Treat of the Week: A Strawberry and Blueberry Roulade

I’m not sure how she manages it, but each week, my mother manages to outdo herself with the special dessert she makes for us each Sunday.  This week, she presented us with this stunning roulade.  Let’s just take a moment to bask in its glory.

Okay, moving on.  The roulade is comprised of a beautiful sheet of genoise—a sponge cake which originated in Genoa, Italy.  The genoise is made in a sheet, and, while slightly warm, dusted with confectioners’ sugar and rolled slightly to start the shape of the roulade.  The genoise is then coated with a thick layer of freshly whipped cream, strawberries and blueberries, then it is rolled into a lovely volute.

After that was finished, my mother iced the entire log in stiffly whipped cream, carefully adding piped decorations of cream and adorning it with fresh berries in a patter which reminded me of the Naturalistic jewels of the 1830s—particularly the jeweled stomachers worn by royalty and made famous in the late Nineteenth Century by The Duchess of York, later Queen Mary.

It’s just such a stunning dessert.  When sliced, you see the entire volute.  The whipped cream filling has become slightly pink, taking the color of the berries.  Fresh and light, it’s a perfect Springtime dessert.