Vanilla and Strawberry Roll
- Difficulty: Average
- Prep time: 60 min
- Cook time: 15 min
- Serving: 8
- Note + 2 h to set the cream and 4 h to cool the roll
PRESENTATION
The vanilla strawberry roll cake is seriously good. It's a tasty twist on classic Italian desserts. You get the freshness of fruit mixed with a light, tender sponge cake. Italians, you know, have a knack for whipping up treats that look fancy but taste like grandma’s kitchen—pretty much. The magic lies in the pasta biscotto—a soft, moist vanilla-flavored cake rolled with creamy ricotta and sweet strawberry filling. As you slice through, you reveal a swirl of white and pink, sometimes with tiny red heart shapes—really adds a special touch.
And listen, what makes this vanilla sponge cake with strawberries so so different? It's the harmony of flavors. The ricotta cream is subtly sweet, letting the juicy and slightly tangy strawberries take center stage. The cake itself is airy and light, so you never feel overwhelmed. And here's the thing, it’s a hit at family gatherings or even more formal dinners. Seems like a labor of love, but honestly, it's all about simple, high-quality ingredients and having fun with the presentation.
Those heart shapes? Totally a nod to Italian style—creating food that’s as pretty as it is tasty. Every bite of this strawberry shortcake roll feels like a taste of spring. Pairs perfectly with coffee, tea, or even a scoop of gelato. And look, whether you call it a vanilla and strawberry roulade, strawberry cream roll, or just a roll cake, it adds joy to any occasion. Its golden exterior and creamy, fruity filling make it a real crowd-pleaser. Really, have the charm of this dessert, and you’ll see it brings smiles and a touch of elegance to any table. It’s a delicious way to celebrate life’s easy joys, with a dessert that’s both beautiful and comfortingly delicious.
INGREDIENTS
- Ingredients for the sponge cake
- Sugar 0.7 cup (140 g)
- Type 00 flour 3.5 oz (100 g)
- Honey ½ tbsp (10 g)
- Eggs 5
- Baking powder ½ tsp (2 g)
- Vanilla bean 1 - the seeds
- Food coloring to taste - red
- for the cream
- Strawberries 2 ⅓ cups (350 g)
- Ricotta cheese ½ cup (125 g)
- Fresh liquid cream ½ cup (125 ml)
- Sugar 3 tbsp (50 g)
- Powdered sugar ¼ cup (25 g)
- Gelatin in sheets 0.3 oz (8 g)
How to prepare Vanilla and Strawberry Roll
To make the vanilla and strawberry roll, start with the filling: place the gelatin sheets in a bowl with cold water for 10 minutes to soften them 1; wash and chop the strawberries into small pieces 2, place them in a pan with the sugar 3
and cook them just enough to soften 4. Pass the strawberries through a food mill 5 and collect the resulting puree in a bowl. When the gelatin sheets are soft, squeeze them well and incorporate them into the still warm strawberry sauce 6.
In another bowl, sift the ricotta 7, add the powdered sugar, then pour in the strawberry sauce 8 and mix until you obtain a pink cream.
Whip the cream until stiff 10 and fold it into the cream 11. Transfer the cream into a wide bowl so that it cools faster, cover it with plastic wrap 12 and let it set in the refrigerator for about 2 hours.
Now focus on the sponge cake. In a bowl, place the egg yolks (keeping the egg whites aside) with 90 g of sugar 13 and beat the mixture with an electric mixer, then add the honey 14; cut the vanilla bean in half 15, scrape out the seeds
and add them to the mixture 16 and continue beating until you get a light mixture. Separately, beat the egg whites 17; when they are foamy add the remaining 50 g of sugar 18.
Fold the just-whipped egg whites into the mixture, being careful not to deflate them 19. In a small bowl, combine the baking powder with the flour and sift them into the egg mixture 20, then gently mix to combine 21.
Take a small portion of the batter (4 tablespoons) 22, get the red coloring and add a few drops to this small part of the batter 23; add the coloring gradually until you achieve a deep red color. Transfer the colored batter into a narrow-nozzle sauce dispenser (alternatively, use a disposable piping bag cutting just the tip) and create hearts about 3/4 inch wide on a sheet of parchment paper laid on a baking tray, distributing the hearts across the tray and spacing them apart 24.
Bake the hearts in a preheated static oven at 428°F (220°C) for 2 minutes (if using a convection oven, 392°F/200°C for about 1 minute). Once baked, remove the hearts and take the remaining sponge cake batter and spread it over the hearts on the tray 25, bake for another 7 minutes at 428°F (220°C) still in the preheated static oven (if using a convection oven, 392°F/200°C for 3-4 minutes). Once the baking time is over, remove the sponge cake and transfer it while still hot to the work surface, dust the surface with granulated sugar and cover it with plastic wrap in contact 26, this way it will remain soft and elastic and won't crack when rolling. Once cooled, remove the plastic wrap from the sponge cake and fill it with the strawberry cream leaving a border of a couple of centimeters 27.
Roll up the sponge cake 28 and wrap it with plastic wrap, tightening the ends candy-style to compact the roll 29. Let the vanilla and strawberry roll set in the refrigerator for about 4 hours and then serve it by cutting it into slices 30.