Lemon Sky
A refreshing cake roll filled with lemon cream custard and decorated with candied lemon slices and pistachios.
Ingredients
egg yolk
1
powdered sugar
30 g
lemon zest (finely grated)
1/2
egg white
2
granulated sugar
40 g
cake flour
20 g
milk
40 g
unsalted butter
20 g
rum syrup
to taste
lemon buttercream
300 g
pistachios (for garnish)
to taste
candied lemon slices (for garnish)
10 slices
Instructions
1
Prepare the yolk batter
Whisk the egg yolks until broken up, then add the powdered sugar and whip until the mixture can be drawn into ribbons and the powdered sugar is fully dissolved.
2
Add the liquids
Add the unsalted butter (melted over a double boiler) and milk, then mix until evenly combined.
3
Whip the egg whites
Whip the egg whites until foamy and they hold on the whisk. Add 1/3 of the granulated sugar and continue whipping. Whip until soft peaks form when lifting the whisk, then add another 1/3 of the sugar and whip until the whites become glossy. Add the remaining sugar and continue whipping from soft peaks to nearly stiff peaks.
4
Combine the batter
Fold 1/3 of the whipped egg whites into the yolk mixture to lighten it. Add the remaining whites and fold in a straight line with a spatula until just combined. Sift the cake flour evenly over the surface and fold until no dry lumps remain, producing a glossy batter.
5
Bake
Pour the batter into a baking pan and smooth the surface. Bake in a preheated oven at 200°C for 12–15 minutes.
6
Cool
Remove from the oven and invert onto a dry cloth. Peel off the parchment paper around the edges, then cover the cake with a wrung-out damp cloth to cool. Once cooled, peel off the parchment from the surface.
7
Shape the cake
Lay a wrung-out damp cloth flat with a B4-size sheet of parchment paper on top, then place the cake on the cloth. Using a serrated cake knife, trim one edge of the cake at a 45° angle to create a starting edge for rolling.
8
Spread the filling
Brush the rum syrup over the surface of the cake. Score the surface lightly with a spatula, then spread the lemon buttercream over the cake and sprinkle evenly with the lemon zest.
9
Roll and chill
Roll up the cake and shape it neatly. Secure the ends and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. Cut into 3.5 cm-wide slices and garnish with candied lemon slices and pistachios before serving.
