Roll cake ”. This is a typical Brazilian dessert, from the State of Pernambuco. The cake dough is made with flour, eggs, butter and sugar (Photo: https: //blogs.transparent.com/portuguese/brazilian-recipe-bolo-de-rolo/)

Phuong Khanh: Hello, guys and gals.  On today’s Food Delight, we are going to present a Brazilian dessert called “bolo de rolo” (roll cake).  This recipe is from our friend Wagner Dantas, a Brazilian food aficionado whose Vietnamese name is Canh, or soup in English.

Wagner: “The roll cake” is recognized as a national dish under Brazilian law in the State of Pernambuco as Ordinary Law No. 379/2007 as intangible heritage, that is, this cake is very important to our culture.

In fact, the bolo de rolo is an adaptation of Portuguese bridal mattress cake which is a kind of rolled sponge cake with nut filling.  Upon arrival in Brazil, Portuguese cooks exchanged the stuffing for guava, which is abundant in the northeast.

Phuong Khanh: Can you guess why this dessert has that name?  Easy right?  Just by looking you can already imagine why.  According to Wagner, this is a traditional Brazilian dessert, a cake batter made with flour, eggs, butter and sugar, usually served with a cup of coffee.

Ngoc Huyen: “Bolo de rolo” is a dessert that everyone loves for breakfast or afternoon snack, incredibly quick and easy to make, and always a hit with children and adults.  Who doesn’t like a little cake to sweeten life?

Phuong Khanh: It looks great.  Here is the recipe, so you can make this easy dessert at home. And of course, it will come from a Brazilian.

Wagner: In a mixer, put the sugar, butter and salt and beat on medium speed for 3 minutes.  Add the eggs, one by one, and beat until smooth.  Lower the speed, add the wheat flour and mix.  Spread the dough on 4 baking sheets of sponge cake (40 cm X 30 cm) greased with butter and sprinkled with wheat flour.  Bake in a preheated oven at 200º C for +/- 5 minutes.  Then, remove from the oven and fill with a thin layer of guava, loosen the edges with a small knife, roll quickly, place the roll on the other dough with the thin layer of guava and wrap.  Repeat this process 2 more times until you form a roll that is +/- 6 cm in diameter.  Sprinkle crystal sugar and serve cut into thin slices.

Ngoc Huyen: Pay special attention to the temperature of the oven, it must be preheated.  Avoid overcooking.  As it is a very thin dough, so if the temperature is too high, it looks like a biscuit and you can’t roll it.  As soon as it is ready, the dough should be immediately removed from the oven; this makes it easier for it not to dry out and can be rolled up without difficulty.

Phuong Khanh: Canh, do you have any other tips for this dessert?

Wagner: Yes, you need to be careful with the filling, as the dough is very thin, be careful not to overdo the filling, because in addition to the cake cracking, you risk  it becoming too sweet.  The best thing is to obtain a filling with a creamy texture, so as not to break the dough or be left with a runny filling at the ends.

Phuong Khanh: Another tip is after it’s ready, cover the roll cake with a towel and wait for it to cool.

Ngoc Huyen: The roll cake can be served with a cup of coffee without too much sugar because the cake is already sweet.  In northeastern Brazilian culture it is always good to have a roll cake ready at home to receive a friend and chat about life.

Phuong Khanh: Try it.  You will not be disappointed.  We would love to hear your opinion and your thoughts on the roll cake recipe.  Follow us on our Facebook Fanpage – VOV5 English Service – or send an email to englishsection@vov.vn.  Thank you for your attention.  Happy cooking!