Strawberry Shortcake Swiss Roll

I did it! I did it! Proudly presenting my Strawberry Shortcake Swiss Roll that I learnt from Chef Aki last weekend at Shermay's Cooking School. As I mentioned previously, I had this fear of making swiss rolls, but Chef Aki's recipe looks so promising that I convinced myself to give it a go. And I was really glad that I did! I paid extra attention during class and took down whatever tips she said diligently and I was pleased that my "hardwork" paid off.

I repeat that I would not be sharing the recipe here as it's under copyright by the Chef and Cooking School. What I can say, if it's of any help, is I used some Japanese ingredients as recommended by Chef Aki, like Nissen Violet Flour and Jyohakuto sugar which can be found at Meidi-ya or Isetan Supermarket. I already have them in my pantry actually; the Nissen Violet Flour was highly recommended by Chef Daniel Tay (for Strawberry Shortcake) and the Jyohakuto sugar  was recommended by Chef Aki during one of her past workshops on Japanese homecook dishes. Oh, in addition I used milk from Hokkaido, well the quantity is quite negligible so I think it doesn't really matter what brand.

The sponge making process was straightforward and I was really excited when it turned out looking quite good. In my "zealousness" to start rolling the swiss roll, I forgot to brush some kirsch syrup onto the sponge :( and proceeded with spreading the whipped cream. Oh well.

Next the rolling part, which was a little nerve wrecking as I was afraid that the cake might crack. Indeed I was a little tentative when I rolled the cake and it cracked a tiny winy bit :( Never mind, I could cover up using whipped cream :p I guess I should have just rolled the cake swiftly.

The final product looked alright, but I thought it looked a little flat. Must roll the cake better next time; and I think I sliced the strawberries too thinly. Nevertheless, I think it was an encouraging attempt and I will definitely do this again. I also realised I don't have a longish plate to serve the cake in; had to use my chopping board :p I must go Robinson to hunt for a nice longish serving plate soon :p

Tastewise, the sponge was tender and moist, just the way I liked it, like those sold in Japanese pattiserie; the whipped cream and strawberries complemented the cake very well indeed. For deco purpose, I spreaded whipped cream over the roll too, but probably could omit next time if it's just for home consumption. So yep, definitely gonna make this again :)