Orange and raspberry roulade

This orange and raspberry roulade, filled with vanilla cream and smothered in a orange-flavoured milk ganache, is an indulgent dessert that should hit the spot for any occasion.

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I love making this for a dinner party and the good news it can be made in advance and either kept for 2-3 days in the fridge or it can be frozen once it has been rolled up.

You can freeze it with the milk ganache on it, but I usually freeze it without the milk ganache and when I am ready to defrost the roulade, I spread the ganache onto the frozen roulade. This has the advantage of spreading like a dream, with no danger of the delicate sponge breaking apart.

I then pop the roulade in the fridge to defrost slowly, placing the dried oranges on top when I am ready to serve (to keep them crisp).

About the recipe

This can be made with fresh raspberries or frozen raspberries; I tend to use raspberries I picked from the allotment, taking them straight out of the freezer and using them as they are.

They defrost slowly while the roulade sits in the fridge waiting to be eaten! They “bleed” a little, but I like that here.

Dried orange slices

I love dried citrus fruit: it is tangy, pretty and a great way to decorate all manner of desserts and cakes.

For these oranges, I sliced them thinly and dipped them lightly in caster sugar on both sides.

I then placed them on a rack over a baking tray and put them in the oven set to 100C (fan) for 2 hours. When you remove them they crisp up as they cool and will keep crisp in an airtight container out of the fridge for several days.

A great gluten-free dessert

This dessert is gluten-free and is, to my mind, all the better for it: the lack of flour in the recipe gives a beautifully moist sponge that works so well for a dessert such as this.

Recipe: orange & raspberry roulade – makes 1 large one (serves 8-10)

the sponge

• 50g cocoa powder
• grated zest of 1 large orange
• juice of 1 large orange
• 30ml hot water
• 20g unsalted butter, melted
• 3 large eggs, at room temperature, separated
• 80g golden caster sugar

the filling

• 200ml double cream
• 2 tablespoons icing sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
• about 200g fresh or frozen raspberries, roughly halved
• 1 tablespoon Cointreau or Framboise

Milk ganache

• 150ml semi-skimmed or full milk
• 200g dark chocolate of choice
• grated zest of 1 large orange
• juice of 1 orange
• pinch of salt

To finish

• a few tablespoons Cointreau or Framboise,
• dried orange slices, optional (see above)

(1) Heat the oven to 160C (fan). Lightly butter one medium Swiss roll tins about about 13″ x 9″. Line the base with a piece of buttered greaseproof paper: even if the paper is non-stick, it really helps to butter it.

(2) Put the cocoa powder into a small bowl. Add the orange juice, orange zest, hot water and melted butter and mix together to form a thick paste.

(3) Put the egg yolk into a large bowl with 50g of the sugar. Whisk them for 3-4 minutes until pale and thick: when you lift the whisk out, the mixture should just hold its shape.

(4) Add the chocolate mixture and whisk for another couple of minutes, scraping down the bowl a few times: you will have a mixture that is like softly whipped cream (albeit chocolately!).

(5) In a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites for a few minutes until they form fairly stiff peaks. Sprinkle over the rest of the caster sugar and whisk for 3-4 minutes further to give a light meringue.

(6) Using a large metal spoon, stir a few spoons of the meringue mixture into the chocolate mixture to loosen it up. Using the metal spoon, fold the rest of the meringue gently through the mixture until there are no lumps of meringue showing.

(7) Spoon the mixture into the tin and level out with a palette knife. Bake for 15-16 minutes until slightly wrinkly around the edges.

(8) Remove from the oven and place a damp tea towel over each sponge until they have completely cooled.

(9) For the filling, whisk the cream, vanilla and icing sugar, just until they form soft peaks, adding the Cointreau or Framboise when it just starts to thicken. Chill until needed.

(10) Turn the sponge onto a sheet of greaseproof paper that has been dusted with caster sugar and gently peel off the greaseproof paper it baked in. Turn the sponge so that one of the shortest edges is closest to you.

(11) Sprinkle the liqueur over the sponge and spread most of the filling thinly all the sponge, leaving about a centimetre at the short edge furthest from you. Scatter the raspberries over the cream and lightly press them into the cream.

(12) Roll up the sponge fairly tightly, but without squashing it: roll it away from you, using the greaseproof underneath to help it along its way. Transfer to a serving plate.

(13) For the milk ganache, heat the milk in a pan just until it comes to the boil. Leave it for 5 minutes to cool down a little and pour it over the chocolate. Leave it for a few minutes ands stir gently to give a smooth mixture. Add the orange zest and juice and chill until it is at spreadable consistency.

(14) Spread the ganache over the roulade and decorate with dried orange slices, if using.