Heart Patterned Cake Roll

I know what you're thinking. "This many ingredients and multiple lists of instructions? This is goin to take forever!" But don't be intimidated by my "longwinded-ness". This is a ridiculously quick and easy recipe ! I'd be hard pressed to pick the part of this recipe that is "the most difficult", but if I had to i'd probably go with making the meringue, which really is just dumping the whites into the cake mixer (such finesse, Tash) and letting the mixer do its thing.

Mixing the ingredients for the pattern really only takes a couple of minutes and piping the pattern is the only thing I'd consider time consuming in this recipe. From that point on we'll just make like speedy gonzales and presto! A pretty cake!

Prep Time: 25-30 minutes
Baking Time: 6 minutes (say whaaat?)

Adapted from Dulce Delight

Ingredients:
for the pattern:
1 egg white
30g granulated sugar
40g flour (substitute half for cocoa powder for a chocolate pattern)
20g butter, room temperature
Fruit syrup or food colouring

for the cake
4 eggs, separated
1 tsp cream of tartar
1/2 cup + 1tbsp sugar
60g butter, melted
1/2 cup flour
1/4 cup cocoa powder (substitute with plain flour if you don't want the chocolate flavour)

for the filling
2 tbsp granulated sugar
1 cup heavy/thickened cream
8-10 strawberries, quartered


Directions:

1. Line a 11 x 17 inch baking tray with baking paper
2. Place the template under the baking paper 
3. Preheat the oven to 200 Celcius

For the pattern

1. Combine the egg white, sugar and flour in a small bowl and mix well with a spoon
2. Add the softened butter and mix well
3. Divide into two portions, one larger than the other
4. Color the portions to your preference. (In this recipe I used Wilton's Rose Gel color and colored the larger portion darker than the other)
5. Pour the batters into separate piping bags fitted with a #1 tip
6. Pipe the patterns onto the baking paper with the template under it as a guide
7. Place the baking tray into the freezer while you prepare the rest of the recipe

For the cake:

1. Place egg whites in the bowl of a mixer and whip
2. When the egg whites are frothy, add the cream of tartar and continue to beat
3. Once the egg whites are the consistency of shaving cream, add half the sugar a tablespoon at a time and continue to beat until stiff peaks form
4. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg yolks and remaining sugar by hand until pale and creamy
5. Fold the meringue into the egg yolk mixture
6. Alternately add half the melted butter followed by half the flour/cocoa mixture
7. Pour the batter onto the baking tray and spread evenly over the entire tray using a spatula (It will be quite thinly spread)
8. Drag your finger through the batter to make a border around the edges of the baking paper
9. Bake in the oven for 6 minutes until the middle of the cake is set to the touch

For the filling:

1. Whip the cream and sugar past the point of stiff peaks (It should resemble clotted cream)

To assemble:

1. Lay out a sheet of baking paper and dust lightly with icing sugar
2. Quickly over turn the baking tray so that the cake falls face down onto the baking paper
3. Immediately and gently peel the baking paper off the cake
4. Flip the cake over once again such that the pattern in face down
5. Once the cake is cool (this happens pretty quickly), spread the cream filling over the entire cake
6. Lay down two rows of quartered strawberries on the side of the cake that is on the opposite end of the pattern
7. Using the baking paper to help you along, roll up the cake beginning on the end with the strawberries

And voila! A cake that is sure to impress!