As the markets overflow with plump, juicy blueberries and vibrant raspberries, it’s the perfect time to rediscover a timeless classic: Dorie Greenspan’s exquisite Berry Mascarpone Roulade. This elegant French cake roll is more than just a dessert; it’s a symphony of textures and flavors, featuring a tender, airy sponge cake delicately rolled around a rich, sweet mascarpone cream, generously studded with a medley of fresh, ripe berries.
There’s a unique joy in recreating a beloved recipe, especially one from a culinary icon like Dorie Greenspan. Her recipes are renowned for their reliability and sheer deliciousness, and this Berry Mascarpone Roulade is no exception. It embodies the essence of sophisticated baking while remaining accessible to home bakers.
Why This Berry Mascarpone Roulade Will Be Your New Favorite Dessert
Every baker has a list of go-to recipes, and this berry roulade quickly earns a top spot. Here’s why this particular creation is a must-make for anyone who appreciates fine desserts:
- Authored by Dorie Greenspan: For those unfamiliar, Dorie Greenspan is a James Beard Award-winning cookbook author, celebrated for her meticulously tested and consistently successful recipes. When you bake a Dorie Greenspan recipe, you’re guaranteed quality and a delightful outcome. This roulade showcases her genius for classic French pastries, adapted for the home kitchen.
- Stunning Presentation: Forget complicated cake decorating. When sliced, this Berry Mascarpone Roulade reveals beautiful spirals of golden sponge cake, creamy white mascarpone filling, and vibrant bursts of red and blue berries. It’s an effortlessly elegant dessert that looks impressive on any table, perfect for company or a special family meal.
- An Unforgettable Flavor and Texture Harmony: The magic of this dessert lies in its perfect balance. You have the tender, light-as-air sponge cake providing a delicate foundation. This is contrasted with the rich, luxurious, and subtly sweet mascarpone cream, which offers a delightful melt-in-your-mouth texture. Finally, the fresh, plump berries cut through the richness with their natural sweetness and a hint of tartness, creating a truly fabulous culinary experience. It’s creamy, fruity, light, and indulgent all at once.
My journey back to this recipe was serendipitous. After a blog migration years ago, some beloved posts, including this one, vanished. All that remained were photographs and a faint echo of the baking process. A recent lackluster baking attempt spurred me to revisit my archives, and upon discovering the images of this beautiful berry roulade, I knew it was time to resurrect it. A trip to the market for fresh, sweet berries was all the motivation needed to bring this Dorie Greenspan jelly roll back to life, reminding me of the sheer joy of recreating a lost treasure.
Key Ingredients for a Flawless Berry Roulade
The success of any great recipe lies in the quality of its ingredients and understanding their roles. This Berry Mascarpone Roulade calls for relatively simple components, but each plays a crucial part in achieving the perfect balance of flavor and texture.
- Kitchen Staples: Flour, Cornstarch, Salt, Granulated Sugar, Powdered Sugar – These form the backbone of the sponge cake and the sweet filling. The cornstarch, in particular, contributes to the delicate tenderness of the sponge, ensuring it’s not too dense. Powdered sugar is essential for both dusting the cake and sweetening the mascarpone cream, providing a smooth finish.
- Large Eggs (Separated, at Room Temperature): Eggs are critical for the structure and lightness of the sponge cake. Separating them when cold helps prevent the yolks from breaking, making the process cleaner. However, allowing both the yolks and whites to come to room temperature before whipping is paramount. Room temperature egg whites whip up with significantly more volume and stability, creating the airy meringue that gives the sponge its characteristic texture. Room temperature yolks incorporate more smoothly into the batter.
- Vanilla Extract: Always opt for real vanilla extract over imitation. The difference in flavor is undeniable. A high-quality vanilla extract, such as Nielsen-Massey, imparts a warm, aromatic depth that complements the berries and mascarpone beautifully, elevating the overall taste of the dessert.
- Mascarpone Cheese: This Italian double or triple cream cheese, originating from the Lombardy region, is the star of our filling. Mascarpone is incredibly rich, buttery, and velvety smooth, with a subtly sweet and slightly tangy profile. It provides a luxurious creaminess that is less dense and tangier than typical cream cheese, making it ideal for a light yet decadent roulade filling.
- Whipping Cream or Heavy Cream: Look for cream with a milkfat content of 36-40%. This higher fat content ensures that the cream will whip up beautifully, doubling in volume and holding firm peaks. When folded into the mascarpone, it lightens the filling, making it airy and delightful.
- Fresh Blueberries and/or Raspberries: A pint of either or half a pint of both is ideal. The quality of your berries will directly impact the final flavor. Choose ripe, plump, and vibrant berries. The natural sweetness and slight tartness of fresh berries are indispensable, providing a burst of fruitiness with every bite. While Dorie’s original recipe suggested poaching the berries, I’ve found that fresh berries work wonderfully, maintaining their shape and bright flavor.
