Ingredients
Sponge
- 250 gbutter, softened
- 250 gcaster sugar
- 6eggs, separated
- 250 gplain flour, sifted
- a pinch of salt
Filling
- 500 ggoiabada, guava paste
- 100 mlwater
To finish
- caster sugar, for dusting
Directions
- Melt the guava paste with the water in a small pan over a low heat, stirring until it becomes a thick, smooth, spreadable cream, and keep it warm. Cold guava paste drags and tears the sponge the moment you try to spread it.
- Cream the butter and sugar for a full 8 minutes until very pale and light, then beat in the egg yolks one at a time.
- Whisk the egg whites to soft peaks in a separate bowl, then fold them into the batter alternately with the sifted flour and salt, working gently so you keep the air in.
- Line a 30 by 40 cm tray with baking parchment and spread about five tablespoons of batter across it in an extremely thin, even layer. You should very nearly be able to see the paper through it, and this thinness is the entire discipline of the cake.
- Bake at 200°C (400°F) for 5 to 6 minutes, until just set and barely coloured. Any real colour means the sheet has dried out and it will crack rather than roll.
- Turn the sheet out onto a sugared cloth, spread a thin layer of the warm guava paste right to the edges, and roll it up tightly from the short end while it is still hot.
- Bake the next sheet, spread it, and wrap it around the roll you already have, so the spiral grows outward one layer at a time.
- Keep going until the batter is used up. A proper Pernambucan bolo de rolo has twenty layers or more, and the finished spiral should read as fine as the rings of a tree.
- Wrap the finished roll in the cloth and leave it to cool completely, then dust it heavily with caster sugar and slice it about 1 cm thick.
Technique
- Thin batter, short bake, roll while hot. Those three things decide whether this works, and none of them can be traded off against the others.
- Work with one sheet in the oven while you roll the last, or the sponge cools past the point of rolling.
- The state of Pernambuco declared bolo de rolo part of its cultural heritage in 2008, and thickness of layer is exactly what the argument is about.
Substitutions
- Quince paste in place of guava, which behaves the same way though it tastes quite different.
- A little lemon juice stirred into the guava if it is very sweet.
Variations
- Made with chocolate ganache, sold widely in Recife.
- With dulce de leche, which is popular and firmly non-traditional.
- Baked as several small rolls rather than one large one.
History
A Pernambuco speciality derived from the Portuguese colchao de noiva; the state declared it part of its cultural heritage in 2008.
Frequently asked questions
What is Bolo de rolo?
Bolo de rolo is a dessert from Brazil: paper-thin sponge rolled around guava paste into a tight spiral. A Pernambuco speciality derived from the Portuguese colchao de noiva; the state declared it part of its cultural heritage in 2008.
How long does Bolo de rolo take to make?
Bolo de rolo takes 40 min of preparation and 40 min of cooking. The recipe makes 1 roll, about 16 slices. It is rated hard to make.
What can I substitute in Bolo de rolo?
Yes, within limits. Quince paste in place of guava, which behaves the same way though it tastes quite different. A little lemon juice stirred into the guava if it is very sweet.
What is the most important thing to get right in Bolo de rolo?
Line a 30 by 40 cm tray with baking parchment and spread about five tablespoons of batter across it in an extremely thin, even layer. You should very nearly be able to see the paper through it, and this thinness is the entire discipline of the cake.
