I am always interested in new foodie products, so when I recently received a rather delicious package through the post, I was, of course, delighted! It contained a selection of naturally flavoured icing sugars and a cocoa powder to sample and review.
The first thing I wanted to try was one of my favourite flavour combinations: chocolate orange. I was given a 125g pack of naturally flavoured chocolate orange cocoa powder and decided to make a Swiss Roll with a chocolate ganache filling:
For the sponge:
4 eggs
100g caster sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
65g self-raising flour
40g Sugar & Crumbs orange flavoured cocoa powder (or just use 40g plain cocoa powder and the zest of 1 orange)
Juice of 1 orange
Granulated sugar for ‘sprinkling’
For the ganache:
145g Terry’s chocolate orange (I used a milk chocolate one)
145g double cream
Method:
Preheat the oven to 200 degrees C. Grease and line with baking parchment a 31cm x 21cm Swiss roll tin. Cut another piece of parchment larger than the tin, sprinkle all over with granulated sugar and leave on a flat surface.
Whisk together the eggs, sugar and vanilla extract (and orange zest if using) until doubled in volume.
Sift together the flour and cocoa and very gently fold this into the egg mixture until combined…you want to keep all that volume to give your sponge some ‘lift’.
Pour into the prepared tin and bake in the middle of the hot oven for 10 minutes.
Carefully flip the cooked sponge out onto the sugared parchment and gently peel the paper off the bottom of the sponge.
Immediately brush the orange juice all over the now exposed sponge and allow to soak in for a minute.
While the sponge cake is still warm, use a large knife to slice half way down into the sponge, a couple of centimetres away from one short edge (this helps to start a nice tight roll.)
Now tightly roll the sponge (with the sugared baking parchment still against it) from the cut short end. Leave the rolled up sponge to cool while you make the ganache.
Break up the chocolate and put it into a medium sized heatproof bowl. Heat the double cream in a pan over a medium heat until almost boiling, then pour over the chocolate. Leave it to sit for a minute or two then stir until gloriously and glossily combined. Once the ganache has cooled, it should thicken up to a spreading consistency.
Unroll your Swiss roll and spread with the cooled ganache. Roll it back up again (obviously without the parchment this time!) and decorate as desired.
I sliced the ends off to neaten them up, sprinkled the whole thing with a mix of icing sugar and Sugar & Crumbs’ Chocolate Orange Cocoa Powder and decorated it with caramelised orange zest. Needless to say, it didn’t last long!
Sugar and Crumbs is a Manchester based company run by Carol and her team who hand-fill and hand-label the re-sealable pouches with an ever-expanding range of 100% naturally flavoured icing sugars and cocoa powders.
There are at least 24 naturally flavoured icing sugars including Strawberry Milkshake, Lemon Drizzle and Chilli Lime. I have used their Salted Caramel icing in a buttercream used to fill a vanilla Birthday cake. I added plain icing sugar to make up the quantity but could still taste a hint of salted caramel, which was delicious!
The Coffee icing would be perfect for a coffee and walnut cake, or perhaps to top profiteroles and I am really looking forward to trying out their brand new flavours in some macarons.
Have you used Sugar & Crumbs Icing Sugar yet? What did you make and what do you think?
Return to the Cake Recipe Page from my Chocolate Orange Swiss Roll Recipe.
