Rose Water Cream Roll
Light, pretty and festive, with the lovely scent of orange blossom and rose, this Persian dessert looks impressive, but it’s actually very easy to make. It’s adapted from Food of Life: Ancient Persian and Modern Iranian Cooking and Ceremonies by Najmieh Batmanglij.
READ: Author Najmieh Batmanglij is the revered ‘goddess of Iranian cooking’
It’s made by baking thin layer of sponge cake batter spread over a sheet pan, spreading over it a filling of whipped cream flavored with rose water, orange blossom water and orange zest, rolling it up (jelly-roll style) and chilling, then dusting it with powdered sugar, dried rose petals and chopped pistachios before slicing and serving. You’ll need a hand-mixer for this one, as the batter needs to be beaten over simmering water. Alternatively, you could use a whisk.
Makes 1 10-inch / 25-cm-long roll, enough to serve 8 to 10.
Ingredients
For the batter
5 large eggs, separated
1/2 cup / 50 grams sugar
2 tablespoons rose water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons cake flour
For the filling
1 1/4 cups / 300 ml heavy cream
3 tablespoons powdered sugar (plus additional for dusting the baking sheet)
1 tablespoon rose water
1 tablespoon orange blossom water
Zest of 1 orange
To finish
1/4 cup / 30 grams powdered sugar for dusting
2 tablespoons dried rose petals
2 tablespoons chopped raw pistachios
Instructions
1. Oil a rimmed baking sheet and line it with parchment paper. Heat the oven to 400 F / 200 C.
2. In a medium-large heatproof mixing bowl over a pan of simmering water, combine the egg yolks with the sugar, rose water and vanilla, and beat with a hand mixer for 5 minutes until the mixture is creamy and pale. Use a flexible spatula to fold in the flour. Remove it from the heat and set aside.
3. Put the egg whites in a mixing bowl, and use the hand-mixer to beat them till they’re stiff but not dry. Use a flexible spatula to fold them into the egg yolk mixture.
4. Spread the better evenly on the prepared baking sheet, and bake for 10 to 12 minutes until lightly golden.
5. Remove from the oven, place on a rack, cover with a damp kitchen towel and allow to cool for 10 minutes.
6. Meanwhile, line another baking sheet with parchment and dust it with powdered sugar. Remove the kitchen towel and turn the pastry sheet out onto the dusted parchment paper. Peel off the parchment from the top and allow to cool. While it’s cooling, chill a medium mixing bowl.
7. Prepare the filling: Put the cream in the chilled mixing bowl with the powdered sugar, rose water, orange blossom water and orange zest and whip until you have soft peaks. Spread the whipped cream evenly over the pastry sheet. Very gently and carefully, using the parchment to help lift it, roll up the pastry sheet from one of the long ends (so you have a very long roll) and wrap it in the parchment. Then wrap the roll in aluminum foil and seal the ends. Chill on a flat surface in the refigerator for at least 40 minutes.
8. Remove the roll from the refrigerator and unwrap the foil, then the parchment. Dust it with the powdered sugar and decorate with the rose petals and pistachios. Slice and serve immediately, or wait to slice it, keeping it chilled until you’re ready to serve.
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Rose Water Cream Roll
Ingredients
- 5 large eggs, separated
- 1/2 cup / 50 grams sugar
- 2 tablespoons rose water
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons cake flour
- 1 1/4 cups / 300 ml heavy cream
- 3 tablespoons powdered sugar (plus additional for dusting the baking sheet)
- 1 tablespoon rose water
- 1 tablespoon orange blossom water
- Zest of 1 orange
- 1/4 cup / 30 grams powdered sugar for dusting
- 2 tablespoons dried rose petals
- 2 tablespoons chopped raw pistachios
Instructions
- Oil a rimmed baking sheet and line it with parchment paper. Heat the oven to 400 F / 200 C.
- In a medium-large heatproof mixing bowl over a pan of simmering water, combine the egg yolks with the sugar, rose water and vanilla, and beat with a hand mixer for 5 minutes until the mixture is creamy and pale. Use a flexible spatula to fold in the flour. Remove it from the heat and set aside.
- Put the egg whites in a mixing bowl, and use the hand-mixer to beat them till they’re stiff but not dry. Use a flexible spatula to fold them into the egg yolk mixture.
- Spread the better evenly on the prepared baking sheet, and bake for 10 to 12 minutes until lightly golden.
- Remove from the oven, place on a rack, cover with a damp kitchen towel and allow to cool for 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, line another baking sheet with parchment and dust it with powdered sugar. Remove the kitchen towel and turn the pastry sheet out onto the dusted parchment paper. Peel off the parchment from the top and allow to cool. While it’s cooling, chill a medium mixing bowl.
- Prepare the filling: Put the cream in the chilled mixing bowl with the powdered sugar, rose water, orange blossom water and orange zest and whip until you have soft peaks. Spread the whipped cream evenly over the pastry sheet. Very gently and carefully, using the parchment to help lift it, roll up the pastry sheet from one of the long ends (so you have a very long roll) and wrap it in the parchment. Then wrap the roll in aluminum foil and seal the ends. Chill on a flat surface in the refigerator for at least 40 minutes.
- Remove the roll from the refrigerator and unwrap the foil, then the parchment. Dust it with the powdered sugar and decorate with the rose petals and pistachios. Slice and serve immediately, or wait to slice it, keeping it chilled until you’re ready to serve.
