Method
Heat oven to 230C or 220C fan bake, with the rack just below
centre of oven. With an electric beater, beat eggs, sugar and salt
together in a fairly large bowl, until mixture is thick, creamy and
pale (use room temperature eggs and don't hurry the beating).
Meantime, line the bottom and sides of a fairly large (about
22x30cm) sponge roll tin with a piece of baking paper cut at the
corners where the edges fold up.
Measure the flour, cocoa and baking powder into a sieve over a
piece of paper, then lift paper, return mixture to the sieve, and
sift it onto the thick egg mixture. Fold in carefully but
thoroughly until no pockets of dry ingredients remain. Add the
boiling water and fold it in too, then spread the thick mixture
evenly in the lined tin.
Bake for 7-10 minutes or until the centre springs back when
pressed lightly. (Take care not to cook longer than necessary or
the sponge will shrink.)
While sponge roll cooks, lightly butter another piece of baking
paper or a large Teflon liner. Sprinkle castor sugar evenly over
this, shaking off excess. Quickly turn the cooked cake onto this
surface, bottom up. Lift off the baking paper and cool the sponge
on the sugared surface on a cooling rack.
Filling and decorating
When cooled to room temperature, spread with raspberry jam, then
whipped rum cream. (Beat 1 cup of cream with ¼ cup icing sugar and
1-2 Tbsp rum until thick.) Over this sprinkle well-drained canned
or bottled cherries or about a cup of fresh or thawed
raspberries.
Roll up, starting from a short end, lifting the paper or liner
to help you. Keep the paper/liner rolled around the roll until you
are ready to serve it, then serve, join-side down, as is, or dusted
with icing sugar, with chocolate or white chocolate curls for extra
decoration, if you like.
Variation
If preferred, cut cream-topped sponge in two or three pieces and
layer these, instead of forming a roll.
Alison says
This easy and reliable sponge roll has been a standby in our
house for decades, celebrating many birthdays and special
occasions. We can take the cake from the oven less than 20 minutes
after we start mixing.
From '20 Minute Dishes', by Simon and Alison Holst