Mastering the Art of the Sponge Cake Roll: Step-by-Step
Creating a beautiful sponge cake roll, or roulade, might seem intimidating, but with the right technique, it’s a rewarding process. This recipe focuses on a classic, simple sponge, similar to what you’d find in delicate ladyfingers, ensuring a light and pliable cake base.
- The Sponge Cake Foundation: The key to this tender cake lies in its structure. We begin by whipping sweetened egg whites into a firm meringue. This meringue is then carefully folded into the whisked egg yolks, along with sifted flour and cornstarch. The gentle folding technique is crucial here; it incorporates air into the batter, resulting in an incredibly light and airy sponge. Overmixing will deflate the meringue, leading to a denser cake.
- Baking and Initial Rolling: The batter is spread evenly into a sheet pan and baked until it’s puffed and golden. The sponge cake bakes relatively quickly due to its thinness. The most important step for achieving that signature roll is to handle the cake while it’s still warm from the oven. Immediately after removing it from the oven, invert the cake onto a clean kitchen towel generously dusted with powdered sugar. The powdered sugar prevents sticking and adds a touch of sweetness. The warm cake is then gently rolled up in the towel, allowing it to set its shape as it cools. This “memory” for rolling prevents cracking later when you add the filling.
- Crafting the Mascarpone Dream: While the cake cools, prepare the exquisite mascarpone cream. Mascarpone is gently whisked with powdered sugar and vanilla extract until just combined. In a separate bowl, whipping cream is beaten until it forms firm peaks. A quarter of the whipped cream is then stirred into the mascarpone mixture to lighten it, followed by gently folding in the remaining whipped cream. This careful folding ensures the filling remains airy and light, a perfect contrast to the cake.
- Assembling Your Roulade: Once the sponge cake has cooled completely and retained its rolled shape, it’s time for the grand assembly. Carefully unroll the cake from the towel. Spread the luscious mascarpone filling evenly over the entire surface, leaving a small border (about an inch) free around the edges. This prevents the filling from oozing out when rolled. Then, evenly disperse your chosen fresh berries over the cream. I often use raspberries on one side and blueberries on the other to accommodate varied preferences within my household – a little trick I learned when one member expressed a preference for raspberries over raw blueberries! (Turns out, his raspberry slice was indeed “just peachy!”). Using the towel as an aid, gently lift and re-roll the cake, starting from the long side farthest from you, ensuring a snug roll. Finish with the seam on the bottom.
- Chilling and Serving: After rolling, trim off the slightly uneven ends with a serrated knife for a neat, professional finish. The roulade then needs to chill in the refrigerator for at least two hours. This chilling time is vital as it allows the filling to set and the flavors to meld, making the cake easier to slice and ensuring its structural integrity. Before serving, a final dusting of powdered sugar adds an elegant touch.
Frequently Asked Questions About Roulades
The term “roulade” is French, derived from the word “rouler,” meaning “to roll.” While it commonly refers to a thin slice of meat (like beef or chicken) rolled around a savory filling and then cooked, in the world of baking, it describes a light, often souffle-type or sponge batter, baked thinly in a jelly roll pan. Once baked, this cake base is then spread with a sweet or savory filling and rolled up into a cylindrical shape, often referred to as “jelly-roll fashion.” Our Berry Mascarpone Roulade falls perfectly into this sweet culinary category.
A jelly roll is indeed a specific type of roulade. The concept of “jelly rolls” first emerged in the 1800s, traditionally featuring a thin sponge cake topped with jam, jelly, whipped cream, or a light frosting before being rolled into a characteristic cylinder. These are typically finished with a dusting of powdered sugar rather than an all-over frosting. In British English, a jelly roll is often known as a Swiss roll. The broader term “roulade” encompasses both sweet and savory rolled dishes. So, while all jelly rolls are roulades, not all roulades are jelly rolls (think of the meat roulades mentioned earlier).
When your roulade contains a perishable filling, such as our mascarpone cream and fresh berries, proper storage is crucial for both safety and quality. It should not be left at room temperature for longer than two hours. To store, cover the entire roulade well with plastic wrap. This tight seal prevents the cake from drying out and absorbing unwanted odors from the refrigerator. Keep it chilled in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. While it can last a bit longer, it’s best enjoyed within this timeframe, as the cake may begin to absorb moisture from the filling over extended storage, potentially becoming soggy.
Pro Tips for a Perfect Roulade Every Time
- Room Temperature Eggs are Non-Negotiable: This cannot be stressed enough. Cold eggs separate easily, but room temperature whites whip into a voluminous, stable meringue, which is the secret to a light, airy sponge.
- Don’t Overmix the Batter: Once the dry ingredients and egg yolks are folded into the meringue, stop as soon as it’s just combined. Overmixing will deflate the air you’ve painstakingly whipped into the egg whites, resulting in a dense, chewy cake rather than a tender sponge.
- Roll While Warm: The sponge cake is most pliable and least likely to crack when it’s still warm from the oven. Don’t wait for it to cool completely before the initial roll in the sugared towel.
