Almond Roulade with Lemon and Lime Curd Cream

We saw a recipe for an Almond Roulade in the Waitrose Weekend paper (8 May 2014) and, having made our own Lemon and Lime Curd recently, decided to give it a go.


It was surprisingly easy to make the roulade.  Just a few ingredients were required -
4 eggs (separated)
100g ground almonds
100g caster sugar

Firstly, the egg yolks and sugar were mixed well (we used a hand mixer) until the mix was light in colour and 'strandy whisk tracks' could be seen when the beaters were removed.

Secondly, the almonds were folded into the egg/sugar mix swiftly.

Finally, the egg whites were beaten to soft peak and rapidly (but gently) mixed through the almond/egg/sugar.







This was then carefully turned out into a lined swiss roll tin and lightly smoothed before being placed in a warmed oven (180ºC) for 11 minutes...
....when it was golden brown and almost firm to the touch.






The roulade was turned out onto a sugared piece of baking parchment and the backing parchment was removed.  We were delighted at how well the parchment came away from the cake.

After cooling completely, the lemon and lime curd was spread over the cake, leaving a gap around the edges.  Then 200ml of cream (which had been ably whipped by Sous Chef J) was carefully spread across (this is a little tricky and next time we'll make sure the cream is a little less stiffly whipped).

Lastly, the roulade was rolled up from a short end, placed in a carry case and put in the fridge to chill.







After chilling, the top was dusted with icing sugar before the roulade was sliced ready to be served.

The Waitrose recipe states it serves 6-8 but, with our slices (about 1cm thick) we think it could stretch to 12 helpings.  A smaller helping reduces the calories per slice... and makes the roulade last longer.

Sous Chef J said "the only downside is that it's eaten too easily" which, coming from a 'discerning' eater (fussy) is praise indeed!

We think this is a great naturally Gluten Free dessert that isn't meringue, fruit or chocolate... give it a try, it's easier than you think.  It could easily be made into a Swiss roll if you wanted to make a speedy pud with readymade jam and then it would be fat free and dairy free too... and those who aren't on special diets would have no idea!

Lemon and Lime Curd

We spotted some nets of lemons and limes that were reduced when we were at the supermarket during the week... and, being of a thrifty persuasion, decided to buy them to have a go at making curd.

Looking for a suitable recipe, we were confronted with all sorts of 'fussy' ones that, frankly, we just don't have the time or inclination for.  So we adapted an old recipe from a card in my recipe stash and were able to make use of the 4 eggs we had as well.

The ingredients we used were - 

3 lemons, zested (and juice of 2)

3 limes, zested and juiced
4 medium eggs, lightly beaten

135g unsalted butter, cubed

165g granulated sugar

We zested and juiced all the limes - zested all the lemons but only used the juice of two of them.






All the ingredients were placed in a heatproof bowl over a pan of just-simmering water... take care NOT to let the water touch the bowl or the egg will scramble.  Stir.


We made sure to keep the water in the pan at a low heat and stirred the ingredients until first the butter melted and then the sugar dissolved.  Keep stirring....

Finally, the curd mix was thick enough to cover the back of our wooden spoon.










The curd was poured (messily) into sterilised jars... we had done this by pouring boiling water, right up to the brim, and leaving them whilst the curd was cooking.









From the ingredients we used, we made about 700ml of curd.

Sous Chef J was on hand to assist with post-jar-filling 'tidying up'... and a fine job he did of it too!

The recipe we adapted says the curd will keep in the fridge for up to a month but, somehow, don't think ours will last that long...

Lemon and Lime CheatsCake

On a search through the cupboard (looking for an elusive tin of chickpeas) we spotted a can of condensed milk and wondered what we could make to use it up.  As Sous Chef J is a fan of all things citrus we decided to try to make something similar to a key lime pie.

However, after 'auditing' supplies, we realised there weren't enough limes to make a lime pie... but we had lemons too and, so, lemon and lime was the citrus blend we decided to go with.  On the day we made this, it was quite warm (strangely, for a UK summer!) and we didn't want to have to use the oven to cook it (which some internet recipes require.)  This made us think of alternatives and we decided on a no-cook biscuit base.

With our pudding in mind, we gathered all the ingredients together.  There was a pot of double cream,  200g of gluten free digestives (we used Tesco free from) and 100g of butter to add to the condensed milk and lemons and limes.

The biscuits were crushed (you could whiz them in a food processor) and, whilst this was happening, the butter was melted.  Next the melted butter was added to the biscuit crumb and mixed well.  This was then spread out evenly over the base of a well greased, 20cm spring form tin and placed in the fridge to chill.

The double cream and condensed milk were then whisked together.  After squeezing and zesting the lemons and limes, the juice and zest was added to the cream/milk and mixed well.  This was then spooned over the chilled biscuit base and returned to the fridge to set.

Just prior to serving, the top of the cake was decorated with slices of lemon and lime and the springform tin was (carefully) removed.



Then it was time for the 'will it stay together' and taste test.  Luckily, it DID stay together and it tasted "yummy" too.

Our Lemon and Lime CheatsCake... named because it's not really a cheesecake but has similarities.  Whatever it is, it's tasty and doesn't last long!