Brazo Gitano with Raspberry

In the book My Kitchen of Galicia by Isabel Meniño, she takes you to the northwestern part of Spain, where she shares recipes from her father’s kitchen. This dessert is also featured in her book.

Meniño on this recipe:
This is not a typical Spanish pastry, because this roll is made in many variations all over the world. But the story behind this Spanish gypsy’s arm is, as I already described, well worth telling. The sponge is ready in just a few minutes and is then processed as quickly as possible.

Although the pastry looks quite complicated, it is particularly quick and easy to make. With a little calm and the right ‘arm movement’, you can roll up the dough in no time. For the filling, you can limit yourself to stiffly beaten egg whites or whipped cream and delicious jam, but homemade buttercream with real vanilla or coffee is also very tasty.

Method

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees. Line a baking sheet with a piece of parchment paper and use a pencil to draw a frame of approximately 30-50 centimetres on it. In a clean bowl, beat the egg whites with half of the brown sugar until stiff peaks form. In another bowl, beat the egg yolks until light and fluffy with the remaining sugar and the lemon zest. Gently fold one third of the beaten egg whites into this mixture.

Sift the flour and cornflour together with a pinch of salt over this mixture and gently fold everything together until reasonably well combined. Using a silicone spatula and broad strokes, fold in the remaining beaten egg whites. Do not stir too vigorously, as the batter must remain airy.

Pour the batter into the centre of the frame on the parchment paper and spread it evenly and smoothly to the edges with a large knife. Bake the sponge for 8 to 10 minutes in the centre of the oven, until done. Do not bake it any longer, otherwise the sponge will dry out too much and will no longer roll properly. The top of the sponge should remain pale yellow.

Remove from the oven and slide the sponge, paper and all, off the baking sheet. Leave to cool for 5 minutes, then cover with a clean tea towel or piece of parchment paper and carefully turn the sponge over as a whole. Immediately peel off the parchment paper on top and leave the sponge to cool completely on the tea towel.

For the filling, beat the egg whites until almost stiff in an impeccably clean bowl. Add the sugar little by little until it has been incorporated into the egg whites and glossy peaks form. Spread a layer of jam over the sponge, leaving 2 centimetres clear around the edges, and scatter a few raspberries over it.

Spread the beaten egg whites over this, followed by the remaining raspberries. Now use the tea towel or paper to roll up the sponge from the wide side. Do not press too hard and place the roll seam-side down directly on a dish or board. Dust the roll with icing sugar and cut into thick slices with a large sharp knife.

My Kitchen of Galicia

Isabel Meniño.
€ 29,99
Terra

Image: Danny de Jong