After winning a competition to find a new royal dessert, a lemon and amaretti Swiss roll trifle will be the official dessert for the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.
Jemma Melvin, a copywriter from Southport, Merseyside, said winning the competition was “surreal” when a friend suggested it to her.
The national competition to mark the Queen’s 70-year reign attracted 5,000 participants aged eight to 108.
The entries were whittled down to a final five contestants, who competed in a dedicated BBC One TV show.
A panel of judges, led by Dame Mary Berry and Masterchef: The Professionals judge Monica Galetti, tasted the finalists’ puddings.
The 31-year-old home baker was inspired by the lemon posset served during the Queen’s 1947 wedding to Prince Philip, as well as significant women in her life.
Layers of lemon curd and custard, St Clement’s jelly, a mandarin coulis made with tinned mandarins, amaretti cookies, whipped cream, and a jeweled chocolate bark conclude the trifle.
It will join the likes of coronation chicken and Victoria sponge as royal-inspired meals.
Ms. Melvin expressed her hope that bakers throughout the UK will make her winning recipe to commemorate the Queen’s 70 years on the throne.
Are you interested in making your own Jubilee pudding? Melvin’s complete recipe is below.
20 servings of Jemma’s Lemon Swiss Roll with Amaretti Trifle
Prep time: over two hours
Cook time: 35 minutes
You will need two Swiss roll tins, measuring approximately 24cm x 34cm, and a trifle dish with a capacity of approximately 3.5 liters. However, you could always halve the recipe to serve 10.
For the custard:
425ml double cream
Three large free-range egg yolks
25g golden caster sugar
One tbsp cornflour
One tsp lemon extract
For the amaretti biscuits:
Two free-range egg whites
170g caster sugar
170g ground almonds
One tbsp amaretto
Butter or oil, for greasing
For the Swiss rolls:
Four large free-range eggs
100g caster sugar, plus extra for dusting
100g self-raising flour, sieved
Butter, for greasing
For the lemon curd:
Four large free-range egg yolks
135g granulated sugar
85g salted butter, softened
One lemon, zest only
80ml fresh lemon juice
For the St Clement’s jelly:
Six gelatine leaves
Four unwaxed lemons
Three oranges
150g golden caster sugar
For the chunky mandarin coulis:
Four x 397g tinned mandarins
45g caster sugar
For the jeweled chocolate bark:
50g mixed peel
1tbsp caster sugar (optional)
200g white chocolate, broken into pieces
To assemble:
600ml double cream
Method
Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan/gas 4 for the Swiss rolls. 2 Swiss roll tins, greased and lined with baking paper
With an electric hand whisk, beat the eggs and sugar together for about five minutes in a large mixing basin.
Fold the flour in lightly with a metal spoon. Bake for 10–12 minutes, dividing evenly between the two tins.
Sprinkle two sheets of baking paper with more caster sugar, then turn the sponges out onto the sugared paper.
Remove the paper from the underside and, while still warm, coil them both up into a tight spiral from the short end, using the paper to assist. Allow cooling.
Place the egg yolks, granulated sugar, butter, lemon zest, and lemon juice in a glass dish over a saucepan of simmering water to make the lemon curd.
Whisk until well blended, then continue to whisk until the curd thickens. It should take roughly 15 minutes to complete. Place the mixture in a clean basin to cool.
To make the St Clement’s jelly, soak the gelatine leaves in cold water for five minutes to soften.
Using a vegetable peeler, peel six strips from a lemon and six strips from orange and put these into a saucepan with the sugar and 400ml water.
Bring to a low simmer, stirring occasionally, until the sugar has completely dissolved. Remove the peel from the pan and set it aside.
Squeeze the gelatine to remove the water, then stir it into the pan until it dissolves, then set aside to cool. Squeeze the lemons and oranges till 150ml of lemon and orange juice is obtained.
Stir into the pan, then drain the jelly into a jug through a fine sieve until cold but not set.
Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan/gas 4 for the amaretti biscuits. Beat the egg whites until stiff in a large mixing dish.
Gently fold in the sugar and almonds. Gently fold in the amaretto until you have a smooth paste.
Brush some baking paper with butter or oil and place it on a baking tray.
Place little mounds of the mixture about two centimeters apart with a teaspoon, as they will grow during cooking.
Preheat the oven to 350°F and bake for 15–20 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and set it aside to cool.
Strain two tins of mandarins to make the chunky mandarin coulis. Remove the juice and place the fruit in a saucepan with the sugar. Heat gently until the sugar has dissolved.
Turn off the heat. To produce a paste, combine the arrowroot and two tablespoons of cold water in a small basin, then add to the warm mandarins.
Mix in the lemon juice thoroughly before dumping it into a large mixing basin. Remove the fruit from the remaining two tins of mandarins and place it in the bowl to cool thoroughly.
If the peel feels damp or sticky while making the jeweled chocolate bark, roll it in caster sugar to absorb any moisture. In a bowl set over a saucepan of moderately simmering water, melt the white chocolate. Pour the melted chocolate over the mixed peel on a baking dish coated with parchment paper. Allow set before breaking into shards.
Unroll the chilled Swiss rolls and sprinkle the lemon curd over top. Roll up and slice one into 2.5cm slices, placing upright along the bottom border of the trifle plate to show the swirl.
Fill the bottom of the dish with the remaining Swiss roll slices, ensuring that the top is nearly the same level as the slices that line the edge. Fill up any spaces with sponge offcuts.
Pour the St. Clement’s jelly over the Swiss roll layer and place it in the refrigerator to solidify. This should take about three hours.
Place a single layer of amaretti biscuits on top of the custard once it has set, saving a few for the top. Pour the mandarin coulis on top. Whip the double cream until soft peaks form in a large mixing dish, then spoon over the coulis. Crumble the reserved amaretti biscuits on top and sprinkle the chocolate bark shards on top.
