Orange Honey Mascarpone Sponge Cake RollGrowing up, I used to love eating sponge cake rolls.
And today, I made one!
And today, I made one!
I had forgotten about my childhood favorite for quite some time until today, when I chanced upon a sponge cake roll recipe that I had squirreled away years ago in my recipe file. But when I saw a photo of the fluffy round bundle of jam and goodness, it didn't take much to immediately recall my favorite comfort treat.
Growing up, whenever we would chance upon sponge cake rolls in the local bakery, I would bargain with my mother to get a slice - just a small slice - that I could relish on our way home. I remember how I used to find such great comfort in slowly unraveling the roll as I ate it layer by layer, licking the filling off my fingers in quite an unladylike manner until I finally reached the best part - the center. Now, everyone knows that the center of the sponge cake is the best part. Surrounded by moist filling on either side with just the perfect dollop of filling gathered in the very middle of the roll, the center of a sponge roll cake is the perfect end to a delightful treat.
And now that I am an "adult," I get to make my own! I really appreciate the elegance of this recipe; it combines the most basic ingredients (eggs, flour, oil, and sugar) to create a great treat that nearly anyone can enjoy. There are no special bells and whistles here. It is all about the technique and the care put into the making of it, and the recipe even allows for some improvisation; the recipe calls for a simple jam or preserve to create a fruity filling, but I thought that would be just a little too boring. So I grabbed the few ingredients we had in our pantry and refrigerator and had some fun. Mascarpone cheese served as the base to which I added a healthy glop of honey to give it some natural sweetening and flavor. Lastly, I added the zest of one orange to cut through the creaminess of it all and lend the filling a lightness to complement the lightness of the cake.
Out came the cake, on went the filling, and I, the little girl who had once found so much delight in unrolling sponge cakes layer by layer, found new enjoyment and comfort in rolling the sponge cake up slowly, creating the perfect middle with a generous dollop of cream in the very center, all the while knowing that a, cz, gd, d, and i would be unraveling healthy slices of the cake just moments later in anticipation of that perfect cream center.
