Gingerbread Roll with Rum Butter Sauce, Apricot Compote, Chocolate Leaves and Crystallised Cranberries
Description
serves 10-12
INGREDIENTS
5 eggs (separated)
165g (1/2 cup) golden syrup
50g (1/4 cup) brown sugar
2 tbsp finely grated fresh ginger
105g (3/4 cup) flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp ground ginger
3/4 tsp allspice
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/4 tsp table salt
50g (1/4 cup) sugar
20g (2 tbsp) sugar
Cinnamon Cream
Rum Butter Sauce
Apricot Compote
Chocolate Leaves
Crystallised Cranberries
METHOD
Preheat oven to 160°C.
Grease with butter or baking spray and line with baking paper a 42cm x 30cm low-sided baking tray.
Into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment place egg yolks and whisk for 2 minutes or until creamy and pale.
Add golden syrup, brown sugar and fresh ginger and whisk to combine.
Into a second bowl sieve flour, baking powder, ginger and allspice. Add pepper and salt and stir until combined. Add to egg mixture and whisk until combined.
Into clean bowl of electric mixer fitted with a whisk place egg whites and whisk to soft peaks. Slowly add first measure sugar and whisk until glossy and stiff peaks form.
Fold half of the egg whites into ginger batter until half combined. Add remaining egg whites and fold until no white streaks remain.
Place into prepared tin and, using a plastic spatula, evenly spread to all edges.
Place into preheated oven and bake for 15 minutes or until lightly browned and firm to the touch.
Remove from oven, transfer to a cooling rack and sprinkle with second measure sugar. Cool for 10 minutes.
Run a knife around the edges of the tray to loosen any caught edges.
Cover cake with a clean tea towel and a tray or board and invert onto tea towel. Remove baking tray and baking paper.
Cover with paper towels and leave to cool completely. To assist with rolling lay out plastic wrap onto bench and transfer cooked cake, sugar side down, to plastic wrap.
Evenly spread Cinnamon Cream over the surface of the gingerbread leaving 1cm margin on the longest sides.
With one of the longest edges closest to you, roll up like you would a Swiss roll.
Wrap gingerbread firmly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for a minimum of 3 hours or till cream is firm and gingerbread roll holds its shape, or for up to two days.
Unwrap gingerbread from plastic wrap and transfer to a large serving platter. Decorate with Chocolate Leaves and Crystallised Cranberries.
Serve with Rum Butter Sauce and Apricot Compote.
Cinnamon Cream
(makes 500ml – enough to fill one roll)
INGREDIENTS
115g (1/2 cup + 1 tbsp) cream cheese
1/2 tsp cinnamon
340g (1 + 1/3 cups) crème fraiche
75g (1/2 cup) icing sugar (sifted)
METHOD
Into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle beater place cream cheese and cinnamon and beat until combined and smooth.
Into a second bowl place crème fraiche and icing sugar and, using a wooden spoon, mix until well combined.
Fold crème fraiche mixture into cream cheese until well combined.
Refrigerate until ready to use.
Rum Butter Sauce
(makes 225ml)
A good-quality rum with a rounded flavour is very important to the taste of this sauce. I like to use Appleton Estate Jamaica Rum.
INGREDIENTS
115g unsalted butter
65g (1/3 cup) brown sugar
1 cinnamon quill
8 whole cloves
30ml (2 tbsp) dark rum
30ml (2 tbsp) apple cider vinegar
½ tsp arrowroot
METHOD
Place butter and sugar in a small saucepan over low heat and whisk until butter has melted and sugar has dissolved. Increase heat and bring to the boil. Add cinnamon quill, cloves, rum, vinegar and arrowroot. Whisk to combine and thicken.
Remove from heat and leave to steep for 1 hour.
Remove cinnamon quill and cloves and reheat to serve warm.
Apricot Compote
(serves 12)
INGREDIENTS
150g (36) dried apricots
315ml (1 ¼ cups) orange juice
15g (5 tsp) castor sugar
METHOD
Into a small saucepan place apricots and orange juice. Cover and bring to the boil, reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes or until apricots are plump and soft.
Remove from heat and stir in sugar. (You may need a little more sugar if you prefer a sweeter flavour).
Cool and refrigerate.
Chocolate Leaves
(makes 16)
INGREDIENTS
100g (1 cup + 2 tbsp) dark 70% chocolate (buttons or tablet, chopped)
16 camellia leaves (washed and very well dried)
METHOD
Place chocolate into a small bowl and place bowl over a pot of simmering water until three-quarters melted.
Remove bowl and stir until all chocolate is melted.
Using a medium artist’s brush paint chocolate onto underside of leaves being careful not to go over the edges.
Leave to sit at room temperature until dry.
Paint a second layer of chocolate and leave to sit at room temperature until dry and hard.
Slowly peel each leaf away from chocolate. (If you attempt to peel the chocolate away from the leaf you will have breakages.)
Use at room temperature to decorate Gingerbread Roll with Cinnamon Cream.
Chocolate Leaves can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week.
Crystallised Cranberries
(makes 25)
INGREDIENTS
60g castor sugar
50g (25) cranberries (if frozen defrosted and well dried in paper towels)
1 egg white (lightly beaten)
METHOD
Place castor sugar onto a small tray.
Place half of the cranberries into the egg white and swish around to coat well.
One by one lift cranberries out of egg white and drop into castor sugar.
Shake tray around to fully coat each cranberry in sugar.
Transfer cranberries to a clean tray and repeat with remaining cranberries. Leave at room temperature for 24 hours to dry.
Store uncovered at room temperature for up to 3 days.