That bittersweet feeling of finishing a season of Great British Baking Show. Why can’t it just go on forever? # 90: Mini Swirl Cakes

 

 

I finally finished the first double-P (Paul & Prue) Great British Baking Show season. Verdict: I LOVED IT. My skepticism was running high as I watched the first episode. How could it be any good if it didn’t have Mel, Sue and Mary Berry? It only took 3 episodes to fall completely in love with Prue and the endearingly weird host duo, Noel and Sandi.

Watching GBBS is dangerous for my baking budget. I come out of each episode with at least 5 new baking bucket list items and a head buzzing full of ingredients and new combinations to try. Now that it’s fall, I can’t wait to try out my royal icing skills on some ginger snaps. Plus all of the chocolate-heavy recipes I’ve been pushing off til this time of year. I’m seeing chocolate pear upside down cake in the near future!

 

 

I attempted a kitkat buttercream version of Prue’s mini rolls a few weeks back for a coworker’s birthday. I’ve been saving them to post until this week when I knew I’d be without a full kitchen for over a week (truly the ONLY downside to vacation!) I’m mostly pleased with the way they turned out, but they weren’t as elegant as I was aiming for. At least they tasted delish!

 

 

 

This bake was all about the eggs, butter and sugar, each whipped into a frenzy, and doused in chocolate.

 

(Excuse the messy counter – this was a late night bake on a time crunch.) They are essentially tiny swiss rolls, so they require a light sponge. That means separating the eggs and preparing them in separate bowls. No fat allowed in the egg whites until they are a fluffy cloud!

 

Quarter sheet pans work perfectly as a swiss roll pan replacement. I made sure to spray the pan so the parchment paper didn’t spring back into the tight roll it came in.

 

The egg whites could get up and walk away on their own. Next time I’ll whip them a titch less. Still perfectly usable, but I know this would be a re-do in the GBBS tent.

 

Cocoa mixture, pre and post additions of egg yolk and egg whites. The change in texture and color was so interesting.

 

Ready, set, oven!

 

 

While the sponges were cooling, I whipped up some buttercream with crushed kitkats. I’m not a candy person myself, especially when it involves milk chocolate. Side note, have you ever tried dark chocolate kitkats? They’re a whole new ballgame. I didn’t have time to track any down, so milk chocolate stepped up to the plate.

 

Not pictured: fridge time to solidify the buttercream enough to slice it.

 

I sadly didn’t have enough of the lovely dark chocolate bar left to coat the cakes, so I had to mix it in with a handful of milk chocolate chips from my Tollhouse stash. These made the chocolate glaze thick and gloppy but I soldiered on.

 

White chocolate drizzle for a contrasting color.

 

Happy hodge-podge of cakes wearing their chocolate coats. Hey, baking is art, and art can be abstract. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.

 

Happy munching!

 

 

Recipe mainly from: http://thegreatbritishbakeoff.co.uk/prues-chocolate-mini-rolls/