Strawberry Shortcake Roulade

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For this edition of Bookish Bites, we’re talking about my Strawberry Shortcake Roulade recipe inspired by a book, and movie, that some people love to hate, Jane Austen’s Emma. Jane Austen is perhaps my favorite author ever, I actually have a quote from Pride and Prejudice tattooed on my back, and my first foray into the world of Austen was through Emma. I first saw the movie version with Gwyneth Paltrow when I was in middle school, and I absolutely fell in love with the writing and the overall feel of the story.

I knew I had to find more of Austen’s works and I soon did. Then, I saw every movie version available and then moved onto the books. I know many people lament that movies are so often not as good as the books they are inspired by (and that definitely seems to be the case for the Gwyneth Paltrow version of Emma because people love to hate on Gwyneth), but in my case, since I initially learned to love Austen through the movie versions of her books, I’ve been equally enchanted by every movie version I’ve seen.

The scene I’ve included below is one of the funniest in the book. Everyone is gathered to pick strawberries at Mr. Knightley’s garden, and Mrs. Elton, a much-hated character if there ever was one, goes on a tirade about the virtues of the strawberry:

“Mrs. Elton, in all her apparatus of happiness, her large bonnet, and her basket, was very ready to lead the way in gathering, accepting, or talking—strawberries, and only strawberries could now be thought or spoken of.“

“The best fruit in England—every body’s favourite—always wholesome.—These the finest beds and finest sorts.—Delightful to gather for one’s self—the only way of really enjoying them.—Morning decidedly the best time—never tired—every sort good—hautboy infinitely superior—no comparison—the others hardly eatable—hautboys very scarce…”

From Emma

Every summer, Joe and I end up with too many strawberries in the house, and I need to find new ways of eating them. Eating them straight out of our hands doesn’t get boring but I try to mix it up every once in a while.

This Strawberry Shortcake Roulade recipe was adapted from A Beautiful Plate. In my original trial I used raspberries as well, but, I think you could do whatever you like in terms of berries. Use all strawberries, all raspberries, all blackberries, or a mixture of all three. I will warn you not to leave the cake wrapped up in the tea towel too long, though. I left mine for a couple of hours and it ended up with cracks all over the place. Definitely not the recipe’s fault, but my own, so you’ve been warned!

I think this would be an impressive dessert to make for a picnic, a birthday, or for anytime really. Enjoy!

Strawberry Shortcake Roulade Recipe

Servings: 8-10
Active Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 3 hours

Cake

6 eggs, separated, at room temperature
200 grams granulated sugar, separated
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract, separated
120 grams cake flour, sifted
1/2 cup confectioner’s sugar, separated

Filling

1/2 cup strawberry jam
2 cups (16 oz/480 ml) heavy cream, cold
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup strawberries, sliced

Assembly

1 1/2 cups strawberries, whole, for garnishing
Approx. 1 cup raspberries, for garnishing

For the Cake: Preheat the oven to 375 F, with a rack in the middle. Line a half sheet pan with parchment paper and lightly coat with baking spray. Set aside.

Place the 6 egg whites in the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with a whisk attachment. Whisk the egg whites at high speed, until light and foamy. Slowly sprinkle in 100 grams of granulated sugar and continue whisking over medium-high speed until the egg whites have reached stiff peaks. Carefully transfer to a separate bowl until ready to use.

Wipe the bowl clean and combine the egg yolks, the remaining 100 grams of granulated sugar, and 1/2 tsp. of vanilla extract. Beat at high speed with the whisk attachment until fluffy and pale yellow, about 3 to 4 minutes.

Next, add a spoonful or two of the egg whites to the beaten yolk mixture, and fold together with a rubber spatula. You don’t have to be super gentle with this part because you’re just trying to lighten up the egg yolks.

Then, add the remaining egg whites to the egg yolks, and gently fold them together with a rubber spatula. Do not overwork this mixture or you will deflate the egg whites.

Sprinkle a quarter of the cake flour over the top of the sponge batter, and fold in gently. Repeat until all of the flour has been incorporated. Make sure to scrape the bottom of the bowl to ensure that all of the ingredients have been incorporated evenly.

Transfer the batter onto the prepared sheet pan and spread it into an even layer (the batter should fill the entire pan).

Bake 8 to 12 minutes, or until very lightly golden in color. As the cake is finishing baking, lay a clean kitchen towel on your counter and dust with 1/4 cup of the confectioner’s sugar.

Immediately loosen the cake from the pan, using a knife if necessary, and carefully invert the cake onto the towel. Carefully peel off the parchment paper, and roll the cake and towel, narrow end to narrow end, into a tight spiral. Cool on a rack, in the towel, until the cake is cooled to room temperature, about 30 minutes.

For the Filling: After the cake has cooled, gently unroll it, and spread the strawberry jam in a thin layer all on the cake.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with a whisk attachment, combine the heavy cream, the remaining 1/4 cup powdered sugar, and 1/4 tsp. vanilla extract. Beat the mixture until thickened and medium peaks form.

Spread 1/3 of the whipped cream onto the jam-covered cake, leaving a small border on all sides. Drop the sliced strawberries over the whipped cream, making sure to spread them out evenly.

Carefully re-roll the cake, without the towel, narrow end to narrow end, into a spiral and place it, seam-side down, on a long, serving platter. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

To Serve: When you’re ready to serve, either pipe or spoon over the remaining whipped cream all over the top of the cake. Evenly decorate the top of the cake with the whole strawberries and raspberries. Just before serving, dust the cake and berries with a little more confectioner’s sugar and serve.

If you make and enjoy any of my recipes, please leave a comment below, and don’t forget to tag me in your pictures on Instagram (@bookishkitchen #thebookishkitchen)! I love seeing my followers recreating my recipes.