Coffee cake roll with filling of raisin-cream cheese

The most important component needed for my latest swiss roll is … a tea towel.

The towel is a clever but innocuous implement. Ever since  the case of my 'peeling' matcha roll, I had been reviewing my processes and decided to 'throw in the towel'. Now, I am a happy woman, with a perfectly rolled up cake and a concoction that is my own.

This coffee swiss roll has an alchoholic twist to it, with the introduction of raisins soaked in plum soju and a generous layer of cream cheese. The highlight was supposed to be the coffee cake but hubby thinks the cream cheese defines everything.

Makes one  9" x 9" cake for rolling.

Ingredient :

Yolk base :

1 T instant coffee + 1 T rum

25 g caster sugar

60g cake flour

1/4 t baking powder

1 T sour cream

3 egg yolks

1g  salt

50g corn oil

20g milk

Meringue :

2 egg whites

40g sugar

1/3 tsp cream of tartar

Filling :

200g cream cheese

1/4 cup fine sugar

4 tablespoon meijiu ( plum soju ) or sour cream if you prefer it non-alcholic

1/4 cup raisin soaked in plum soju

Prepare the baking tray by lining it with baking sheet.

Sift dry ingredients. In a mixing bowl, whisk all the other yolk based ingredients. Add flour gradually and whisk until smooth. Set aside.

In a clean bowl, beat  egg whites and cream of tartar at high speed until foamy. Add sugar gradually, beating until stiff peaks are formed, 3-4 minutes.

Add 1/3 of the meringue into the batter and stir with a spatula. Add in the rest of the meringue and stir in one direction, until well combined.

Pour batter onto the lined tray, spreading batter to fill all corners of the tray.

Bake at 180 for 18 minutes.

Remove from the oven, lift cake from the tray and invert the cake on a clean tea towel, sprinkled with sugar.

Peel off the parchment, now facing up, and sprinkle the surface with sugar. With the cloth towel below, roll up the cake and leave it to cool.

Whip 200 g of cream cheese, at room temperature, and 1/4 cup of sugar.

Unroll towel ( and cake ).

Transfer cake to a clean parchment sheet and spread the cake with whipped cream cheese. Sprinkle with raisins.

Roll up the cake carefully using the parchment. Secure both ends and chill for at least an hour before serving.

To avoid the pesky ants from attacking the spill over sugar bits, use a newspaper as a 'tablecloth'.

I am submitting this entry to Aspiring Bakers #9 - Swiss Rolling Good Times (July 2011) hosted by Obsessedly Involved with Food