Souffle Roll Sponge (from my kitchen)

I have always wanted to make my very own green tea swiss roll but I just cannot find a proper recipe, resulting in many failed attempts. Common problems such as inability to roll, cracked sponge, failed sponge with weird texture. The number of failures are just as many as when making macaron shells. Since the chiffon recipe (from Okashi (sweet treats made with love)) works pretty well, we have decided to give Okashi's souffle roll a shot.

Ingredients needed:
1 Egg
3 Egg Yolks
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
35g Unsalted Butter
60g Cake Flour
60g Fresh Whole Milk

For the meringue,
3 Egg Whites
85g Fine sugar

For whipping cream,
100g Whipping Cream
2 tsp Fine Sugar

28 x 28-cm flat square cake pan

Steps:
1. Preheat oven to 180°C
2. Line cake pan with parchment paper
3. Sift flour twice
4. Mix egg, egg yolks and vanilla extract and beat lightly
5. Place butter in a suacepan and heat gently until melted
6. Add sifted flour and cook through
7. Transfer butter-flour mixture into a bowl and add egg mixture a little at a time
8. Mix into a smooth batter using a spatula
9. Add milk and mix
10. Strain batter and set aside
11. In another bowl, whisk the egg whites till it is foamy
12. Add half the sugar and continue beating for a few mintues.
13. Add the remaining sugar and beat until stiff and shiny peak
14. Add one-third of the meringue into egg mixture and fold in lightly
15. Add the remaining meringue and continue folding
16. Pour in the batter into the cake pan and spread evenly with a spatula
17. Bake for 20 min
18. Allow it to cool before loosening the cake
19. Whip cream and castor sugar in a chilled mixing bowl until stiff peaks form
20. Turn the cooled souffle sponge onto a clean work surface
21. Peel off the parchment paper from the bottom of the sponge
22. Spread whipped cream in an even layer over the sponge and gently roll up sponge
23. Place in freezer to chill and set before serving

Some things to note



Note:
The gluten content of the flour makes the sponge hard. Cooking flour with butter weakens the gluten content in the flour, resulting in a light, bouncy and fluffy cake (Ishida K., 2009)



Note:
The meringue is essential for the souffle roll sponge to rise, so it must be stiff and stable (Ishida K., 2009)



Possible Error:
Folding seems to be easy but for first timers or non-bakers like me, leaving the bottom bit at the bowl not mixed is quite common. To avoid, try to scrap the bowl to ensure every single bit is nicely incorporated, if not the sponge will have a starchy layer at the base.
The size of the baking pan does matter, if it is too small, the sponge will be too thick to roll. If it is too big, it will result in an easily overcooked sponge. Should the pan used differs from what are stated in recipes, oven temperature needs to adjust abit. If you are observant, the pan we used is not squarish but surface area is the same as a 28 x 28-cm pan.



Note:
Apart from egg whites, cream is another petty ingredient and the bowl has to be extremely clean, no water, no oil or any possible contaminants.
Also, it is essential to whip cream over a bowl of ice water to keep it cold, otherwise the cream will become warm and curdle easily (Ishida K., 2009)
Use fresh (single) whipping cream and not the long-life variety of whipping cream. The whipping cream must also have at least 35% fat (Ishida K., 2009)



I always thought I can never bake and I don't seems to know what are my mistakes made after each attempt. It was only through patience of daddy and some of the training my sister has received in school that makes me realize what are some of the things to note when beating the meringue, the tricks to fold in the dry ingredients, etc.

And for those who are wondering why there is a recent surge in baking entries. Just bear with me for one more entry. Don't wish to elaborate much on what has happened over the span of 5 weeks but the good news is that I am ready to indulge and explore all the sweets I have been missing out. I just need some time to sort out the photos and write these entries, everything will be back on track.

Lastly, how do I find the taste of this souffle roll then? Indeed happy that this sponge can be rolled easily. Happy with the cream, light and refreshing but the sponge is too firm when compared to a regular swiss roll and to a certain extent tasted like a 鸡蛋糕. Now will some kind souls provide some tips to get a roll-able and soft sponge?