Raspberry & White Chocolate Roulade Recipe

Prepare and preheat

Preheat oven to 200°C (390°F). Line a 10x15 inch (25x38 cm) Swiss roll / jelly roll baking tray with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on the long sides to help lift out the sponge. Lightly grease the paper.

Separate eggs if you prefer — this recipe uses whole eggs. Bring eggs to room temperature for better volume (about 20 minutes out of fridge).

In a large heatproof bowl (or bowl of a stand mixer), whisk the whole eggs and caster sugar together. Place over a pan of barely simmering water (bain-marie) and whisk for 2–3 minutes until warm to the touch and sugar has dissolved. Remove from heat.

Using an electric mixer, whisk the warmed egg-sugar mixture on high speed until thick, pale, and tripled in volume (ribbon stage). This takes about 5–7 minutes with a hand mixer, less with a stand mixer. Beat in the vanilla extract.

Sift the flour, cornstarch and salt together. Gently fold the dry ingredients into the aerated egg mixture in three additions using a spatula, folding from the bottom to avoid deflating the batter.

Fold in the melted cooled butter in two additions just until incorporated and smooth. Do not overmix.

Pour batter into the prepared tray and spread evenly with an offset spatula to the edges. Tap tray gently to remove large air pockets.

Bake immediately in the center of the preheated oven for 8–11 minutes, or until the sponge is springy to the touch and lightly golden. Do not overbake — the sponge should remain pliable.

While sponge is baking, lay out a clean tea towel and dust it generously with icing sugar. Once sponge is baked, immediately turn the sponge out onto the sugared towel, peel off the parchment, and starting from a short edge, roll the sponge up with the towel inside into a tight spiral. Allow to cool completely rolled-up (about 30–45 minutes) — this sets the shape and prevents cracking when filled.

Place raspberries, caster sugar and lemon juice in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the raspberries release liquid and sugar dissolves, about 4–6 minutes.

Mix the cornstarch with water to make a slurry, then stir into the simmering raspberries. Cook for another 1–2 minutes until the mixture thickens slightly. Taste and adjust sweetness if needed. Remove from heat and pass through a fine sieve to remove seeds for a smooth filling (optional). Let cool completely before using.

Place finely chopped white chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Heat the cream in a small saucepan until it just begins to simmer (do not boil).

Pour hot cream over the chopped white chocolate and let sit for 1 minute. Stir gently from the center outward until smooth and glossy. Stir in the butter and a pinch of salt until incorporated. If sauce is too thick, warm gently or add up to 1 tbs more cream to reach pouring consistency. Keep warm or gently rewarm before serving.

Crumble the softened vanilla ice cream into a bowl. Add the finely crushed butter-flavoured popcorn and the corn syrup or honey (if using) and fold gently to combine. This will infuse the ice cream with popcorn flavour and add crunchy bits. Refreeze for 30–60 minutes if needed to firm up before serving alongside the roulade.

Carefully unroll the cooled sponge. Spread the cooled raspberry filling evenly over the sponge, leaving a 0.5 inch (1 cm) border at one long edge to make sealing easier.

Roll the sponge back up (without the towel) into a tight roulade. Place seam-side down on a serving platter. Trim the ends for a neat appearance if desired.

Warm the white chocolate sauce if necessary and drizzle over the roulade. Dust lightly with icing sugar. Arrange fresh raspberries along the top and scatter a few pieces of popped popcorn for contrast and crunch.

Slice the roulade with a serrated knife wiped between cuts. Serve slices with a scoop of the popcorn flavoured ice cream and an extra drizzle of warm white chocolate sauce.