Catalonia 13: BRA DE GITANO (ROLLED SPONGE CAKE) 🌞

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BRAÇ DE GITANO (ROLLED SPONGE CAKE)

Ingredients (for 4 people)

8 eggs
250 g (8.75 oz) sugar
250 g (8.75 oz) flour
1 lemon
15 g (.5 oz) baking powder
500 g (17.5 oz) whipped cream or chocolate whipped cream
caster sugar (Superfine in U.S.)

Preparation

1. Heat oven to 210ºC/410ºF.

2. Separate yolks and whites.

3. In a hot bain-marie, (ed note: a double-boiler) beat egg yolks, lemon zest, and sugar to blanch
and emulsify.

4. Separately, sieve flour and baking powder.

5. Beat whites until they form stiff peaks.

6. Mix egg whites and yolks and stir delicately. Add flour and baking
powder.

7. On a baking tray lined with greaseproof paper, spread a 1 cm layer of
sponge cake.

8. Set in the oven for about 10 minutes.

9. When cooked, remove from the oven, place over a wrung wet cloth
and cool.

10. Next, fill with whipped cream or chocolate whipped cream, roll and
sprinkle caster sugar on top.

Comments

The braç de gitano is a typical holiday dessert. I remember it wrapped in
paper with the bakery’s name stamped on it. A few years later, my mother
made them herself in an oven built by my father, Josep. It can also be filled
with custard and wild strawberries, or any fruit. It’s important to cover it
with a wet cloth to prevent the sponge cake from drying and breaking
when rolling.



Greaseproof paper can be found in many stores. It’s a type of paper
suitable for pastries, to avoid using buttered and flour sprinkled foil. In any
case, both options are acceptable.

From "Catalan Cuisine" by Joan Roca

MMMmm Custard and wild strawberries!