Vegan Swiss Rolls

Vegan Swiss Rolls

First of all, apologies if you were expecting a science post about the sustainability of honey today.  Yes, I had planned to post that this week, but then I made these absolutely mind-blowing vegan swiss rolls, and I knew I just had to roll with it.  Heh.  

Honestly, before becoming a cruelty-free vegetarian/vegan (more about what I mean by that soon), I used to eat an entire foot-long swiss roll in a single sitting, by myself, at least once a month.  I have, on occasion, been known to eat two in a single day.  So, when I stopped eating dairy and eggs, this was a serious blow.  

I've tried making vegan swiss rolls before, of course!  They were good; they just weren't very swiss roll-like.  They tended to crack when being rolled, and the texture wasn't spongey enough for me.  But this morning, I made some vegan apple pancakes, and realised that they were just what I was looking for!

To get the right shape, I used our tamagoyaki, a Japanese omelet pan which is rectangular, that we brought back from Japan with us.  If you are intrigued, you can buy them online, so we definitely didn't need to stuff it in our already over-full suitcase...

If you don't happen to have one, you could just make a circular pancake and cut it into a rectangle, or fry on a large rectangular skillet, for a super-sized roll.  I'm sure you can also get a rectangular pancake mould; if you can buy Darth Vader shaped moulds, there must be some rectangular ones kicking about somewhere!

I filled these with a few different fruit spreads and some coconut cream, which I've given you the recipe for, but these would be great with chocolate hazelnut spread, nut butters, etc. etc.

I will most definitely be revisiting this recipe for a Buche de Noël come Christmas time, so stay tuned!

Vegan Swiss Rolls

Total time: 30 minutes

Serves: makes four rolls (5 inches long)

Ingredients:

Cake

1 tbsp melted coconut oil
1/4 cup of nondairy milk
1 cup warm water

1 tsp vanilla 

2/3 tsp apple cider vinegar
3 - 6 tbsp sugar (I added 3, but if you like a sweet swiss roll, feel free to add more)

1 cup white flour

1 cup demi-whole wheat flour (or 3/4 cup white flour and 1/4 cup whole wheat flour)

2 1/2 tsp baking powder

2/3 tsp salt
optional: 3 tbsp cocoa powder, for chocolate swiss rolls

Coconut oil for frying (about 1/2 tsp per roll)


Coconut cream filling
1 cup cold coconut cream (about 1 can's worth - make sure to fully separate the cream from the milk)
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/8 cup powdered sugar
1/8 cup dessicated coconut
1/2 tbsp cornstarch
tiny pinch of salt

First, make the rolls.  Melt the coconut oil, and combine with the water, nondairy milk, vanilla, vinegar and sugar.  In a separate bowl, sieve/whisk together the flours, baking powder, salt and cocoa, if using.  Mix the dry ingredients into the wet, until you have a smooth batter.  Melt the coconut oil in a tamagoyaki or frying pan, and, when hot, pour in about a quarter of the batter.  Cook on medium-high heat until the cake is nearly cooked through, then flip and cook on very low heat, just until done (about 30 seconds).  Remove the cake from the pan, and cool it thoroughly before filling and rolling.  If you don't have a cooling rack, like me, just be sure to flip the cake every few minutes while it cools, to ensure it doesn't get wet.

While the cakes are cooling, prepare the filling.  Whip the coconut cream until smooth.  Add the remaining ingredients, then whip again until combined.  Keep refrigerated until you are ready to use the cream.

To make the cakes, I recommend using a sushi-rolling mat, but this is not necessary.  If you don't have one, simply use a clean linen cloth, parchment paper, or silicon baking mat.  Spread the desired fillings (thinly) on two thirds of the cake, leaving a gap of about 1 inch along one of the small edges.  Roll carefully, but firmly, trying to avoid spraying cream everywhere!

Serve cold or at room temperature.

Some gratuitous photos of swiss rolls!