Roulades, swiss rolls and the like: how do you roll yours?

[Slubberdegullion]

Never done one before (I know, I know what have I been doing with my life etc) but somewhere in the back of my mind there was the knowledge that you rolled them from the long side.

Today I did the chocolate and cranberry roulade from this month's Good Housekeeping and it said to roll from the short side.

So that is what I did as I always do as I am told.

It looked like a cow pat. My mother laughed at it. It was meant to be special . Still tasted nice though.

i always roll from the short side.

did your recipe tell you to turn out the flat baked cake onto a sugar dusted tea towel ready for rolling? that helps a lot.

and it is supposed to crack and stuff.

glad it tatsed good though

Yup, turned it out onto sugared baking parchment. I was expecting the cracks. I was not expecting the squat, splurging blob. It looked NOTHING like the photo.

I roll from the short side except yule log which I roll from the long side. I do it on sugar dusted greasproof while its still hot.

but but but

How in the picture does it look like a long thin log, but if you roll it from the short side surely it is going to be as long as the short side, which by its very nature is short and not long?

iyswim

i think they can be a bit hit and miss tbh. mine roll ok but swiss roll was disturbingly chewy last time...

i might have to have a bash at one tomrrow now...see what happens...

always from short side

do you cut almost through a line paralell to the edge you are rolling from, 1 cm in to aid in rolling? was a tip my home ec teacher taught me at school and has stood me in good stead.

hmm...i would've thought it would unroll itself if you rolled it from the long side, as there is less to roll IYSWIM?

Not understanding the 1cm cut line Panda.

I am ready to accept that Good Housekeeping was right and my inner ancient wisdom of roulade rolling is bollocks.

Maybe I do not have the gift for such cake products.

make a cut paralell to the edge you are going to roll from, about 1 cm in, but not all the way through. makes it easier to roll it tightly in on itself iyswim. Home Ec teacher taught me to do it that way 20 odd yrs ago, so always have!

Thanks Panda - I get it now . Will give that a go the next time I have a stab at a roll.

Swiss Rolls 1970s R.I.P.

aww Bonsoir, but the whole 1970s food revival movement is very fashion forward atm

The roulade in the picture looked lovely, with holly leaves dipped in egg white and sugar and little sprays of sugared cranberries. Not that I did any of that mind as after I had attempted the roll-up no amount of adornment would have brought it back from cow pat chic.

I think I'll give fashion forward a miss then .

I was a dab hand with Swiss Rolls (damp tea towel, trimmed edges, caster sugar et al) in about... ooh, 1975?

Really? Are you that old?

I'm positively antiquated. 1966 vintage.

Well blow me down.

I never you had you penned as a vintage mner Bonsoir.

Well come on then, you with all your years of damp tea towel knowledge, long or short side?

Short side.

You must trim the crusty sides first.

I roll from the long side but the biggest help was reading someone who said roll it up with the greaseproof paper inside and then unroll it to take the paper out once it has kept the shape.

Okey dokey, crusty sides will be trimmed in future.

So are the reminiscences bringing it all back then? Admit it, you want to make a roulade now don't you, for old times' sake.

Ah haa, and Fab throws a long side roll into the mix. Very contraversial there Fab.

I think a whole roulade experience dinner party is called for - savoury mini-cheese roulades with the drinks, a smoked salmon roulade starter, a spinach roulade main course and a chocolate and cream roulade dessert...

If you roll it from the smaller side depending on how long it is it could end up too big.

LOL

Imagine if you did it with a completely straight face, without a hint of irony.

I wonder if the guests would say anything?

Smoked samon roulade lololol, now I'm having a flashback moment. Philadelpha and dill you stuck in there iirc. Oh 'twas the height of sophistication (for my mother )

I bake the roulade and immediately cover it (it is still in the tin) with sheet of greaseproof topped by a damp tea towel.
Then to roll out I turn it out onto another piece of greaseproof, dusted with icing sugar. I roll it from the long side as there are only non-discerning men in our household.
As it has been kept moist, there isn't such a problem with crisp edges.
(But I did see on Come Dine With Me, a man making a roulade by putting meringue type mixture straight onto a flexible silicone baking sheet and then rolling it up directly from the baking sheet).