Ingredients
| CHOCOLATE SPONGE | |
| 3 large free-range eggs, at room temperature | |
| ⅓ cup golden caster sugar | |
| ¼ cup buckwheat flour | |
| ¼ cup ground almonds | |
| ¼ cup cocoa powder, plus extra to dust | |
| 20g butter, melted and cooled slightly | |
| BOYSENBERRY SEMIFREDDO | |
| 1 cup boysenberries | |
| 3 tablespoons golden caster sugar | |
| 2 large free-range eggs, separated | |
| ½ cup golden icing sugar | |
| 300ml cream | |
| ½ teaspoon vanilla extract | |
| softly whipped cream, to serve |
In this frozen version of the much-loved chocolate sponge roll, I’ve utilised beautiful New Zealand-grown boysenberries to flavour an Italian-style semifreddo which fills a gluten-free chocolate sponge. Can’t find any boysenberries? No worries, use any berry you can get your hands on. For those ice-cream lovers out there who love homemade ice cream but don’t own an ice-cream machine, semifreddo is your new best friend. It is rich, creamy, mousse-like and very addictive.
Instructions
| 1. | Heat the oven to 180°C. |
| 2. | Line a 27cm x 37cm oven tray with baking paper. |
| 3. | For the chocolate sponge, whisk the eggs using an electric mixer on medium-high speed until light and fluffy (approximately 5-6 minutes). |
| 4. | Meanwhile, stir the sugar and 1½ tablespoons cold water in a small saucepan over a medium-high heat until the sugar dissolves, then increase the heat to high and bring to the boil without stirring. |
| 5. | Once boiled and with the mixer still whisking, drizzle the hot syrup into the eggs and continue to whisk until mixture is cold (approximately 5 minutes). |
| 6. | Sieve over the buckwheat flour, ground almonds and cocoa and fold in gently, then fold in the melted butter. |
| 7. | Spread the batter evenly in the prepared tray and bake for 8 minutes or until the sponge bounces back when pressed with your finger. |
| 8. | Turn out onto a sheet of baking paper that has been dusted with cocoa powder and peel the baking paper off the bottom of the sponge. |
| 9. | Loosely roll the sponge up in the baking paper from the longest edge. |
| 10. | Set aside and leave to cool for 30 minutes. |
| 11. | Meanwhile, to prepare the boysenberry semifreddo combine the boysenberries and caster sugar in a small saucepan over a medium heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar. |
| 12. | Cook for 5-8 minutes, gently mashing the berries to break them down as they cook and become jammy. You should end up with approximately ⅓ cup of berry purée. Set aside until completely cold. This step can be done in advance and stored in the fridge for up to 3 days. |
| 13. | Using an electric mixer or hand-held beater, whisk the egg yolks and icing sugar until light and fluffy (approximately 5-6 minutes). |
| 14. | Stir through the cooled berry purée. |
| 15. | In another bowl, whisk the cream and vanilla until soft peaks form. |
| 16. | Using a clean whisk and a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites until stiff peaks form. |
| 17. | Gently fold the cream into the boysenberry mixture, then fold in the egg whites. |
| 18. | Unroll the sponge and spread with the semifreddo mixture, allowing at least 5cm from the top edge to allow for spreading when you roll it back up. |
| 19. | If you find you have a little too much semifreddo, transfer it to a small container and freeze for later enjoyment (it will keep for 3-4 days in the freezer). |
| 20. | Using the baking paper to help, gently roll the filled sponge back up again to enclose the filling. |
| 21. | Wrap another sheet of baking paper around the roll to secure, placing the roll seam-side down onto a tray and transfer to the freezer for at least 4 hours, or overnight. |
| 22. | Remove from the freezer, unwrap and slice into thick rounds. |
| 23. | Allow to come back to room temperature for 10 minutes before eating to allow the sponge to thaw, then serve with softly whipped cream. |
| 24. | Store any leftovers in the freezer. Best eaten within 3-4 days of making. |
Recipes, food styling and photography Emma Galloway
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