- The Powdered Sugar Towel is Your Friend: Dusting the kitchen towel generously with powdered sugar prevents the warm cake from sticking and makes the unrolling and re-rolling process much smoother.
- Even Filling Distribution: When spreading the mascarpone cream, aim for an even layer across the entire cake, leaving a small border. This ensures every slice has a balanced cake-to-filling ratio and prevents messy edges.
- Chill Thoroughly: Patience is key! A well-chilled roulade is much easier to slice cleanly, and it allows the filling to firm up and the flavors to fully meld.
Explore More Delightful Cake Recipes
If you’ve enjoyed the elegance and flavor of this Berry Mascarpone Roulade, you’re sure to love these other fantastic cake creations:
- Strawberry Shortcake Roulade from Mom on Timeout: Another beautiful rolled cake featuring classic strawberry shortcake flavors.
- Mousse-Filled Angel Food Cake: Light and airy angel food cake meets a decadent mousse filling.
- Best Yellow Cake Recipe: A timeless classic, perfect for any celebration, paired with rich chocolate buttercream.
- Pumpkin Cake Roll: A seasonal favorite, this pumpkin sponge cake rolled with cream cheese frosting is a holiday must-make.
- And make sure to check out all my amazing Cake Recipes for more inspiration and delicious ideas!
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Berry Roulade Recipe
20 minutes
10 minutes
30 minutes
10 servings
This jellyroll cake, or roulade, is a sponge rolled around mascarpone cream and fresh berries.
Ingredients
For the cake:
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup cornstarch
- ⅛ teaspoon of salt
- 6 large eggs, separated, at room temperature
- ⅔ cup granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
For the filling:
- ½ cup mascarpone cheese
- ⅓ cup powdered sugar
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ¾ cup heavy whipping cream (36-40% milkfat)
To assemble:
- 1 pint fresh blueberries or raspberries, or half a pint of each
- Extra powdered sugar for dusting
Instructions
- Prepare for Baking: Preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C). Line a 12×17-inch rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper, extending it slightly over the edges to create “handles.”
- Sift Dry Ingredients: Sift the flour, cornstarch, and salt together onto a piece of parchment paper. This ensures a light, lump-free mixture.
- Whip Egg Whites: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip the egg whites until they are just starting to hold their shape (soft peaks). Gradually pour in the granulated sugar and continue beating on high speed for another 2-3 minutes until the meringue is very firm and glossy, forming stiff peaks.
- Prepare Yolks: In a separate medium bowl, whisk the egg yolks with ½ teaspoon of vanilla extract until smooth and pale.
- Combine Batter: Gently whisk about ¼ of the firm meringue into the egg yolks to lighten them. Then, carefully scrape the lightened yolk mixture onto the remaining meringue. Sprinkle the sifted dry ingredients over the top. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold all the ingredients together until just combined. Be careful not to overmix, which would deflate the meringue.
- Bake the Sponge: Pour the batter evenly onto the prepared baking sheet and gently spread it to the edges. Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until the sponge cake is puffed, golden brown, and springs back when lightly touched.
- Initial Roll: While the cake is still warm, dust a clean kitchen towel generously with powdered sugar. Invert the baked cake onto the sugared cloth. Carefully peel away the parchment paper from the cake.
- Cool the Cake: With the long side of the cake closest to you, gently roll the cake up with the towel inside. Allow the rolled cake to cool completely on a wire rack. This “sets” the shape and prevents cracking later.
- Prepare Mascarpone Filling: In a bowl, place the mascarpone cheese. Sift the powdered sugar over it and gently whisk the two together until smooth. Stir in the remaining ½ teaspoon of vanilla extract.
- Whip Cream: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip the heavy cream until it holds firm peaks. Stir about ¼ of the whipped cream into the mascarpone mixture to lighten it, then gently fold in the remaining whipped cream until just combined.
- Assemble and Chill: Once the cake is completely cool, carefully unroll it from the towel. Spread the mascarpone filling evenly over the cake, leaving about a 1-inch border without filling along the edges. Evenly disperse the fresh blueberries and/or raspberries over the filling. Using the towel to help you lift, re-roll the cake snugly, starting from the long side farthest from you and finishing with the seam on the bottom. Trim off both ends of the roulade with a serrated knife for a neat appearance. Refrigerate for at least two hours to allow the filling to set before serving.
- Serve: Before serving, dust the roulade with a final sprinkle of powdered sugar. Slice with a sharp serrated knife and garnish with extra fresh berries, if desired.
Notes
Recipe adapted from Dorie Greenspan, a master of French baking. For best results, ensure all ingredients are at room temperature as specified. The gentle handling of the sponge cake and meringue is key to its light texture.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
10
Serving Size:
1 slice
Amount Per Serving:
Calories: 320Total Fat: 20gSaturated Fat: 11gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 162mgSodium: 171mgCarbohydrates: 30gFiber: 1gSugar: 21gProtein: 6g
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