the honeycomb ice cream, cover and freeze till firm (at least an hour).

6. Soften the chocolate ice cream and spread it over the fudge sauce. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze for at least 4-5 hours till completely set .

7. Remove the plastic cover, and place the serving plate on top of the bowl. Turn it upside down and remove the bowl and the plastic lining. If the bowl does not come away easily, wipe the outsides of the bowl with a kitchen towel dampened with hot water. The bowl will come away easily.

8. Keep the cake out of the freezer for at least 10 minutes before slicing, depending on how hot your region is. Slice with a sharp knife, dipped in hot water.

Banana, caramel and passionfruit tart

Since discovering I have a wheat intolerance a few years ago, certain foods became taboo. Pastas, gnocchi and pastries. I love all things pastry.

Recently I tried my hand at making gluten free pastry and, after having great results with a number of different pastries (pate brisees, sucrees and sablees), I've been obsessed with all things (gluten free) pastry!

My latest creation was inspired after having dinner at my boyfriend's parents' house where I was offered some delicious banana, caramel and passionfruit tart for dessert (and had to throw away the pastry because it was not gluten free!).

The gooey caramel and sweet bananas contrast so well with the crisp pastry and tart sourness of the passion fruits.

Banana, caramel and passionfruit tart (Recipe by Stef @ Essential ingredients)

Serves 8

This recipe could easily be made with normal plain flour.

Ingredients

4 passion fruits

2 lady finger bananas, sliced into thin rings

1 tbsp butter

1 tbsp brown sugar

300 ml cream

1 tsp icing sugar

Pastry

125 gr gluten free plain flour (I use White Wings)

50 gr unsalted butter

50 gr pure icing sugar

1 egg

Caramel

275 gr caster sugar

1/3 c water

110 gr cream

135 gr unsalted butter

Chocolate ganache

40 gr dark chocolate

30 gr cream

5 ml milk

Step 1: Make the pastry

To make the pastry, place the flour, sugar and butter in a food processer. Blend until the mixture looks like bread crumbs. Add the egg and blend until combined.

Turn the mixture out onto a lightly floured board (or a silicon mat) and bring together into a ball, kneading until smooth. Wrap the dough in plastic and set to rest in the fridge for 20 minutes.

Step 2: Make the tart case

Grease a 20 cm loose bottomed flan tin.

Remove the pastry from the fridge. Make a disc from the pastry and place it on a lightly floured board. Roll the pastry so it is around 7cms wide than the tart tin and about 3mm thick. Fit the pastry to the tin, trimming off any excess pastry. Put in the fridge for 20 minutes to prevent the dough from shrinking.

Step 3: Cooking the tart case

Preheat an oven to 170 C (150 C if you are using a fan forced oven). Place a piece of baking paper in the tart case and fill with ceramic weight, beans or rice. Blind bake for 15 minutes.

Remove the case from the oven and increase the temperature to 180 C (160 C if you are using a fan forced oven). Remove the baking paper and the weights. Place case back into the oven and cook for a further 5 minutes. Remove and set aside to cool.

Step 4: Making the ganache

Scald the cream and the milk in a small saucepan. Pour the warm cream mixture over the chocolate and stir until smooth.

One the pastry has cooled slightly, brush the chocolate evenly over the base and sides of the case. Put in the refrigerator for 10 minutes or until the chocolate is set.

Step 5: Making the caramel

Combine sugar and 1/3 cup water in a saucepan and stir over medium-high heat until the sugar dissolves. Bring to the boil and cook for 8-10 minutes or until medium-caramel in colour, remove from heat.

Meanwhile, heat the cream for 30 seconds on high in a microwave. Carefully add cream and butter to the caramel mixture (be careful as the mixture will bubble and spit), stir to combine. Return to heat and cook for 2 minutes or until smooth. Let the caramel mixture cool slightly then pour into pastry case and refrigerate for 2 hours or until set. Note: you do not want the caramel to be hot or it will melt the chocolate in the tart case.

Step 6: Preparing the tart dressing

Place the pulp of 4 passionfruit in a sieve to drain the juice. Reserve the juice.

Heat 1 tbsp of butter in a saucepan over a medium heat. Add the brown sugar and stir until dissolved. Add 1 of the bananas to the pan, cook for 1 minute on each side. Remove the banana slices from the sugar and butter mixture and set aside.

Stir the other banana slices with half of the passionfruit juice. Remove from the juice and set aside.

Add the other half of the passionfruit juice and 1 tsp of icing sugar to the cream and whip until medium stiff peaks form. Set aside.

Step 7: Dressing the tart

Lay the banana slices on the caramel, alternating between the cooked and uncooked banana slices. Spread half of the passionfruit pulp over the banana slices. Top the bananas and passionfruit with the whipped cream. Scatter the remaining passionfruit pulp decoratively over the cream.