Who here doesn’t like a good Swiss Roll? Or a Ho Ho? We were hosting friends last weekend for dinner (taco bar!) and I wanted to make a dessert that would fulfill a country recipe (I’ve been a bit slow getting started on that this year) but that would also complement dinner. I’m getting dangerously close to completing the South American part of my culinary tour and when I found the recipe for Brazo de Reina, I knew it would be perfect.

I’m a big fan of dulce de leche (though I still think its use in alfajores is the best way to enjoy this caramel spread) and this sponge cake dessert is filled with it. There was a fair amount of debate on the Internet over the true origins of this style of dessert, though the whole “Swiss Roll” moniker seems to give it away. These rolled sponge cakes can be filled with a variety of creams, jams, etc. but in Chile, they stuff it with dulce de leche. And sometimes roll it in coconut with additional caramel on top. I supported this suggested modification on the recipe I chose to follow. I used the towel method to help roll this and while it wasn’t as tight of a roll as I’d like, it didn’t crack or break under pressure!

Recipe I used: https://foreignfork.com/dulce-de-leche-cake/

Overall Level of Effort: 2

Skill Level: Beginner/Intermediate

Would Make it Again? Yes

Additional Notes: This was my first sponge cake and I was a bit skeptical of the instructions, particular about pouring it into a sheet pan. But it didn’t rise much at all, remaining very flat and perfect for rolling as instructed with a dish towel. Next time I would probably flour the towel a bit to avoid stickiness but it worked like a charm!