Bolton Bake Off star cooks up a sweet treat for everyone

Okay, I know summer is not looking very likely.

We had a glorious Easter weekend but the Atlantic storms brought some turbulence. Never mind, the weather will be what it is.

Easter came and went but we are very close to celebrating the end of Ramadan.

Those who are observing will conclude a month’s fasting. Eid will be welcomed with great merriment.

The history of religious celebrations have fascinated me.

History has been very close to my heart. Even Prue Leith and Paul Hollywood exclaimed, "That Mak, he’s history!" Lord, I’m funny.

Easter and Eid have one thing in common, their observance is based on the moon.

Easter is celebrated the first Sunday after the full moon that occurs on or after the spring equinox. Eid is observed on the sighting of the new moon of the next lunar month.

Whatever you are celebrating, or not celebrating for that matter, you must agree that a creamy and fruity swiss roll has universal appeal.

This one is special, it is made with raspberries and white chocolate. I dare you to find a better combination.

The sponge is light; it is made without any butter.

It is important you have an electric whisk as the mixing of the eggs and sugar needs to be prolonged to achieve that airy texture. It’s easy to make and is one of those recipes that even kids can get involved with.

Raspberry and White Chocolate Swiss Roll

Hands on: 30 minutes. Cook time: 15 minutes. Feeds: Oh I don’t know, up to eight people.

Electric whisk is essential.

For the sponge:

● 80g white chocolate chunks

● 4 large eggs

● ½ tsp almond essence

● 100g golden caster sugar, plus extra for dusting

● 75g self-raising flour

During the cooking process

For the filling:

● 80g white chocolate chunks

● 300ml double cream

● 1 vanilla pod, split, seeds scraped, or Teaspoon of essence

● 180g fresh raspberries

During the cooking process

During the cooking process

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/fan 160°C/gas 4. Line the sides and base of a 24cm x 35cm swiss roll tin with baking paper, so that the baking paper comes up above the rim of the tin.

2. Make the swiss roll. Place the white chocolate in a bowl, suspend it over a pan of barely simmering water and allow it to melt slowly. Remove the pan from the heat and leave to cool a little.

3. Crack the eggs into a large bowl and add the almond essence and sugar. Whisk using the electric whisk for about 10 minutes until pale and thickened (the whisk should leave a trail when moved through the mixture). Carefully fold first the melted chocolate into the mixture, then the flour. Be careful not to knock too much of the air out.

4. Pour into the lined tin and bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes until spongy to the touch. Meanwhile, place a large sheet of baking paper on a work surface and dust with caster sugar.

5. Remove the cooked sponge from the oven and quickly flip the tin over onto the sugared paper. Remove the tin, then carefully peel away the paper from the base of the sponge. Loosely roll up the sponge and sugared paper together, from the short end. Leave to cool completely.

6. For the filling, slowly melt the chocolate as in step 2, then allow to cool a little. In a large bowl, lightly whip the double cream with the scraped vanilla seeds (or essence if using), then fold through the melted chocolate. Unroll the sponge and spread over the chocolate and cream mixture, leaving a 1cm border. Scatter over the raspberries before carefully re-rolling the sponge (without the paper). Allow to cool completely. Cut generous slices.

Mak's delicious swiss roll

Mak's delicious swiss roll

It can be frozen if wrapped tightly with baking parchment and then wrapped in cling film and can be left to chill in the fridge if using the next day.

To all the readers of The Bolton News. I hope you had a lovely Easter break and Happy Eid.