Ingredients (for 8 servings, 40 minutes prep time; 12-15 minutes cook time)
Sponge:
4 eggs
100g golden caster sugar
a tbsp100g plain flour
1/2 tsp vanilla extrac
Filling:
225g strawberries, hulled and chopped
150g sugar
Directions
1 – Preheat the oven to 180C fan/200C/gas 6. Line a Swiss roll tin(32cmx22cm) with baking parchment.
2. Place the eggs, sugar and vanilla in a large bowl (of a mixer if you have one) and whisk until thick and creamy, when the whisks are lifted the mixture should leave a trail. Sift over the flour and gently fold into the mix. Spoon into the prepared tin, spreading it to the edges, then bake for 12-15 minutes until golden and springy to touch. Whilst the cake is baking, place a clean, damp tea towel on a wire rack, then a sheet of baking parchment sprinkled with a little sugar. Once the sponge is cooked tip out onto the parchment, carefully peel off and discard the baking paper, trim the edges of the sponge and then gently roll up with the new paper inside and leave to cool.
3 – To make the jam, put the strawberries and sugar in a small pan, bring to a simmer and cook, stirring until syrupy then leave to cool.
4 – For the icing, use a food processor to blitz the icing sugar to remove lumps, add in the butter and blitz until smooth. Add the melted chocolate to the food processor and pulse until combined. To make by hand, sift the icing sugar then beat in the butter and, once smooth, add the chocolate.
5. To assemble, unroll the sponge discarding the paper, spread with the jam and reroll. Cut one end at an angle to use as a branch. Place the branch 2/3 along the main trunk then cover the whole cake in icing. Run a fork along to create a bark effect.
6. For the strawberry robins, dip 2 sides of the strawberry in the melted chocolate leaving a gap for the red breast. Add 2 eyes and squeeze the yellow writing icing to create a beak. Arrange the robins on the log.
