2014-05-06

Mini Bunny Deco Japanese Sponge Roll Cake

This is another cute thing I wanted to try for a long time - to get smiley face on a roll cake! :-D this is really fun, you can also make hearts, polka dots or stripes pattern on it.

Cherie Kelly's Bunny Deco Japanese Sponge Roll Cake

Mini Bunny Deco Japanese Soufflé Roll Cake

Ingredients:

For the Sponge Cake

4 egg
75g caster sugar
3 tablespoon milk 
60g plain flour
butter to grease
1 tablespoon of cocoa powder
a few drop of raspberry fruit juice or pink food colouring

For the Filling abd Decoration

200ml double cream
3 tablespoon icing sugar
200g diced mango cubes (or fruits of your choice)
50g modelling white chocolate
50g modelling pink strawberry chocolate

Equipment

large baking tray
electric mixer
parchment paper
2 small piping bags

Method:

Sponge Cake

1. First draw up a 24cm x 30cm rectangle template of the smiley faces pattern on a large parchment paper. Measure and divide it into 8 smaller rectangles of  6cm x 15cm. Draw the smiley faces in the middle of each small rectangles, flip the paper, fold along the outer line into a large paper tray, fold and staple the corners together so the batter will not leak out of the paper tray. Put this paper tray onto the baking tray. Set aside.
Cherie Kelly's Bunny Deco Japanese Sponge Roll Cake

2.. Preheat the oven to 180C (350F).
3. Beat eggs and sugar with wire whisk in a metal bowl over a pan of hot water. 
4. Beat the batter on high speed for about 7 minutes until white and fluffy with an electric mixer. 
5. Add milk and fold together until combined.
6. Sift in flour and whisk for about 3 minutes on low speed to incorporate.
7. Take out 1 tablespoon of the batter and mix with the cocoa powder to form a chocolate paste, this will be used to pipe the features of the smiley faces. Put the paste into a small piping bag.
8. Take out another  tablespoon of the batter and mix with the raspberry fruit juice or pink food colouring to form a pink paste, this will be used to pipe the cheeks of the smiley faces. Put the paste into a small piping bag.
9. Pipe the features and cheeks on the paper according to the template drawn in Step 1.
Cherie Kelly's Bunny Deco Japanese Sponge Roll Cake

10. Bake for 2 mins and remove from oven. You can see the features are set.
Cherie Kelly's Bunny Deco Japanese Sponge Roll Cake

11. Spread the remaining batter in the baking tray and drop the tray lightly on the counter to raise the air bubbles out of the batter.
Cherie Kelly's Bunny Deco Japanese Sponge Roll Cake

12. Bake at 180C (350F) for 12 minutes till lightly brown. (cooking time may differ depend on the heat of the oven)
13. When it's done, drop the pan lightly to prevent shrinking. Remove the sponge cake from the pan by lifting the parchment paper and place it on a wire rack to cool. 
14. When it's cool enough, remove the parchment paper and place the sponge cake on the parchment paper with the brown side up.
Cherie Kelly's Bunny Deco Japanese Sponge Roll Cake

Filling and Decoration

1. Roll out the modelling chocolate into 0.5 mm thickness, use an oval cookie/petal cutter to cut oval shaped bunny ears. If you dont have modelling chocolate, you can melt the white and pink chocolate, draw ovals as ears and put them into the fridge until set.
Cherie Kelly's Bunny Deco Japanese Sponge Roll Cake

2. Whisk double cream and icing sugar on high speed in a bowl until it forms a soft peak.
3. Dice the fruits of your choice.
4. Cut the sponge into half along the template so we have 4 smiley faces in a vertical column.
Cherie Kelly's Bunny Deco Japanese Sponge Roll Cake

5. Coat the surface of the sponge cake evenly with the cream. Line the fruits in the middle over the creamed surface.
Cherie Kelly's Bunny Deco Japanese Sponge Roll Cake

4. Roll and wrap the cake in the parchment paper and put in a fridge for at least an hour to set. Repeat the same for the other half of the sponge cake.
Cherie Kelly's Bunny Deco Japanese Sponge Roll Cake

5. Remove the parchment paper.
Cherie Kelly's Bunny Deco Japanese Sponge Roll Cake

6. Cut them into individual portions.
Cherie Kelly's Bunny Deco Japanese Sponge Roll Cake

7. Decorate with the chocolate ears and enjoy!
Cherie Kelly's Bunny Deco Japanese Sponge Roll Cake