Mergpijpjes

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •30 by 40 centimetre Swiss roll tin
• •Electric whisk
• •Rolling pin
• •Sharp serrated knife
• •Heatproof bowl for melting chocolate

Instructions

1. 1

   Bake the sponge

   Heat the oven to 200C and line a 30 by 40 centimetre Swiss roll tin with baking paper. Beat the eggs, caster sugar, and vanilla for five to seven minutes until pale, thick, and ribboning from the whisk. Fold in the flour and salt gently, spread the batter thinly and evenly, and bake for 10 to 12 minutes until the sponge springs back when touched.

2. 2

   Roll and cool

   Turn the sponge onto a sheet of baking paper dusted lightly with caster sugar. Peel away the baking paper from the base, then roll the warm sponge up from the long side with the fresh paper inside it. Let it cool completely like this. Warm sponge remembers its shape; cold sponge cracks and sulks.

3. 3

   Make the filling

   Beat the softened butter with the icing sugar until pale and smooth, then beat in the milk to loosen it. Unroll the cooled sponge carefully, spread it thinly with the sieved jam, then spread the buttercream over the jam in an even layer. Roll it up again, tight but not strangled, and chill for 30 minutes so it cuts cleanly.

   Keep the filling thin. A mergpijpje should show a neat spiral and a fine red line, not collapse into sweetness before the marzipan has even arrived.
4. 4

   Cut the logs

   Trim the uneven ends from the roll, then cut it into 12 short pieces, each about 6 centimetres long. If the knife drags the cream, wipe it clean between cuts. Pastry-shop neatness is mostly wiping the knife and pretending it was skill.

5. 5

   Wrap in marzipan

   Dust the worktop with icing sugar and roll the marzipan into a thin rectangle, about 3 millimetres thick. Cut it into pieces large enough to wrap around each sponge log with a slight overlap. Brush the outside of each log very lightly with buttercream if it needs help sticking, wrap with marzipan, and roll gently under your palm to make a smooth cylinder.

6. 6

   Dip the ends

   Melt the dark chocolate gently in a bowl set over barely simmering water, then let it cool until glossy and a little thickened. Dip both ends of each marzipan roll into the chocolate and set them on baking paper. Chill until the chocolate is firm, then serve at room temperature, when the sponge is soft and the almond scent has opened.

Chef Tips

• •Use real almond marzipan, not fondant. The almond is not decoration here; it is the flavour that makes the pastry worth the trouble.
• •Apricot jam is the clean pastry-shop choice, raspberry gives the brighter red line. Both are honest. Strawberry jam is often too loose and sweet for this small pastry.
• •If the marzipan sticks, dust with icing sugar, not flour. Flour tastes raw here, and a pastry this small has nowhere to hide it.
• •Serve with strong coffee or a small glass of advocaat. A mergpijpje is rich, so give it something bitter or eggy beside it and let the table sort itself out.

Advance Preparation

• •The sponge roll can be filled and chilled up to one day ahead before wrapping in marzipan.
• •Finished mergpijpjes keep two days in an airtight container in the refrigerator; bring them to room temperature before serving so the sponge softens.
• •They do not freeze well once dipped, because the marzipan sweats as it thaws.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 86g)