Brazo Gitano (Gypsy Arm)

This is a dessert that I grew up eating brought from the thousands of immigrants that came to Tampa from Spain during the late 1800s and early 1900s. There are various ways of preparing it as well as different fillings used. The one I grew up on was filled with a vanilla custard. While I never saw a recipe from Spain that had the dessert covered in merengue, many local bakeries used that as a topping. Others have use marzipan and guava. I like the powdered sugar and guava strips. While not traditional, I include a butter rum sauce that is soaked into the sponge cake.

As sourced from Real Academia de Gastronomia,  there are many theories about the origins of this cake, which consists of a sheet of sponge cake rolled up with a filling.  Some say that it was given as payment to gypsy artisans when they offered their services to bakeries. It was made from leftover sponge cake that was rolled up so it could be easily carried under the arm. Another theory is that it was brought back from Egypt by a monk from El Bierzo. In Spain, it is associated with Aragonese baking, especially that of Huesca, although it is eaten all over the country.

Per the internet site, Course Hero, Brazo de Gitano, which quite literally means ‘Gypsy’s arm‘, is the Spanish name for a Swiss roll. Bizarrely, the Swiss Roll was not designed in either country and is most likely to have been though of in central European countries like Germany and Hungary. However, this dessert has become an interesting home-made staple in Spain, and one that is commonly found at family meals. The story of how this rolled sponge cake got to Spain is also bizarre. The story goes that an Italian monk in medieval times was travelling the world and discovered the dessert in a monastery in Egypt. He decided to bring the dish back to Spain where it came to be known as ‘brazo egipciano‘ or ‘Egyptian Arm’. It is thought that the name of today is a simple degeneration of the word over time. The dessert has become very popular in Spain and many regions have their own versions and variations. If you visit Madrid, you will find that this cake is most commonly found with a cream filling, [like this recipe], but you can also find ones that are covered on the outside with cream too which are called ‘reina de nata’ or ‘Queen of Cream’. One of the most traditional Brazo de Gitanos can be found in the province of Huesca, north of Zaragoza.

MISE EN PLACE

INGREDIENTS:

• For the sponge cake:
  • 1/2 Cup sugar
  • 8 Extra large eggs, separated
  • 1/3 cup cake flour
• For the cream filling:
  • 6 Extra large eggs separated
  • 1/2 Cup sugar
  • 1/3 Cup corn starch
  • 2 Cups whole milk
  • 1 Cinnamon stick
  • 2 Tsp pure vanilla extract
  • Pinch of salt
• For the butter rum sauce:
  • 2″ Peel of lemon rind
  • 1 Cup dark rum
  • 1 Cup sugar
  • 1/2 Stick salted butter

INSTRUCTIONS:

• For the cake:
  • Preheat the oven to 350 Degrees
  • Line a jelly roll pan (cookie sheet, 15x12x1) with wax paper and generously butter the paper.
  • Separate the eggs, placing the yolks in a small bowl and the whites in a large bowl.
  • Whisk the yolks until bright lemony yellow and set aside.
  • Beat the egg whites, adding the sugar a little at a time. Continue beating until the whites form stiff peaks like a merengue.
  • Fold in the whisked yolks and continue folding until well incorporated.
  • Sift the cake flour, adding it to the batter and fold in until well incorporated. Do not use a mixer or beat the batter. Fold with a spatula.
  • Using an offset spatula, spread the batter onto the jelly roll pan so that it is even.
  • Bake for 20 minutes.
  • While that is baking, spread a damp dish towel on the counter, sprinkled with powdered sugar.
  • When the cake is done invert it onto the towel. Remove the wax paper and roll the cake up with the towel and let sit.
• For the cream filling:
  • (If you like a lot of filling, double the recipe.)
  • In a medium bowl, beat the yolks with a hand mixer until they are bright lemony yellow.
  • Add the sugar and salt and continue beating until well incorporated.
  • Dissolve the cornstarch in some of the milk so that there are no lumps and add that and the remaining milk to the egg yolks and beat with the mixer until well incorporated.
  • In a medium pot add the mixture along with the cinnamon stick and stir constantly over medium heat.
  • When the cream is thick, remove from the stove and mix in the vanilla. Place in a non reactive bowl and cover the filling with plastic wrap so that the wrap is touching the surface of the cream. This avoids a skin forming.
• For the butter rum sauce:
  • In a small pot add all the ingredients and simmer over medium to medium low heat until the sugar has dissolved and most of the alcohol has evaporated.
• Assembling the Brazo Gitano:
  • Unroll the cake and and trim off all four sides.
  • Using a pastry brush, generously brush some of the rum sauce on the cake.
  • Spread the cream filling evenly over the cake and roll into a log.
  • Poke the cake with a tooth pick all over the surface of the roll.
  • Brush the rum sauce over the cake. Let sit for a little bit and then brush three more times.
  • Dust with powdered sugar and top with strips of guava paste or your favorite topping.